Samsara is a company founded in 2015 by MIT researchers, and may not be a name you are familiar with. The company provides a range of hardware including vehicle trackers and in-vehicle recorders to small business owners and mid-size fleet managers.
The in-vehicle recorders are useful for viewing accidents from the driver's perspective, helping with liability coverage in the event of an accident. Each device from Samsara provides real-time tracking with second-by-second updates. This is in contrast to the tracking other telematics services provide where 'real-time' may only mean once every few minutes.
Fairly new to the industry of GPS fleet tracking, Samsara was founded by a group of MIT researchers in 2015. The software is designed to be intuitive, with the ability to see your entire fleet at a glance and options to view more details about each individual vehicle.
The Samsara Electronic Logging Device is a reasonably new, hour of Service mandate compliance device in the world of professional transportation companies, particularly those with larger fleets of vehicles. This ELD device is considered one of the most versatile electronic logging devices available on the market right now. Real-world savings and safety enhancements are being unearthed via GPS systems every day. Let's take a look at several fleets using Samsara's GPS-based solutions to solve challenges and inefficiencies in their operations. There are roughly 280 million registered cars, trucks, and other vehicles in the United States. What is Samsara? Streamline your operations and reduce costs with Samsaras all-in-one platform for fleet management. Live-to-the-second GPS tracking shows your vehicles in real time and pairs with rich reports so you can plan better routes, dispatch drivers at the last minute, and share accurate ETAs with customers.
Pricing and Contract
Prices and contracts are worked out individually for each customer and are not specified online. Samsara's sales team will help you find the best plan for your business, and contracts are usually between one and three years.
This is quite standard in comparison to the rest of the industry, and prices are structured to meet the needs of various kinds of fleets.
Features and Services
Demo videos are available so you can see exactly how the software behaves. Samsara offers ELD compliance and can support HoS (hours of service) functionality.
Installation complexity varies depending on the device being used. OBD II port devices are plug and play, while in-cab cameras and other devices may be more complex. Samsara may offer installation services for each device, which is something you need to discuss with the sales team.
Driver safety scorecards are provided in real-time, and dashcams can be installed so you can re-watch incidents and help drivers to improve their safety. The dashcam can offer a view of the driver as well as just the road ahead.
All unsafe driving practices are covered, including harsh braking, acceleration, turning, and speeding. Harsh turning monitoring is the least common feature among other manufacturers.
Fuel performance is monitored with the ability to analyze fuel consumption and utilization. This helps you to plan better routes and to encourage your drivers to manage their vehicles in a more fuel-efficient manner. It is even possible to log fuel receipts.
Information relating to vehicle diagnostics and fault-codes is also provided in real-time which can help you to manage your fleet more efficiently, dealing with accidents quickly and potentially avoiding breakdowns.
Reporting and alert features are complete and robust, and text/email alerts can easily be configured to keep you up to date with everything that is happening with your fleet.
Samsara consistently receives good reviews but is not accredited with the Better Business Bureau. It received a 'D' grade, which is among the lowest across the industry. This does not necessarily reflect every aspect of the business or its hardware/software but is worth keeping in mind.
Pros and Cons
Pro
- Excellent fleet tracking is always provided by Samsara with virtually instant updates on vehicles
- Great safety features and alerts
Con
- A poor rating for Samsara with the Better Business Bureau doesn't look great
Ease of Use
Samsara produces devices that are very easy to use and update quickly. The creation of geofences is simple, and traffic data can be shown on the map. Very polished, simple to use, and always keeps you in control.
The Verdict
Overall, Samsara provides great software that is packed full of features, but the reviews with the Better Business Bureau might be a cause for concern.
GPS tracking for trucks
Advancements in communication technology and telematics have made GPS tracking more prevalent today than ever before. Whether you're keeping an eye on a single truck or a fleet of vehicles, the appeal of GPS tracking devices boils down to two major advantages: productivity and peace of mind. But how do GPS tracking devices achieve these benefits and impact fleet management?
Read on for a definitive guide to understanding how GPS tracking for trucks can help your fleet operate more efficiently.
