Cold Chain Logistics Across India, -25C to +25C
Temperature-controlled transport and cold storage from a 75-year-old, debt-free logistics group — 2,700+ owned vehicles, 70+ warehouses and monitored temperature compliance on every trip.
Safe & Secure Logistics operates India’s largest private reefer fleet, moving temperature-sensitive cargo — frozen food, ice cream, dairy, pharmaceuticals and speciality chemicals — across every commercial temperature band, from deep-frozen to controlled ambient. The service combines owned refrigerated vehicles, cold storage warehouses within a 70+ warehouse network, continuous in-transit temperature monitoring, and compliance documentation delivered with every proof of delivery. Coverage spans 320+ locations across 27 states, backed by a debt-free group with 75 years of operating history.
What cold chain logistics covers, and how we run it
Cold chain logistics is the movement and storage of goods whose quality — or regulatory acceptability — depends on holding a specified temperature from the point of loading to the point of delivery. A frozen dessert that rises above its band, even briefly, is a write-off; a vaccine consignment that leaves its band may be legally unsaleable. The service is therefore as much about evidence as it is about trucks: the buyer needs proof, not assurance, that the band was held.
Safe & Secure runs cold chain as an owned-asset operation. Our reefer vehicles sit within a fleet of 2,700+ owned vehicles — the largest private temperature-controlled fleet in the country — which means capacity, maintenance standards and driver discipline are under our direct control rather than sub-contracted away. Each trip runs against a contracted temperature set point; sensors log readings through the journey; and our control tower monitors the feed, escalating deviations to the driver and transport team while the vehicle is still on the road, not after the goods have arrived warm.
Where storage is needed between legs, cold storage facilities within our 70+ warehouse network hold product at the same contracted bands, so custody of the temperature record is unbroken from factory gate to final delivery. For import and export flows, our in-house maritime and customs clearance teams handle temperature-sensitive consignments through ports without handing the cold chain to a third party.
| Temperature band | Typical cargo | Configuration |
|---|---|---|
| Deep-frozen | Ice cream, deep-frozen foods | Deep-frozen reefer, pre-cooled before loading |
| Frozen | Frozen foods, frozen meat and seafood | Standard frozen reefer |
| Chilled | Dairy, fresh produce, chilled processed foods | Chilled reefer |
| Pharma cold chain | Vaccines, biologics, temperature-sensitive pharma | Pharma-grade reefer with calibrated logging |
| Controlled ambient | Ambient-controlled pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, chocolate | Controlled-ambient reefer |
Who the service is built for
Frozen food and ice cream
Primary distribution from factories to depots at deep-frozen bands, with pre-cooling verification before loading and trip-wise temperature reports on delivery. Built for FMCG networks where a single band excursion writes off an entire load.
Pharmaceuticals and healthcare
Pharma cold-chain and controlled-ambient bands, calibrated temperature records for quality audits, and customs-cleared cold chain custody on international consignments. Documentation is structured for regulatory review, not just internal filing.
Dairy, produce and QSR supply
Chilled distribution for dairy, fresh produce and quick-service restaurant supply chains, where shelf life is measured in days and delivery windows in hours. Scheduled lanes keep replenishment predictable.
Industrial shippers with adjacent needs — speciality chemicals requiring controlled ambient conditions, or dangerous goods movements using our DG tanker capability — are handled through the same control-tower discipline. Ambient volumes moving alongside cold chain freight can be consolidated through our full truckload service on the same lanes.
Confirm a cold chain lane in minutes
Check whether we serve your origin and destination pincodes, or get an instant rate estimate for a reefer movement.
How cold chain pricing works
Reefer freight prices above ambient freight, and the premium is explainable rather than arbitrary. The factors that move a cold chain rate are:
Lane and distance — the base of any rate, including return-leg economics on lanes where refrigerated backhaul is scarce. Temperature band — deep-frozen movements consume more fuel and demand tighter equipment tolerances than chilled or controlled-ambient loads. Vehicle size and utilisation — a dedicated reefer prices differently from shared capacity on a scheduled lane. Loading and unloading windows — detention at either end carries cost, because a reefer idling at a dock is burning fuel to hold temperature. Monitoring and documentation requirements — pharma-grade calibrated logging is priced as the compliance service it is.
For a first estimate, use our freight rate calculator. For contracted rates on regular volumes, our commercial team prepares lane-wise quotations against your actual dispatch calendar — the honest way to price a network, rather than quoting a headline rate that unravels on detention and seasonality.
Coverage: 320+ locations, 27 states
Our cold chain lanes connect India’s major manufacturing clusters — the north-western industrial belt, the western seaboard, the southern pharma corridors — to metro and upcountry distribution points across 27 states. Cold storage nodes within the 70+ warehouse network provide staging and buffer capacity where a movement needs an intermediate hold. International cold chain flows connect through our container and ocean freight service, with 700+ owned 40ft containers and in-house maritime expertise.
