In today’s fast-paced retail environment, visibility and compliance are crucial to ensuring that goods move efficiently from suppliers to store shelves. Kroger, one of the largest grocery retailers in the U.S., has introduced new requirements requiring that all carriers, brokers, and suppliers provide real-time location updates and temperature readings for all inbound shipments starting in 2025. Below, we’ll explore the key components of these requirements, why it matters, and how Descartes MacroPointTM offers a streamlined solution for meeting (and exceeding) these new standards. 

Understanding Kroger’s New Mandate 

According to the information provided on Kroger ONE Network, Kroger is making supply chain visibility a top priority and demanding higher standards of transparency from its carriers, brokers, and suppliers. The sharing of location and temperature are requirements in Kroger’s 2025 National Truckload (TL) Request for Proposal (RFP) set to launch in early April with an effective date of July 20, 2025. Specifically, the mandate includes: 

  1. Real-Time Location Tracking – effective May 1, 2025 
    Each inbound shipment must be tracked in real-time (15-minute updates), ensuring Kroger and its partners know exactly where the freight is at all times. This improves on-time delivery rates, reduces dwell times, and helps minimize disruptions. 
  1. Temperature Monitoring – effective November 1, 2025 
    For temperature-controlled or perishable goods that are in scope, Kroger requires continuous temperature updates throughout transit. Maintaining an optimal temperature is vital for food safety and quality, and real-time alerts help address potential temperature excursions before product integrity is compromised. 

Given Kroger’s previous temperature tracking initiatives, not all refrigerated loads are subject to this new requirement. See Kroger Managed Carrier Webinar Jan 2025 for more about what is in scope.

  1. Consistent, Automated Data Sharing 
    Rather than relying on manual check calls or irregular updates, Kroger wants automated data feeds that reliably report location and temperature details at regular intervals—or as soon as an exception arises. Kroger is requiring that this information feed directly into the One Network platform via API or EDI to enable enhanced decision-making and proactive issue resolution. 

How to Get Started with Kroger’s Program 

  1. Supplier Onboarding
    Kroger has published a step-by-step Supplier Onboarding Guide to walk new partners through enrollment in its visibility and temperature monitoring program. You’ll find details on system requirements, data-sharing specifications, and best practices for integrating with Kroger’s chosen platform. 
  1. Registration Resources
    For direct access to Kroger’s sign-up and registration portals, check out their Inbound Visibility Supplier Sign-Up Page or the Inbound Visibility Carrier Sign-Up Page. This page contains important guides, best practices, technical specs, and a downloadable FAQ. 
  1. Confirm your current visibility and temperature tracking solutions can fulfill the new requirements
    Not all companies will need to replace their current solutions to meet this requirement, as long as the requested data is available at 15-minute intervals and can be easily transferred to the One Network platform. 

If you are utilizing Descartes MacroPoint to track this information, you simply need to contact your Descartes representative or customer support to enable the API to start sending the data. Note that you may need to update your subscription to include temperature readings if you only subscribe to location tracking data currently.

Why This Matters for Kroger Suppliers and Transportation Partners 

  1. Avoid Risk of Non-Compliance 
    Non-compliance with Kroger’s new inbound shipping standards can lead to costly penalties, lost contracts, or damaged relationships with one of the nation’s premier retailers. By adopting a solution that automates compliance, you reduce liability and maintain a strong partnership with Kroger. 
  1. Improve Operational Efficiency 
    Real-time visibility not only benefits Kroger but also helps shippers, brokers, and carriers optimize their own operations. Automated tracking eliminates manual check calls, saves time, and frees up resources to tackle more strategic tasks. 
  1. Enhance Customer Satisfaction with Kroger 
    Whether you’re transporting produce, frozen goods, or general merchandise, meeting Kroger’s stringent standards for location and temperature tracking demonstrates your commitment to quality and reliability. This sets you apart from competitors and positions your organization as a best-in-class logistics provider. 
  1. Grow Business Outside of Kroger
    Investing in real-time visibility and temperature tracking capabilities will differentiate your business across different companies and industries. You’ll be able to grow your business without adding headcount and offer these value-added services to your customers that will increase revenue. 