What is GPS tracking?
GPS tracking devices are one of the more popular types of tracking systems available to businesses and consumers today. Put simply, a GPS tracker is a device that uses the Global Positioning System to determine and track the location of its carrier (typically a vehicle or person). This enables location data to be collected and displayed on a map which can then be used to locate something.
Why is GPS fleet tracking so important to fleet management?
Vehicle GPS can be an advantageous tool for fleets for a number of different reasons. Most notably, tracking devices provide visibility into a vehicle's whereabouts but the benefits extend way beyond just location identification. Some other key benefits include:
Cloud Samsara Driver
Optimized routes
GPS vehicle trackers allow you to identify the location of a driver and determine which driver is best suited to send to a job site.
Certain GPS tracking solutions, like Samsara, even provide route optimization tools to help plan more efficient routes and identify opportunities to further streamline once the route is completed. Samsara also provides tools for time-sensitive dispatching, all in one place. Dispatch managers can use Samsara to dispatch within the Samsara dashboard, track the routes drivers take, and evaluate performance trends to optimize future routes. To improve planned versus actual route performance, use Samsara's real-time GPS tracking, advanced analytics, and intuitive reports.
Improved security
GPS vehicle tracking can help increase the security of your fleet. If a vehicle goes missing, a GPS tracker can help you locate and recover the stolen or misplaced asset faster. Certain GPS truck tracking systems even let you set alerts if a vehicle is used during off-hours or if an asset leaves a pre-designated area.
Gps Samsara Map
Happier customers
Whether your fleet is delivering products to people's homes or is part of a more intricate supply chain, your customers expect a certain level of service and convenience. Because GPS tracking software provides the exact location of each vehicle, you are able to more effectively dispatch a nearby truck to a job site and certain fleet management solutions even allow you to share the truck's route and ETA with the customer.
Samsara's Live Sharing feature helps keep customers informed with real-time ETAs and vehicle locations from a shared URL that can be sent directly to a mobile device. And because Samsara has real-time GPS, customers can see exactly where on a route a truck is located at any given moment. Not only does this help your fleet deliver a seamless experience to your customer, but it eliminates any time spent fielding customer questions like ‘When is my delivery going to arrive?'
Reduced costs
Whether you're slashing fuel costs by making more strategic dispatching decisions or creating a more efficient route, GPS vehicle tracking devices help fleet managers confidently make cost-saving decisions in real time. By providing increased visibility into fleet operations, GPS tracking gives you more information about your vehicles so you can make more impactful decisions for the business and its bottom line.
Increase efficiency, reduce costs
See how our complete telematics solution drives measurable ROI.
What is the best vehicle tracking device?
A GPS fleet tracking solution could be valuable to your fleet if your business relies on providing products and services to its customers. But which system is right for you?
When evaluating a system, it's important to consider:
Quality of location data: Would your fleet benefit from real-time tracking or is a single location ping every five to ten minutes sufficient?
Ease of use: Consider how straight-forward the dashboard is and if it would require a heavy-lift to onboard and train employees to use it.
Customer support: What type of customer service will you need? If you want a provider who's easy to get in touch with, check to see if your provider has 24/7 customer support.
Ease of install: How seamless will the install process be for your fleet? Will it require hiring additional people or new resources?
Samsara offers customers real-time visibility into fleet operations, unlike many GPS fleet tracking services that provide breadcrumb-style trails with location updates that refresh every several minutes. With live-to-the-second tracking, fleet managers have the real-time information they need in order to know exactly where their vehicles are at any given time. This provides fleet managers visibility into their operations and gives their customers the confidence of knowing exactly where their delivery is.
Gps Samsara App
Overall, Samsara provides great software that is packed full of features, but the reviews with the Better Business Bureau might be a cause for concern.
GPS tracking for trucks
Advancements in communication technology and telematics have made GPS tracking more prevalent today than ever before. Whether you're keeping an eye on a single truck or a fleet of vehicles, the appeal of GPS tracking devices boils down to two major advantages: productivity and peace of mind. But how do GPS tracking devices achieve these benefits and impact fleet management?
