Trucker fired after $100,000 ice cream shipment thaws due to temperature error

An Australian truck driver has lost his legal challenge against his dismissal following a significant error that led to the destruction of a $100,000 ice cream shipment. Jeremiah Manly was fired by ERH Refrigerated Transport after a temperature miscalculation caused an entire load of frozen goods to thaw.

The incident occurred during a December 2025 transport from Melbourne to Sydney. Company documents stipulated the refrigerated trailer should maintain a temperature of minus 22 degrees Celsius. However, the Fair Work Commission found the trailer's temperature was set at minus one degree Celsius for the entire journey.

By the time the error was corrected remotely by a night manager, the ice cream had already thawed and the entire shipment had to be discarded. The lost goods were valued at approximately $74,000, with an additional $30,000 incurred for disposal.

Manly, who had been with the company since November 2022 and completed around 600 refrigerated transports, contested his dismissal. He argued the company did not follow a fair procedure. While Commissioner Damian Sloan acknowledged the company had decided on termination before hearing Manly's explanation, this procedural flaw was not enough to overturn the decision.

Manly claimed he remembered setting the correct temperature and suggested the trailer doors were not closing properly. The commissioner rejected these explanations, noting Manly had six opportunities to check the temperature during the trip but admitted he did not. The commission concluded that Manly's failure to fulfill his duties caused substantial losses, providing a valid reason for dismissal. The termination was deemed not harsh, unjust, or unreasonable.

“

He admitted during the hearing that he had six occasions to check the temperature of the trailer, but it is clear that he did not do so.