Using technology to improve compliance, equipment tracking, and safety across Western Canada

When equipment is shared across multiple companies operating across different regions, consistency becomes critical. As the largest privately owned trucking company in Western Canada, Freight North Group of Companies handles everything from heavy haul and oversized loads to rail transport and flat deck hauling. With six distinct subsidiaries—including Pioneer Truck Lines, Headwater Transportation, and Wapiti Carriers—we manage a large pool of shared equipment across the group, including 880 trailers, which requires close coordination to keep everything moving safely and efficiently.

I have spent most of my career in the transportation industry, including nearly two decades in Fort McMurray before eventually moving down to Edmonton. During my 13 years with Freight North Group, I have seen firsthand how important it is to have the right tools in place to manage this level of complexity. As VP of Fleet Services, I oversee our equipment, insurance, and the Samsara platform. Over the past seven years working with Samsara, I have seen how reducing guesswork and better supporting drivers across a large fleet can make a meaningful difference in day-to-day operations.

Here are a few lessons that stand out in our approach today.

1. Build driver trust by prioritizing privacy

Drivers generally do not like change, and there was some initial pushback when we introduced dash cams to the fleet. We focused on explaining that the technology was there to help protect their licenses and avoid tickets—not to monitor every second of their trip. 

Over time, once drivers saw how these cameras could help in situations like 50/50 accidents, they began to recognize the value of having that footage. 

We also review footage proactively. If we hear there is freezing rain or bad weather in a specific area, we will check live footage from a nearby truck to assess conditions and, if needed, message others in the area to pull over until it is safe to continue. That approach has helped show that the footage is there to support drivers, not monitor them.

2. Pair coaching with positive recognition

Because we operate multiple companies, the system is set up so that individual managers receive email alerts for safety events specific to their own fleets. This allows them to review footage and either work with a safety team or coach drivers individually. With the AI advancements we have seen over the past seven years, this process has become more efficient. 

At the same time, we have learned that it is just as important to recognize drivers when they do something right as it is to address mistakes. 

For example, we received a harsh braking alert from a truck on the highway. When we reviewed the footage, we saw the driver had hit the brakes to avoid a child who had unexpectedly run out from a vehicle parked on the shoulder and was attempting to cross the highway to another stopped car. The driver was recognized for that quick reaction. We also give out gift cards to reward drivers for clean passes at the scales, proper Driver Vehicle Inspection Reports (DVIRs), and positive feedback from customers.

3. Reduce guesswork with real-time visibility

Before we integrated Samsara into the fleet, we relied on paper logs. This created blind spots for dispatch. Drivers would sometimes say they did not have hours available, and there was no easy way to verify their recap.

Today, electronic logs are the standard, but not all systems are equally easy to work with. With the Samsara Driver App, our team can see driver hours, recaps, and status in real time, without having to piece that information together. 

That makes a difference in how loads are assigned. Dispatch has a clearer view of who has the hours to take a specific load, which helps avoid sending someone out who may need to stop for a reset partway through a time-sensitive trip. For drivers, the system tracks hours automatically and provides reminders before they reach their limits, which reduces manual tracking and helps prevent violations.

4. Make shared equipment easier to track and maintain

With six companies sharing hundreds of trailers, tracking equipment used to be a major challenge. For maintenance, we relied on physical defect tags. In cold weather, those tags could blow off, or a driver might simply forget to attach one. In some cases, the next driver would hook onto a defective trailer without knowing it, which could result in an infraction at a weigh scale.

To improve visibility across the fleet, we implemented Asset Gateways and Asset Tags to keep track of each piece of equipment. DVIRs in the Driver App have also helped make the maintenance process smoother and more consistent. When a defect is logged in the system, the next driver can see it before taking the trailer.

We also encourage drivers to take time-stamped photos during pre-trip inspections to document that their lights and four-ways are working. Every scale officer hears, “it was working when I did my pre-trip,” but now drivers have documentation to support that. Showing this due diligence can help avoid fines or being shut down, even if the issue still needs to be fixed.

Ready to take your operations to the next level? Schedule a demo to see how connected operations can drive real impact—or log in to unlock more value from your existing Samsara platform.