VLS Environmental Solutions decreases idling time by 25% with Samsara

Partnering with Samsara, VLS Environmental Solutions leverages data-driven decision making to improve fleet safety, efficiency, and sustainability, aligning technology with their core environmental mission.

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FLEET TELEMATICS
EQUIPMENT TRACKING
SAMSARA APPS

Meet VLS Environmental Solutions

Streamlining data for better operational oversight and informed decision-making

Founded in 2007 and headquartered in Houston, Texas, VLS Environmental Solutions (VLS) is a zero waste to landfill environmental service company with over 1,500 employees across the United States and Mexico. Sustainability is not only a service offering but a fundamental value deeply embedded in VLS's daily operations. Fragmented systems for fleet tracking and performance metrics were limiting VLS’s ability to achieve their ambitious sustainability goals. They sought a technology partner to help consolidate and streamline their data collection to gain the comprehensive operational insights they needed to measurably improve performance in key areas like fuel consumption, emissions, and safety incidents to better align fleet operations with their core environmental goals.

JONATHAN SANDERS

Real-time data and insights powering their sustainability and operational benchmarks

VLS chose Samsara as their technology partner because of Samsara’s data-driven insights. Since implementation, Samsara has served as the data backbone of VLS’s proactive driver engagement initiatives, ambitious fleet electrification planning, and robust sustainability efforts. Real-time mapping and data-powered insights have helped their fleet optimize routes, reduce idling times, and lower overall fuel consumption. Predictive maintenance alerts also ensure vehicles operate efficiently, reducing emissions and preventing costly, overdue repairs. Through these strategic integrations and comprehensive reporting, VLS is able to more accurately track and measure their carbon footprint, allowing for data-driven decisions that align with their long-term sustainability goals and improving their bottom-line.

Enhancing driver safety with AI Dash Cam footage and targeted coaching

Rolling out Samsara's AI Dash Cams to their fleet gave VLS the crucial video evidence they needed of incidents, which proved essential for exonerating drivers and identifying unsafe driving behaviors. This enabled targeted coaching programs, dramatically improving driver safety scores and performance. This focus on safety also led to a significant reduction in claims costs, with VLS saving over $800,000 in annual auto claims, and seeing a 19% decrease in incident-related damages compared to the previous year, even while the fleet expanded.

Achieving ambitious sustainability goals and improving operational efficiency with accurate data and insights

Using data from Samsara's Asset Gateways, Vehicle Gateways, and route optimization tools, VLS achieved significant gains in fuel efficiency and operational performance. Analyzing vehicle utilization and implementing more efficient routes (supported by their integrated routing system) led to a 6% reduction and $350,000 savings in fuel consumption and an 8% reduction in overall mileage, directly impacting their environmental footprint. Activating real-time in-cab idling alerts saw a 25% reduction in idling, while optimized routing and idle time reduction initiatives led to a 10% decrease in fleet-wide CO2 emissions.

Securing valuable assets with real-time tracking

VLS enhanced the security of their high-value assets, particularly in high-risk regions, by deploying Samsara Asset Gateways and Asset Tag. The real-time tracking and geofencing capabilities enabled quick response and recovery of stolen assets, including the recovery of a stolen truck valued around $600,0000 and carrying sensitive material.

Building a culture of safety with simplified reporting and targeted training

Recognizing the inefficiencies in manual, paper-based processes, VLS turned to Samsara's Connected Workflows to digitize critical operational tasks, such as International Fuel Tax Agreement (IFTA) reporting and Hours of Service (HOS) logs, to make compliance easy for their drivers. This strategic shift has also streamlined daily operations like Driver Vehicle Inspection Reports (DVIRs) while also resulting in a 25% decrease in HOS issues. They also rolled out Connected Training as part of their active commitment to driver safety, delivering personalized videos directly to drivers to address behavioral trends and foster a proactive safety culture.