Transportation & Warehousing

Corcoran Transportation Group exonerates driver and avoids $500K lawsuit with Samsara AI Dash Cam footage

After switching from Motive, Corcoran Transportation Group unified their four fleets with Samsara's platform, transforming their safety program and exonerating drivers from false claims.

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The Challenge

Corcoran’s complex fleet operations had outgrown Motive’s basic solution

Corcoran Transportation Group comprises four distinct fleets with operations that span from Alaska to Texas, primarily across the western United States. They provide a number of services, including mining, hauling farm equipment (agriculture), transporting temperature-sensitive produce, and even navigating Alaska's ice roads.

Corcoran Transportation Group operates four interconnected fleets that frequently share assets, which can create significant operational complexity. For instance, a single truck might operate under all four companies in one run, transporting various types of cargo across vast distances, necessitating seamless tracking and compliance.

Prior to Samsara, the group used several different providers, primarily relying on Motive, and couldn't effectively track assets as they moved between entities, creating inefficiencies in billing, compliance, and safety management.

When evaluating solutions, it became clear to Corcoran that Motive could not provide the visibility or functionality Corcoran's diverse fleet demanded. "Motive just wanted us to sign a contract and then figure things out. Samsara, on the other hand, wanted to figure things out first. They demonstrated they wanted partnership, and I really appreciated that," said Frankie Wilmot, Chief Executive Officer.

Motive's solution offered "bare bones" functionality, lacking advanced features like driver safety gamification or accurate speeding detections. Critically, it offered no integration with their Transportation Management System (TMS), confining their operations in a fully paper-based process for all documentation, including bills of lading. This manual system created significant inefficiencies, delaying communication with customers and slowing billing cycles. Customer support from Motive became a bottleneck, with long response times that disrupted day-to-day workflows and delayed issue resolution. “When we had a problem, we'd spend 30 to 45 minutes on hold, only to be told to send an email to a support line," said Wilmot. “Our businesses don't have time to wait.”

With Samsara, we've significantly reduced our paperwork, which allows us to bill more efficiently and improve our bottom line.

FRANKIE WILMOT

CEO at Corcoran Transportation Group

The Solution

Samsara's comprehensive platform supported Corcoran's complex operations

Corcoran Transportation Group rolled out Samsara’s solution across their fleet. The ease of installation was a critical factor for Corcoran, given their distributed locations. "With installation happening across multiple teams and states, it had to be easy," said Wilmot. The plug-and-play installation proved so straightforward that the fleet-wide rollout of Samsara took approximately one month, with some individual fleets completed in as little as two days.

Samsara's safety solution helped Corcoran implement a safety program centered around driver safety scores. By simply sharing safety scores and creating a leaderboard, they fostered a competitive environment among their fleets, leading to significant improvements in safety behaviors. “We created a bit of friendly competition among the drivers, just using the scores,” said Wilmot. “When they can see where they stand, it motivates them to improve. It's often tough for drivers to know if they're doing a good job, so providing clear metrics has been incredibly valuable in building trust and improving our safety.”

Crucially, Samsara offered superior functionality compared to Motive in several areas. The ability to pull dash cam footage quickly was a significant improvement, especially for safety incidents where moments count. “Accessing video footage from Samsara on your phone is quick. I don't need to go back to the office and open a laptop to see what happened; I can do it right away,” said Wilmot. “While Motive's footage retrieval process was similar, it took up to three times as long.”

Additionally, Samsara facilitated a key integration with their McLeod TMS, which was not possible with Motive. This integration allowed drivers to mark in and out times, receive load information directly to their Samsara app, and upload documents digitally. “We’ve cut down on our paperwork significantly,” said Wilmot. “Now we can quickly share documents and stay in touch with customers, which means faster billing and getting paid sooner—making a big difference for our bottom line.”

The Results

Exonerating drivers from false claims, including a $500k injury lawsuit

Samsara's AI Dash Cams helped transform how Corcoran Transportation Group manages safety and risk. With multiple incidents resolved using video evidence, the technology has become essential for protecting drivers from false claims—a critical capability in today's litigious environment. In one instance, a minor fender bender resulted in a $500,000 injury lawsuit, which was dismissed after showing the Samsara footage, saving the company from months of legal battles and potential settlements. "Beyond the cost of paying out this lawsuit, it's impossible to calculate what it would have cost just in fighting it alone," said Wilmot. "We are constantly fending off lawsuits unjustly targeting truck drivers. Samsara footage allows me to address incidents with the truth."

The speed of footage retrieval is also integral for Corcoran, as demonstrated when a driver was sideswiped in a hit-and-run. “With Samsara, I can pull over, request the footage, and get it within a minute or two, which helps law enforcement find the person,” said Wilmot. “With Motive, I had to wait 30 minutes, and by then, the person could be long gone.”

Enhanced visibility is another crucial factor for Corcoran. "Because of our wide-ranging operations, we appreciate being able to customize our idling reports to different scenarios," said Wilmot. "We can focus on unproductive idling, but also make exceptions for certain scenarios, like our work in Alaska. You don't shut the truck off up there. That's rule number one."

For Corcoran, the key to their success is partnering with a provider that shares their long-term vision. "Samsara is regularly developing new products—they're in it for the long haul, and we plan to do the same thing,” said Wilmot. “We look for partners that have similar goals to us. It's been a great fit."