A change management partner to secure driver buy-in 

Without dash cams in place, tickets and citations were UniGroup’s primary indicators of safety incidents prior to Samsara. Wanting to take their safety program from reactive to proactive, they decided to implement Samsara AI Dash Cams, but securing buy-in among their 4,700 drivers and owner-operators was a massive undertaking. To assist with change management strategies, they leaned on Samsara for support. “Samsara provided us with materials explaining how the cameras work—those resources helped sell our drivers on the dash cams,” said Pilgram. “Better yet, getting buy-in was fast and simple once the first driver was exonerated.”

AI Dash Cams enable UniGroup to address their most important safety metrics head on. “Samsara data allows us to learn more about our drivers and their habits,” said Pilgram. Now, in-cab alerts help drivers develop safe behaviors by reinforcing the correct action in real-time. Prioritizing alerts for speeding, harsh driving, and following distance, UniGroup has made significant improvements to their safety program. Notably, they reduced the total number of safety events requiring coaching by 42% and achieved an overall Safety Score of 92.

Automating fuel purchase processing with Samsara’s open API

Leveraging Samsara’s open API, UniGroup automated how they process fuel purchase data. After a driver takes a picture of a fuel receipt (via the digital Documents feature in the Driver App), the fuel purchase data is automatically pulled into UniGroup’s mainframe system. Then, it is automatically cross-checked against HOS data to proactively identify instances of theft or fraud—increasing efficiency and reducing manual work for their back office. As a result, UniGroup achieved a 95% decrease in fuel purchase processing time; what used to take roughly three weeks of manual work is now a near-instantaneous automated process.

Cutting emissions with fuel efficiency reporting

To reduce vehicle emissions and improve fuel efficiency, UniGroup launched an efficiency program informed by Samsara data. Targeting idling reduction and optimized fuel purchasing, UniGroup regularly meets with their owner-operators to share insights for more efficient operations. This approach cut costs and strengthened driver partnerships, resulting in an initial 5% reduction in idling.

Streamlined workflows for drivers and the back office

Because of UniGroup’s complex organizational model, their drivers must switch between MOAs, which makes tracking miles and hours of service a challenge. To streamline HOS management and stay compliant with federal regulations, UniGroup needed a technology partner that was easy to install and could innovate alongside them.

To help meet the needs of their drivers, UniGroup and Samsara pioneered the development of a new feature that allows drivers to easily switch between MOAs within the Samsara Driver App. This feature—along with guided workflows that, for example, remind drivers to certify their logs at the end of the day—has transformed how their organization operates, simplifying drivers’ day-to-day workflows and streamlining HOS management.

With Samsara’s easy-to-use Driver App, UniGroup has seen a 10% decrease in ELD hotline calls from drivers and a noticeable improvement in driver morale. “The Driver App has helped with morale by making it easy and fast for our van operators to access the right tools, saving us time in the back office,” said Pilgram. Now, automated reminders prompt drivers to complete tasks, streamlining workflow compliance. As a result, UniGroup has increased the number of submitted DVIRs by 11%.