Safety most at risk at beginning, end of drivers’ shifts

Samsara studies truckers'' risky driving behaviors

Commercial vehicle drivers are more likely to engage in unsafe driving behaviors at the beginning or end of their shifts. Meanwhile, U.S. drivers are speeding more frequently on the less-congested roadways during the COVID-19 pandemic.

These are some of the findings from a new data deep dive from Internet of Things (IoT) provider Samsara, analyzing data from its commercial customers.

According to Ali Akhtar, director of data science for the firm, reduced roadway congestion has led to a 20%...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/safety-most-at-risk-at-beginning-end-of-drivers-shifts

Truck traffic normalizes at faster speeds with less hard braking

80 mph highway sign

Truck traffic is about back to normal on the nation’s highways and interstates, according to a study of 130 million trips by fleet management solutions provider Samsara Networks’ 15,000 customers. Two safety-related items stand out:

More speeding.

Less hard braking.

Samsara looked at traffic and driving before, during and after lockdowns across the United States. It also sampled five cities: Atlanta, New York City, Chicago, Houston and San Francisco. Speeding jumped 40% in those cities early April...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/truck-traffic-normalizes-at-faster-speeds-with-less-hard-braking

Expert: Startup fleet solutions providers are down but not out

The coronavirus pandemic has slammed virtually every sector of the trucking industry. But to paraphrase a famous author, the outbreak slammed each sector in its own way. 

The downsizing that hit newer entrants in the trucking telematics space is a case in point. Over the past two months, Samsara and Keep Truckin, two of the more prominent startups in the ELD and fleet management arena, laid off 18% of their workforce (yes, each company let go exactly the same percentage of employees).

Chalk up...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/expert-startup-telematics-and-fleet-solutions-providers-are-down-but-not-out

Today’s Pickup: Samsara introduces driver efficiency scores to help improve driving habits

Samsara introduces driver efficiency scores to help improve driving habits (Photo: Jim Allen/FreightWaves)

Good day,

Industrial internet of things (IIoT) provider Samsara announced the introduction of driver efficiency scores to improve driver behavior and increase fleet safety. Fleets can monitor different driving parameters and use Samara’s fleet efficiency reports to train drivers and reduce fuel consumption, while increasing overall operational sustainability. 

Samara’s report aggregates data across several criteria, including instances of truck idling, speeding, cruise control, coasting, and high...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/todays-pickup-samsara-introduces-driver-efficiency-scores-to-help-improve-driving-habits

Samsara lays off 18% of workforce

ELD and fleet management solutions provider Samsara announced Wednesday it was laying off 300 employees, 18% of its workforce, as the company responds to the coronavirus downturn. 

“It’s now clear that COVID-19 has become the most significant economic event in the past 100 years,” CEO Sanjit Biswas said in a blog post, and “since the outbreak, we’ve had to plan for scenarios that were unimaginable just a few months ago.” 

Geographic areas impacted by the layoffs focused on Italy, Spain and Benelux...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/samsara-lays-off-18%-of-workforce

Keys to dash cam acceptance are transparency and incentives

Transparency and incentives are key to gaining driver acceptance for dash cams (Photo: Jim Allen/FreightWaves)

Within the trucking industry, opinions on installing dash cams have oscillated between skepticism and conviction. On one end of the spectrum are drivers, who are resistant to dash cams, as some believe they infringe on their privacy. Fleet managers feel otherwise, because dash cams can help promote safer driving and provide immunity in courts.

“Change and uncertainty always cause stress. Drivers can sometimes assume the worst about any change. I think that goes not just for drivers, but for all...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/keys-to-dash-cam-acceptance-are-transparency-and-incentives

Today’s Pickup: Idelic integrates Samsara ELD, camera data into platform

Samsara dashcam

Good day,

Idelic’s Safety Suite driver management platform is now capable of collecting electronic logging device (ELD) and camera data generated by Samsara’s technology. Customers using Safety Suite can automatically upload their ELD and camera data and have that driver information seamlessly pushed back to Samsara.

“Capturing data through devices that Samsara provides is incredibly helpful in understanding driver behavior. Integrating that data into the wide breadth of driver information held...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/todays-pickup-idelic-integrates-samsara-eld-camera-data-into-platform