Confirm any specific pincode pair through the serviceability checker — it answers instantly, and where a lane is not yet scheduled, our team will tell you plainly rather than promise coverage we cannot evidence.
Why shippers choose Safe & Secure for cold chain
Owned assets, not aggregated capacity
India’s largest private reefer fleet within 2,700+ owned vehicles. When the asset is ours, temperature discipline, maintenance and driver accountability are ours too — there is no sub-contractor between your cargo and our standards.
75 years, debt-free
Founded in 1951, the group closed FY26 at Rs 1,354 Cr (US$160M+) in consolidated revenue with no debt. Family-owned and professionally run, we make asset and network decisions on decade horizons, not quarterly ones.
Evidence on every trip
Continuous temperature logging, control-tower monitoring, and a trip temperature report with every POD. India’s leading FMCG and pharma enterprises trust the service because the record is auditable, not because the brochure says so.
Warehousing-led cold chain programmes — where storage, inventory and distribution combine into a single contract — are structured through our 3PL and 4PL warehousing service.
The process, from enquiry to POD
1. Enquiry. Share origin, destination, cargo type, temperature band and volume — by phone, WhatsApp or the rate calculator. We confirm lane serviceability and indicative pricing the same working day.
2. Quotation and band agreement. The contracted temperature set point, vehicle configuration and documentation requirements are fixed in writing before the first indent.
3. Vehicle placement. A reefer from our owned fleet is placed against your indent, pre-cooled to the contracted band before loading begins.
4. Loading verification. Product temperature and vehicle set point are checked at the dock; loading proceeds only when both are within band.
5. Monitored transit. Sensors log temperature through the journey. Our control tower watches the feed and intervenes on any drift while correction is still possible.
6. Delivery and documentation. The consignment is delivered against POD, accompanied by the trip temperature report — the complete in-transit record your quality team needs to close the consignment.
7. Review. For contracted lanes, periodic performance reviews cover placement compliance, transit times, temperature adherence and detention, so the programme improves on data rather than anecdote.
Fleet owners with reefer capacity, or warehouse operators with cold storage, can work with us through the partner programme.
Move temperature-sensitive cargo with proof, not promises
Get an instant estimate for your reefer lane, or speak to our cold chain team about contracted volumes and pharma-grade documentation.
Frequently asked questions
What temperature ranges can Safe & Secure Logistics maintain in transit?
Our reefer fleet operates across the full commercial range from -25C to +25C. That covers deep-frozen foods and ice cream at -18C to -25C, frozen products at -18C, chilled dairy and fresh produce at 0C to +4C, and ambient-controlled pharmaceutical lanes at +15C to +25C. The set point is fixed at booking, monitored throughout the journey and documented in the temperature record delivered with the POD.
How is temperature monitored during a cold chain trip?
Every reefer vehicle carries in-cabin temperature sensors that log readings continuously through the trip. Our control tower monitors these feeds against the contracted band and intervenes with the driver and transport team when a reading drifts. On delivery, you receive a trip temperature report alongside the POD, giving your quality team a complete, auditable record for every consignment.
Do you handle pharmaceutical shipments requiring compliance documentation?
Yes. Pharma is one of our core cold chain segments. We maintain calibrated temperature records for each trip, provide lane-level documentation for your quality audits, and support controlled bands from +2C to +8C and +15C to +25C. Our in-house customs expertise also covers temperature-sensitive import and export consignments where cold chain custody must be demonstrated end to end.
What is the minimum shipment size for cold chain transport?
We run both full-truckload reefer movements and shared cold chain capacity, so there is no rigid minimum. Full reefer loads suit manufacturers moving pallet volumes between factories and depots; smaller consignments can ride on scheduled cold chain lanes where available. Use our serviceability checker or call us with your origin, destination and volume, and we will confirm the right configuration.
Which parts of India does your cold chain network cover?
We operate across 320+ locations in 27 states, supported by 70+ warehouses including cold storage facilities. Primary reefer lanes connect major manufacturing clusters to metro and upcountry distribution points. Coverage for a specific pincode pair can be confirmed instantly through our online serviceability checker, or by calling our team on +91 75062 45557.
How is cold chain freight priced compared to ambient transport?
Cold chain rates carry a premium over ambient freight because of reefer equipment, fuel for continuous refrigeration, and monitoring overheads. The main pricing factors are lane distance, temperature band, vehicle size, load type and whether the movement is dedicated or shared. Our freight rate calculator gives an instant estimate; for contracted lane rates on regular volumes, our team prepares a formal quotation.
What happens if the temperature deviates during transit?
Deviations are flagged by continuous monitoring and escalated to our control tower, which contacts the driver and, where needed, arranges corrective action en route. Every reading is logged, so the full excursion history — duration, magnitude and recovery — is visible in the trip temperature report. You receive an honest record rather than a summary, allowing your quality team to make an informed accept-or-reject decision.
Proof of Scale · Since 1951
Backed by numbers, not promises.
India's largest privately-held heritage logistics platform — asset-backed, technology-enabled, and operating at national and international scale.
