What does the SFDA reefer requirement finder show?
A reefer inspection comes down to a few questions. What range does this product need? Is there a thermometer I can read from outside? Is the temperature recorded? Can you show the log? This finder puts those questions in one place and ties each one to a sensor.
It works in three steps:
- Requirements: the range for your product and the monitoring points, each with its source.
- Sensor plan: how many temperature probes, door contacts and humidity probes a body of your size needs, and how often to log.
- My vehicle: your setup against the list, with the gaps marked.
How is the sensor plan worked out?
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Length one probe covers | 6 mtypical |
| Logging interval | 5 mintypical |
Typical value. Replace with your device datasheet value.
These are Tracom suggestions, not SFDA figures. A longer body needs more probes because the door end and the unit end can read differently. A shorter interval catches short door openings but stores more readings.
What do you need to enter?
- The main product on the vehicle. For a mixed load, check each product and keep to the strictest range.
- The inside length of the cold body, the number of compartments and the number of doors.
- Optional: change the length one probe covers and the logging interval to match your procedure.
- Your current setup: probes, humidity probes, door contacts, interval, outside thermometer and recording.
Worked example: a 12 m reefer with two doors
A body is 12 m long with one compartment and two doors. It carries chilled dairy. The defaults are one probe per 6 m and a 5 minute interval.
- Probes: 12 / 6 = 2, so 2 temperature probes.
- Door contacts: one per door, so 2. Humidity probes: one per compartment, so 1.
- Readings per day: 1440 / 5 = 288 per probe. With 2 temperature probes and 1 humidity probe that is 3 x 288 = 864 readings per day.
With the example values in My vehicle (1 probe, no humidity probe, 1 door contact, a 15 minute interval and an unsure answer on the outside thermometer) one point out of six is in place, so the result is Points to check.
What mistakes do reefer operators make?
- Using one probe for the whole body. A probe near the cooling unit can read cold while the door end is warm.
- Skipping the door contact. Without it, a warm spike in the log has no explanation.
- Logging too rarely. Readings every 30 minutes can miss a 10 minute door opening.
- Reading the set point as the product temperature. The set point is what the unit was asked to hold.
- Treating a copied table as law. Open the current SFDA document and check the line.
Assumptions and limits
The requirement rows are notes from the SFDA document, last checked against the official PDF on 3 Nov 2026. Sensor counts and the logging interval are Tracom suggestions with typical defaults. The finder does not read sensors, check calibration or judge product safety. It is not an SFDA inspection or decision, and it does not say that any vehicle or device is approved. Verify against the current official text.