What is a food transport vehicle hygiene log?
A food transport vehicle hygiene log is the record that the cargo area was cleaned, sanitized and inspected before food was loaded, and who did and checked the work. Customers and inspectors may ask for it together with the load temperatures at delivery.
This template keeps both in one file: cleaning of each vehicle, the check before loading, and each load's temperature at loading and at delivery. All it needs are values you type in or copy from your temperature logger.
How to use the hygiene and delivery log
- Set up Settings: company name, the cleaning interval your authority requires, your vehicles, and product groups with the temperature ranges the product owner requires.
- Log every cleaning of the cargo area with the chemical, contact time and the result of the five inspection items.
- Check the vehicle before loading: enter the pre-cooling target and the reading, and confirm the cargo area is clean and dry.
- Log every delivery with the temperature at loading and at delivery and the receiver's name and signature.
- Review cleaning status and the monthly summary each week, and clean overdue vehicles before they are loaded.
How the log calculates results
In the example, the "Chilled (example)" group has a range of 0 to 5 °C. Delivery DL-7002 was loaded at 2.6 °C and arrived at 6.2 °C, so the result is Out of range. Vehicle RF-102 was last cleaned on 4 October. With a status date of 15 October that is 11 days, more than the example interval of 7 days, so it shows Overdue.
Cargo area cleaning and sanitising log
Each row is one cleaning: the type, the detergent or sanitiser, the dilution or concentration, and the contact time in minutes. Contact time is how long the chemical stays on the surface to work, and the chemical's manufacturer sets it.
After cleaning, the checker rates five items in the cargo area: odor, residue, pests, seals and door gaskets, and drain. A damaged gasket leaks cold air and is hard to clean, so any Fail turns the whole row red until the corrective action is recorded.
Pre-cooling check before loading
Pre-cooling means running the refrigeration unit until the cargo area reaches its target temperature before loading. The sheet compares the reading with the target you enter and with the product group range, and finds the vehicle's last cleaning before the loading date. If cleaning is overdue or none is logged, the vehicle shows Not ready.
Refrigerated delivery hand-over log
For each delivery you record the temperature at loading and at delivery, both times, and door openings and minutes if the driver or the tracking system provides them. The sheet works out the transit time in minutes, even across midnight, and checks both readings against the product range. The last two columns print with space for the receiver's name and signature.
Regulatory requirements differ by authority
Requirements for food transport differ between authorities, for example SFDA in Saudi Arabia and the municipalities in the UAE, and they can change. The temperatures, cleaning intervals and chemicals in this template are examples, not legal requirements. Check your authority's current requirement and apply it, together with your customer's specification and your food-safety plan.
Limits of the template
The template records what you enter; it does not read sensors. Readings at loading and at delivery do not show a temperature rise during the trip: a load can arrive within range after leaving it on the road. Use it with an in-trip temperature log, or with temperature sensors connected to a tracking system.