How better data can unlock insurance savings for your fleet

In today's challenging commercial auto insurance market, fleet operators face significant pressure. Insurance costs are skyrocketing, and there’s no shortage of factors to blame: more crashes, larger claims, and aggressive litigation, compounded by rising fuel costs and other operational expenses, as well as regulatory shifts, all play a part. 

But, the key to securing better insurance rates—data—is within reach for every fleet. With more visibility into your fleet’s data, you can transform safety from a mere compliance activity into a proactive, core business strategy. Moreover, when fleets use AI-powered technology like Samsara to improve safety outcomes, it can be a major factor in securing better insurance rates and lowering costs.

In a recent Samsara webinar, leaders from Ben E. Keith Company, a top food and beverage distributor, and major insurer Marsh McLennan Agency explored the biggest challenges fleets face in using data effectively, the insurance benefits that data can help fleets secure, and best practices fleets can use to improve their appeal to insurers.  

Closing the data gap is a significant challenge for fleets

For years, one of the greatest difficulties for fleets seeking favorable insurance was a lack of reliable data for discovering the root cause of incidents. Investigations relied on memory and witness accounts, subjective sources that rarely revealed the full picture. Drivers and witness accounts of what happened fell short in providing the detailed insights necessary to understand why incidents occurred.

Daniel Harvick, Senior Vice President, Enterprise Risk, at Ben E. Keith Company, highlighted this critical challenge. "Without dash cams, it created big gaps in our data, and it was really difficult for us to perform reliable root cause analysis,” he said. “We had to rely on drivers' recollection of events or witness statements, if there were any, and those recollections didn't always provide the detailed insights that we needed.”

Without a clear picture of what caused incidents, it was difficult for the Ben E. Keith team to develop effective safety programs to address the patterns that led to risky behaviors. Ultimately, without objective data, even the best-intentioned safety programs can struggle to change outcomes in a meaningful way. 

To close the data gap, technology—such as dash cams, advanced AI detections, and a platform that connects information from these systems across fleet operations—are now essential for a robust safety program. As Danny Cox, Executive Vice President at Marsh McLennan Agency, noted, “Cameras and video are extremely powerful, and with proper management, they can be one of the most useful tools a risk manager can have.” He added: “It’s a very positive indicator that a company is willing to invest the time and financial resources to implement a camera system.”

How data drives better insurance benefits for fleets

There are several ways that data-driven technology can help fleets secure improved terms for insurance coverage:

Improved access to markets: Technology, particularly dash cams, are critical to even being considered by some insurers. “Without a camera system, many underwriters will take a pass on considering a fleet-heavy account,” Cox said. Implementing cameras makes a fleet more marketable to insurers and gives them access to markets that may not be available to fleets that don’t use them.

Reduced fraudulent claims: Footage from cameras can also provide important evidence to protect fleets from fraudulent claims and litigation with immediate, clear evidence that a driver wasn’t at fault. “Reduced fraudulent claims can have a direct impact on improved losses and improved loss ratios,” said Cox. “Anything a customer can do to reduce invalid claims and improve performance will help in today’s market.” 

Better access to capacity: Working with a technology platform—like Samsara, for example—can also significantly increase the maximum amount of value that can be insured. As Harvick noted: “Partnering with Samsara opened doors to additional excess liability capacity that was not available to us before, which is significant for our company.” 

3 best practices to improve your fleet’s appeal to insurers 

Technology is a major asset when marketing a fleet, but for an insurer, it is only valuable if the fleet is deeply committed to using it. As Cox explained, “Implementing technology requires a holistic investment beyond the initial purchase. You cannot simply buy your way to better standing.” Fleets must demonstrate a sustained investment in safety by using the data and continuously improving performance. Here are three best practices to help your fleet begin the process.

1. Build a comprehensive safety program

To succeed, technology must be framed as a component of a larger safety program and use data for targeted training and corrective action. Insurers specifically look to see if a fleet has a formalized safety and training program that allows for training opportunities and measurable improvements in performance.

This commitment is crucial when managing losses. Cox noted that a critical component reviewed by underwriters is how a company is managing past losses and what they are doing to correct activities. As he said, "What are you doing about correcting these incidents so hopefully they don’t happen again?” 

2. Commit to buy-in and transparency

When implementing new technology, engaging all stakeholders, from executives to frontline drivers, is critical for success and long-term engagement. Securing leadership support is the starting point, which involves clearly articulating the case for change to build support.

Driver engagement is equally important. Ben E. Keith Company's Dan Harvick noted that involving frontline team members early ensures the program is developed to be "aspirational but also practical and achievable,” as he described it. 

In addition, the intent of the program must be clearly positive. Harvick stressed the importance of ensuring the system is supportive, saying, "We wanted to ensure that this program was not punitive, and that it had a very, very strong and positive focus.” This requires robust and transparent communication. Harvick advised that fleets must make it clear how systems are configured and what the driver performance thresholds are.

3. Maintain a drumbeat of consistency

Long-term engagement requires a consistent rhythm of review, recognition, and refinement. This consistency is critical for sustained success. Ben E. Keith for example, maintains this drumbeat by conducting routine performance reviews, specifically engaging in monthly calls with management for each of their sites. 

During these reviews, managers discuss insights from their 30-day trends, highlighting positives, recognizing drivers who are most improved, and reviewing examples of "the best saves" or a "save of the week or a save of the month.” Management also asks for feedback on how the system is configured to ensure the program is optimized.

Moreover, to ensure the program is actively managed, fleets should put in a structure that defines clear responsibilities. This includes identifying who will be responsible for reviewing footage and for coaching drivers.

Samsara helps transform risk into results

While the implementation of technology may not result in an immediate, set percentage discount on premiums, the long-term benefit of controlling losses, reducing exposures, and becoming a safety-first operation is the ultimate competitive edge. With Samsara, fleets can shift from reactive investigations to proactive prevention, directly improving insurance outcomes. 

For Ben E. Keith, Harvick noted: "Samsara certainly has contributed immensely to improved safety outcomes. And with that, we ended up with better renewal terms." He added, "The state your safety program is in as it matures shows up when it's time to renew, and Samsara has been very positive for us."

Another company that is using Samsara to drive positive insurance outcomes is ITF Group, an asset-based third-party logistics provider. After implementing Samsara across their fleet of nearly 400 trucks, the company used AI Dash Cams to address driver safety challenges. By gaining real-time visibility and actionable data, ITF Group achieved a 50% improvement in reducing risky behaviors and a 30% reduction in accident rates. 

These dramatic safety improvements had a direct and significant effect on their risk profile, helping to lower the company's insurance premiums by $4,500 per truck per year, which resulted in $4.4 million in savings on insurance premiums alone over four years. CEO Sam Burkhan summarized the overall impact: “Samsara has transformed the way we operate. We’re more efficient, our drivers are safer, and we’re making smarter decisions every day.”

By pairing connected technology with a holistic, sustained investment in safety, fleets can control their loss ratios, dramatically improve their appeal to insurers, and secure their long-term financial sustainability.

To hear more insurance insights from Ben E. Keith and the Marsh McLennan Agency, click here to view the webinar.