If you serve food from a truck, temperature records are one of the simplest ways to show you are handling food safely. They also protect your customers and your business if something goes wrong. Here is what a good temperature log looks like, what to write down, and an easy way to keep it up on a busy day.
This is general guidance. Food safety rules vary by state, territory and council, so check with Food Standards Australia New Zealand and your local authority for what applies to your business.
Why temperature matters
Bacteria grow fastest between 5°C and 60°C. This is often called the temperature danger zone. Food that needs to be kept cold should stay at 5°C or below, and food that needs to be kept hot should stay at 60°C or above. The longer food spends in between, the greater the risk.
Food trucks have it harder than most kitchens: small fridges, hot grills next to cold storage, long days outdoors, and constant opening and closing of doors. That is why regular checks matter.
What to record
A useful temperature record is short. For each check, write down:
- What you checked. The food item or piece of equipment, such as "chicken skewers" or "under-bench fridge".
- The temperature. Use the same units every time.
- The date and time.
- Who checked it. If you have staff, you want to know who took each reading.
- Notes and actions. If a reading is outside the safe range, record what you did about it.
How often to check
There is no single answer, because it depends on your food, your equipment and your local requirements. A common approach is to check when you set up, at regular points during service, and when you pack down. Foods that are riskier, such as cooked meat, dairy and rice, deserve more attention. Ask your council or check your food safety program for what is expected of you.
What to do when a reading is out of range
If something is in the danger zone, act straight away. Get it back to a safe temperature if that is still appropriate, or throw it out if it has been out for too long. Your council or the Food Standards guidance will tell you how long food can safely spend in the danger zone. Then write down what happened and what you did. A record of the problem and the fix is more useful to an inspector than a log that is always perfect.
Common mistakes
- Writing temperatures at the end of the day from memory.
- Only checking the fridge, and not the food itself.
- Not recording what was done about a bad reading.
- Letting only one person know how the log works.
- Losing the paper sheet in the rain.
An easier way to keep the log
Paper works, and you are welcome to use our free printable temperature log sheet. But paper gets wet, gets lost and is hard to search. Crewbase has a temperature log built into the app, so you can keep the record on your phone:
- Log food temperatures in °C or °F from the app or the web, with notes.
- Every reading is stamped with the time, the person who logged it and the truck.
- Readings in the 5°C to 60°C danger zone are flagged straight away.
- You get an instant alert in the app when someone logs a danger-zone reading.
- Every danger-zone reading needs a follow-up: a status, what was done, and an optional re-check reading linked to it.
- Let chosen staff log from their own phones. They can add readings but cannot edit or delete them.
- See your history by today, this week or all time, and by truck.
- Export a PDF from the app or a CSV from the web to show an inspector.
Crewbase records the readings you type in. It does not connect to thermometers or probes, and it is a record-keeping tool, not a guarantee of compliance. You are still responsible for following the food safety rules that apply to you.
See more on the features page or in the vendor guide.
Temperature log checklist
- Thermometer works and is cleaned between uses
- Check at set-up, during service and at pack-down
- Record the item, temperature, time and who checked
- Act on anything between 5°C and 60°C straight away
- Write down what you did about it
- Keep the records somewhere you can show an inspector