Cold-chain (reefer) transport: which EU rules and data affect you?
Adopted 2026-06-16 · ≈ 2 min read · 
edited by Dirk Baaijen
Two EU regimes affect reefer transport: the F-gas Regulation (EU) 2024/573 restricts the refrigerants in your units, and the Data Act (EU) 2023/2854 gives you access to the telematics and sensor data those units generate.
Short answer: reefer transport touches two EU regimes. The F-gas Regulation (EU) 2024/573 restricts the use of fluorinated refrigerants (HFCs) in your reefer units, and the Data Act (EU) 2023/2854 gives you, as user, a right to the telematics and temperature data those units generate.
F-gases: the refrigerants in your reefers
Reefer units (on trailers, in containers and vans) typically run on fluorinated greenhouse gases — HFC refrigerants. Regulation (EU) 2024/573 introduces a step-wise phase-down of the volume of HFCs on the EU market and sets requirements for leak checks, recovery and qualified personnel for installation and servicing. The regulation entered into force on 11 March 2024 and replaced the earlier F-gas Regulation (EU) No 517/2014.
For the exact refrigerants, thresholds and dates that apply to your type of unit, consult the regulation directly via the EUR-Lex source above; the details differ per refrigerant and application.
Data Act: the data from your reefer units
A reefer with sensors and a telematics module is a "connected product" within the meaning of the Data Act. The temperature, location and status data the unit produces therefore falls under the connected-product rules of Regulation (EU) 2023/2854, applicable since 12 September 2025.
As the user of the product — the party that owns, rents or leases the reefer — you have a right to access that data and can have it shared with a third party of choice, for example a shipper or a platform that monitors the cold chain. If you hold others' data yourself, the duty to enable that access falls on you.
Note: other regimes too
If the data contains personal data (e.g. traceable to a driver), the GDPR applies alongside the Data Act. In addition, food-safety and temperature rules for specific cargo may apply; these fall outside the two regimes covered in this article.
What to do
- Map which refrigerants your reefer units use and whether they fall under the
phase-down or leak-check requirements of (EU) 2024/573.
- Ask your telematics or unit supplier how you can request and export the
temperature and sensor data.
- Record who is entitled to that data, so you can assess sharing requests.
Read more: Transport & Logistics. Take the scan.
Sources
- https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2024/573/oj
Regulation (EU) 2024/573 on fluorinated greenhouse gases (F-gases); in force since 11 March 2024, repealing Regulation (EU) No 517/2014. - https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2023/2854/oj
Regulation (EU) 2023/2854 (Data Act): access to and sharing of connected-product data; applicable since 12 September 2025.
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