How OCU Group reduced their insurance costs with Samsara in just eight months

"In just eight months, we've achieved improvements in driver safety, claim management, and operational efficiency. This rapid transformation shows the effectiveness of Samsara's solutions and our team's commitment to embracing new technologies." Chris Shorey, Regional Plant & Transport Manager, OCU Group

Standout Benefits

• 42% reduction in motor insurance total claim costs within eight months—this is the amount paid, plus the amount estimated

• 28% reduction in YoY motor insurance claims volume from 2023/24 to 2024/25

• 70% of claims now reported to insurers within 48 hours of OCU Group being notified

• 5% reduction in motor insurance premium

Rising costs and unreliable systems

OCU Group, an infrastructure engineering business serving the UK’s utilities, digital, and energy sectors, faced a perfect storm of rising insurance costs and safety concerns threatening their bottom line. 

Despite having tracking systems in place, the company struggled with limited insight into driver behaviour, making it impossible to address potentially risky driving habits before they became costly incidents. But even more concerning was their unreliable camera system. External memory cards were constantly overwritten, resulting in only 20% of camera footage being received across the fleet. This meant crucial footage was often unavailable when needed for insurance claims.

"For us, the initial accident reporting element was always a challenge given our fleet size and business growth over the past few years,” said Krishan Rathour, Head of Claims and Insurance at OCU Group. “We didn’t have a platform which allowed us to obtain crash alerts, review clear footage, and assess all driver behaviours to establish liability. This would delay the processing of each claim from accident notification through to notifying insurers."

With premiums and total claim costs increasing, it was clear that a comprehensive solution was needed.

Building a connected fleet

OCU Group chose Samsara for its integrated platform and advanced safety features. With over 2,700 vehicles in operation however, implementation presented logistical hurdles that required careful planning.

The company began by strategically scheduling installations during safety stand-down days to minimise disruption. But technology wasn't the only change to manage; OCU Group also developed a comprehensive adoption strategy for employees, focused first on management buy-in. 

"We first took to rolling out by educating managers through lots of workshops and webinars," said Chris Shorey, Regional Plant and Transport Manager at OCU Group. "We were sending out webinars off the back of global emails—but attendance was very low. So we sent out personal emails instead, and it was 90% accepted. Making it our responsibility made a real difference."

Driver education came next, requiring transparent communication to address privacy concerns. "We had obstacles due to unionisation—some didn't want cameras because it felt like an invasion of privacy," said Chris Shorey. "We explained we weren't watching them constantly. We’re only interested if there is an incident, or if they'd done something that needed addressing."

Minimising risk, maximising savings

With the systems in place and everyone on board, OCU Group quickly began to reap the rewards. Samsara Vehicle Telematics and AI Dashcams provided complete visibility into driving patterns for fleet managers, resulting in a decrease in mobile phone usage and speeding. 

At the same time, footage was always available when needed for claims defence. Within just eight months, OCU Group reduced total insurance claim costs – comprising both paid and estimated amounts – by 42%, saving significant insurer costs. The number of claims decreased by 28% and the average claim cost fell by 22%. This had a positive impact on the loss ratio which improved from 62% to 35%—well below the industry benchmark.

Claims processing efficiency also improved. Before Samsara, OCU Group only became aware of accidents through driver reports, managers acting on their behalf, or when third-parties came forward. Now, thanks to real-time crash alerts and streamlined digital reporting, 70% of claims are reported to insurers within 48 hours—down from a previous minimum of 4-5 days.

"We’re able to be a lot more proactive with Samsara," says Krishan Rathour. "As soon as we’re notified of an accident involving one of our vehicles, we’re in the system, reviewing footage and tracker reports, contacting the driver and their manager, and requesting photos. The feedback from our insurer has been brilliant; they've seen a positive impact in our risk management and claims processing.”

With a clearly improved risk posture, OCU Group have now been able to negotiate a 5% premium reduction with their insurer. 

Joining the dots for greater insight

Beyond safety and insurance improvements, Samsara enabled OCU Group to consolidate three disparate systems into a single platform.

This consolidation created a single source of truth for vehicle and driver data, streamlining operations and improving data accuracy. OCU Group also leveraged Samsara's API capabilities to build custom Power BI reports that provide granular detail for strategic decision-making.

"We have a weekly safety meeting where we review all the incidents and risks to business," said Krishan Rathour. "We can now upload data from Samsara for discussion with our wider management teams, giving everyone visibility into key metrics and areas for improvement and enabling quick action by the teams if needed."

Increased visibility and streamlined processes extended to vehicle compliance as well. By implementing automated manager alerts for non-compliance, OCU Group improved their (DVIR) completion rates from 80% to 93% within nine months.

Building a culture of continuous improvement

OCU Group aren’t resting on their success, continuing to expand their use of Samsara through phased plans for the future. 

"We began with phase one addressing critical safety behaviours," said Chris Shorey. "We’re now entering phase two, focusing on fuel efficiency and identifying vehicles with excessive idling." 

For phase three, OCU Group plans to develop a comprehensive driver engagement programme with scorecards and incentives to further promote safe driving behaviours.

"We're taking an incremental approach, focusing on one improvement at a time,” said Chris Shorey. “It's a great partnership, and I expect even more benefits as the business continues to see positive results.”