Market Express improves trailer utilization by 60% with Asset Gateways and Cargo Monitors

Limited visibility and manual processes created reactive fleet operations

Market Express is a Pacific Northwest trucking company that has grown from a handful of trucks to more than 300 tractors and 900 trailers. The company specializes in dry van, reefer, and heavy-haul freight for paper manufacturers, consumer packaged goods companies, and food and beverage shippers.

Previously, every team at Market Express had their own manual system. "Before Samsara, we used spreadsheets to track accidents and incidents. We didn't have any video. It was a lot of guesswork," said Denise Rugh, Director of Safety. When safety events were reported by their legacy telematics system, managers manually followed up with drivers about what happened. Meanwhile, trailers were tracked through a TMS that only updated at 15-minute intervals or by calling drivers directly. On the maintenance side, repairs were reactive, often occurring only after a breakdown.

Culminating these visibility challenges, Market Express had a trailer utilization problem. They knew their trailers were sitting idle for weeks—whether in a yard or at a customer site—but had no way to verify location or load status. "Any piece of equipment sitting idle, especially empty, is equipment that we're paying for," said James Trendell, Director of Strategy and Execution. "Whether it's maintenance or leasing costs, we're putting money into equipment that's not generating revenue."