Field Services

Speedy Hire unlocks improved driver safety and insights across 1,100 vehicles with Samsara

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Meet Speedy Hire

3,300+ EMPLOYEES

61,000 CUSTOMERS SERVED

1,100 SAMSARA-ENABLED VEHICLES

The Challenge

Turning data into action across a national fleet

Speedy Hire is the UK's leading tool and equipment hire company, running more than a thousand vehicles across 147 service centres. Delivering everything from power tools to powered access machines every day, what happens on the road is one of the most serious responsibilities the business carries for safety and sustainability.

The team had outgrown their legacy telematics and camera systems. Data existed, but managers couldn't act on it. Certain depots had measurably higher accident rates, coaching was inconsistent across the country, and footage was only reviewed after something had already gone wrong. At the same time, Speedy Hire had ambitious sustainability commitments to meet: a net zero target and external ESG audits that demanded accurate, auditable fleet data. Their previous systems couldn't serve either need.

Before Samsara, we had data we couldn't act on. The biggest value now is knowing exactly what our drivers are doing out there, and being able to deal with it.

Aaron Powell

Fleet & Logistics Director

The Solution

An all-in-one platform for safety and sustainability ambitions

Speedy Hire deployed Samsara AI Dash Cams across their entire fleet and built a coaching programme around a deliberate philosophy: don't just record behaviour— change it . A structured coaching process, a cross-functional Driver Safety Group, a direct integration with their insurer, and Samsara data feeding into their ESG reporting now gives the company a fully integrated digital infrastructure for their operations.

Video-based safety

Catching risks before incidents occur

Speedy Hire's previous cameras only surfaced footage when someone went looking for it. Samsara's AI Dash Cams changed that, flagging mobile phone use, seatbelt violations, and harsh driving events in real time. Now, managers can coach drivers on what actually happened rather than waiting for an accident to prompt a review.

Since rollout, Speedy Hire has achieved measurable improvements across key safety indicators, including reductions in severe and general speeding, fewer harsh braking events, and continued gains in driver attentiveness per hour.

These safety improvements have translated into financial gains too. Insurance costs have reduced from £1.33 million to £843,000 — saving £490,000 overall. There’s also been a direct saving of £60,000 in excess claims, through reducing the costs per accident by over £4,000 on average.

A fortnightly Driver Safety Group now brings HR, fleet, driver assessors, and driver representatives together to work through what the data shows. The result is a safety culture where drivers feel supported rather than monitored. And the numbers reflect it.

A smiling woman in an orange safety vest leads a meeting with colleagues at a conference table in front of a blue wall.

Driver recognition

Ensuring coaching always reaches the right person

Accountability only works when you know who’s driving. Speedy Hire uses Samsara's AI Facial Recognition to confirm exactly who is behind the wheel at all times, removing a persistent gap their previous system left open.

Camera obstruction events are down 84% as a result. And awareness of mobile phone use as a distraction is continually reinforced, with clear guidance and identity confirmation in place at the start of each journey.

Four Speedy Hire employees in orange high-visibility vests stand together in a large warehouse, smiling at the camera.

Vehicle Telematics

Putting real data at the centre of a net zero roadmap

With 57% of Speedy Hire’s fleet already electric or hybrid, carefully managing the transition matters commercially and environmentally. Samsara Vehicle Gateway gives the same data for two jobs: optimising the fleet and evidencing the company’s sustainability progress. Idling alerts have driven down unnecessary engines running across depots, and every coaching intervention that reduces harsh acceleration or braking cuts fuel consumption and CO₂ output alongside the safety risk.

A red, purple, and green Speedy Hire electric van on a road, with "Go Greener Faster" text on the side.

API integration

Turning fleet data into a proactive risk management tool

Speedy Hire's insurer, Marsh, takes a direct API feed of Samsara data into Power BI, giving both teams granular visibility into accident hotspots by time, location, and vehicle type. Rather than responding to incidents, the company now sends targeted safety briefings to drivers before they enter high-risk areas.

That risk reduction is now visible in the claims data. Speedy Hire has seen an improvement in average cost per claim, recorded 21% fewer claims overall, and high-value incidents — those exceeding £10,000 — are down 44%.The strength of that data also gave Speedy Hire the confidence to move from a conventional insurance policy to a self-insurance model — a direct financial measure of how much the fleet's risk profile has changed.

A woman in a black top talks on a phone at a laptop, with a Speedy Hire mug on the desk in a modern office.

The Road Ahead with Samsara

Scaling personalised coaching and sustainability reporting

Building on the successes so far, Speedy Hire is exploring further ways of embedding Samsara into operations.

One of the primary focuses is personalised training at scale. Connected Training licences are rolling out across the fleet, linking E-learning assignments directly to what AI Dash Cams have observed. Going forward, each driver's development will be based on their own behaviour rather than a generic module.

On the sustainability side, Speedy Hire is working towards giving customers per-delivery carbon data drawn directly from Samsara. This includes showing exactly which vehicles were used, whether they were electric or diesel, and what the associated emissions were for that order. As carbon accountability becomes a standard part of procurement decisions, this is fast becoming a commercial differentiator — and Speedy Hire will soon be one of the few hire companies able to provide it. Having already shattered its initial benchmark targets, Speedy Hire isn't just raising the bar—the goal now is to turn today’s peak performance into tomorrow’s baseline across the entire fleet.

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