Descartes MacroPoint: A Turnkey Visibility Compliance Solution 

If you’re scrambling to meet Kroger’s new requirements—or simply looking to streamline visibility across your network—Descartes MacroPoint is a proven, all-in-one global, multi-modal platform for real-time visibility with AI-powered predictive ETAs, custom alerts, temperature tracking, capacity sourcing, fraud prevention, carrier vetting/onboarding/ monitoring, and analytics for continuous improvement. Here’s how: 

End-to-End Real-Time Tracking

Descartes MacroPointTM integrates seamlessly with ELD devices, driver mobile apps, telematics systems, TMS, WMS, dock appointment scheduling and any number of other systems. Most carriers can onboard themselves with our self-service process with no effort required by our customers. This connectivity ensures that every load can be monitored prior to pickup through to final delivery, including proof-of-delivery—all in real-time. 

Temperature Monitoring and Alerts

For companies shipping perishable goods, temperature control is paramount. Descartes MacroPointTM supports sensor-based readings that are automatically transmitted at scheduled intervals or upon temperature deviations. Should the cargo exceed a specified temperature range, stakeholders receive instant alerts to take corrective action. 

Automated Data Sharing

One of the biggest challenges for shippers, brokers, and carriers today is data integration between all the various parties involved in moving freight—making sure that relevant tracking and temperature information is conveyed in the correct format. Descartes MacroPoint has a pre-built API to automatically send the required data to Kroger’s One Network Platform. Additionally, Descartes MacroPoint is designed to share data seamlessly with any system or partner, ensuring that all parties receive continuous and accurate updates, including rules-based alerts to the right people regarding the freight they are concerned with.

Customized Geo-Fencing and Visibility Rules

Descartes MacroPoint’s geo-fencing reduces the need for manual inputs from the driver by letting you define virtual perimeters around pickup and delivery locations that trigger arrival and departure events with reduced errors and enhancing the predictive ETA and alerting notifications for downstream operations. 

Scalability for Fleets of All Sizes

Whether you run a small operation or ship thousands of loads a month, Descartes MacroPoint scales to meet your specific needs. By automating much of the visibility and compliance process, you can easily handle more loads and expand your business without overburdening your internal teams. 

Practical Steps to Ensure Compliance 

  1. Assess Your Current Visibility Capabilities 
    Map out your existing processes for location and temperature tracking. Identify gaps in technology, workflow, and your partner carriers’ capabilities that might hinder automated updates. 
  1. Partner with Descartes  
    Explore how Descartes MacroPoint can integrate with your current tech stack—whether it’s your TMS, your carriers’ ELDs, or driver mobile apps.
  1. Train Your Team 
    Descartes provides coaching for users on carrier engagement and best practices, as well as support for carriers, and self-service tools to identify potential issues, root causes to improve tracking performance. Proper training and self-service tools ensure consistent data input and prevents avoidable errors. 
  1. Set Up Alerts and Reporting 
    Configure custom alert thresholds for temperature deviations, missed arrivals, loads running behind schedule, or other exceptions. Automated alerts, configured to go to the right people help you tackle problems in real-time before they escalate. 
  1. Monitor and Optimize 
    Once your system is up and running, review performance metrics regularly. Descartes MacroPoint’s US-based customer success team conducts quarterly reviews with customers to ensure they are getting the most value from the platform and provide insights from our detailed analytics to improve operations, reduce delays, and enhance customer service. 

Looking Ahead 

By mandating location updates and temperature readings for inbound shipments, Kroger is raising the bar for the entire grocery and retail supply chain. While this may seem challenging at first, it also represents an opportunity to modernize your operations, enhance visibility, and improve the quality of service you deliver—not just to Kroger, but to all your customers. 

With Descartes MacroPoint, shippers and brokers can streamline compliance, reduce risk, and build stronger relationships with critical retail partners. As Kroger continues to prioritize safety, transparency, and efficiency, having a robust real-time visibility platform is more than just a “nice to have”—it’s an essential step in meeting today’s (and tomorrow’s) supply chain demands. 

Ready to Get Started? 

  • Visit the Descartes MacroPoint website to learn more about the platform, request a demo, and see how it can help you comply with Kroger’s new mandate. 
  • Refer to Kroger’s Supplier Onboarding Guide for detailed information on system requirements, data-sharing specifications, and onboarding best practices. 
  • Get answers to common questions from the Kroger ONE Network FAQ about the real-time visibility program, technology requirements, and more. 

By implementing a scalable, automated approach to location and temperature tracking, you’ll be well-positioned to meet Kroger’s requirements and strengthen your reputation as a dependable supply chain partner.