Read on for a definitive guide to understanding how GPS tracking for trucks can help your fleet operate more efficiently.
What is GPS tracking?
GPS tracking devices are one of the more popular types of tracking systems available to businesses and consumers today. Put simply, a GPS tracker is a device that uses the Global Positioning System to determine and track the location of its carrier (typically a vehicle or person). This enables location data to be collected and displayed on a map which can then be used to locate something.
Why is GPS fleet tracking so important to fleet management?
Vehicle GPS can be an advantageous tool for fleets for a number of different reasons. Most notably, tracking devices provide visibility into a vehicle's whereabouts but the benefits extend way beyond just location identification. Some other key benefits include:
Cloud Samsara Driver
Optimized routes
GPS vehicle trackers allow you to identify the location of a driver and determine which driver is best suited to send to a job site.
Certain GPS tracking solutions, like Samsara, even provide route optimization tools to help plan more efficient routes and identify opportunities to further streamline once the route is completed. Samsara also provides tools for time-sensitive dispatching, all in one place. Dispatch managers can use Samsara to dispatch within the Samsara dashboard, track the routes drivers take, and evaluate performance trends to optimize future routes. To improve planned versus actual route performance, use Samsara's real-time GPS tracking, advanced analytics, and intuitive reports.
Improved security
GPS vehicle tracking can help increase the security of your fleet. If a vehicle goes missing, a GPS tracker can help you locate and recover the stolen or misplaced asset faster. Certain GPS truck tracking systems even let you set alerts if a vehicle is used during off-hours or if an asset leaves a pre-designated area.
Gps Samsara Map
Happier customers
Whether your fleet is delivering products to people's homes or is part of a more intricate supply chain, your customers expect a certain level of service and convenience. Because GPS tracking software provides the exact location of each vehicle, you are able to more effectively dispatch a nearby truck to a job site and certain fleet management solutions even allow you to share the truck's route and ETA with the customer.
Samsara's Live Sharing feature helps keep customers informed with real-time ETAs and vehicle locations from a shared URL that can be sent directly to a mobile device. And because Samsara has real-time GPS, customers can see exactly where on a route a truck is located at any given moment. Not only does this help your fleet deliver a seamless experience to your customer, but it eliminates any time spent fielding customer questions like ‘When is my delivery going to arrive?'
Reduced costs
Whether you're slashing fuel costs by making more strategic dispatching decisions or creating a more efficient route, GPS vehicle tracking devices help fleet managers confidently make cost-saving decisions in real time. By providing increased visibility into fleet operations, GPS tracking gives you more information about your vehicles so you can make more impactful decisions for the business and its bottom line.
Increase efficiency, reduce costs
See how our complete telematics solution drives measurable ROI.
What is the best vehicle tracking device?
A GPS fleet tracking solution could be valuable to your fleet if your business relies on providing products and services to its customers. But which system is right for you?
When evaluating a system, it's important to consider:
Quality of location data: Would your fleet benefit from real-time tracking or is a single location ping every five to ten minutes sufficient?
Ease of use: Consider how straight-forward the dashboard is and if it would require a heavy-lift to onboard and train employees to use it.
Customer support: What type of customer service will you need? If you want a provider who's easy to get in touch with, check to see if your provider has 24/7 customer support.
Ease of install: How seamless will the install process be for your fleet? Will it require hiring additional people or new resources?
Samsara offers customers real-time visibility into fleet operations, unlike many GPS fleet tracking services that provide breadcrumb-style trails with location updates that refresh every several minutes. With live-to-the-second tracking, fleet managers have the real-time information they need in order to know exactly where their vehicles are at any given time. This provides fleet managers visibility into their operations and gives their customers the confidence of knowing exactly where their delivery is.
Gps Samsara App
Gps Samsara
Beyond added visibility into vehicle operations, Samsara provides robust management tools that enable fleets to complete more jobs in less time. Samsara'ss fleet management software that provides a real-time GPS tracking solution for your entire fleet.
