Samsara and specialty transportation insurer RLI Transportation have announced a new partnership that will help fleets across the country improve safety and save money, the companies said.

RLI is partnering exclusively with Samsara to provide their transportation customers with a complete video-based safety solution. In addition to free Samsara AI dash cams, RLI customers who participate in the program will receive a discount up to 5% on their insurance premium. Through the partnership with Samsara, RLI will use incident and safety data to better serve their customers with tailored safety programs and training, as well as data-driven underwriting and claims decisions.

“Transportation companies are increasingly emphasizing safety and loss control,” said Mike Haswell, vice president of business development and retention, RLI Transportation. “Our partnership with Samsara will help our customers be more proactive and smarter about managing costs and keeping their drivers safe.”

Haswell called the partnership a “smart solution” for transportation companies facing rising costs. Ho noted that insurance premiums have been on the rise for the last decade across the industry. But over the last few years, a rapid increase in legal verdicts exceeding $10 million has increased the pressure on transportation companies and insurers. Some experts predict that premiums could increase 20-25% in 2020, even if a company has a proven track record of safety. This continued rise in costs has sparked a more collaborative approach to loss control, which is when insurers actively partner with their customers to identify areas for safety improvement and help them reduce costs.

“Loss costs and safety continue to be top concerns for our customers, so they are top concerns for us as well,” said Haswell. “There’s a significant need in our industry to support transportation companies with their loss control initiatives. Samsara will help us enhance the value we provide.”

The RLI program offers a cost savings opportunity for participating transportation customers—from large, interstate trucking companies to small businesses, including construction and security firms, Haswell noted. He added that it may be particularly valuable for small businesses who see the initial cost of dash cams as a barrier to investing in safety.

“Not only will participating customers get free Samsara dash cams—they will also get a credit on their insurance premiums just for participating and benefit from RLI’s comprehensive loss control program,” he said.

Proactively improving fleet safety with an all-in-one platform RLI wanted a technology partner that could help their customers work toward significant, long-term safety improvements. According to Haswell, Samsara stood out because of its advanced AI dash cam features, proactive driver coaching tools, and all-in-one platform.

“Samsara helps transportation companies be more proactive in their approach to reducing high risk driving behaviors,” said Jamie Wilson, director, transportation loss control, for RLI said. “This can potentially reduce the frequency and severity of accidents when they do happen.”

Samsara provides visibility into hard-to-detect driving events, like harsh braking, rolling stops, near-misses, speeding, and distracted driving. Paired with auto-uploaded dash cam footage and driver coaching tools, Samsara is designed to improve the consistency of incident review, exonerate drivers from not-at-fault accidents, and create a culture of safe driving.

In fact, 90% of customers say Samsara has helped improve safety within their fleet. Plus, more than 50% of dash cam customers have used Samsara footage to exonerate drivers in the past year—saving $5,000 to $25,000 on average, with some customers saving over $100,000 a year.

Beyond safety, Wilson noted that Samsara’s all-in-one platform was also an important factor in the exclusive partnership. With hardware and software to support not just safety but also compliance, dispatch, preventative maintenance, and more, Samsara provides more value for RLI’s transportation customers.

“Samsara helps reduce the number of systems our customers need,” said Wilson. “For example, e-logs are part of the Samsara system. Having safety and compliance in one platform was a unique differentiator we saw in Samsara.”

Wilson said the RLI transportation loss control team will work closely with customers who participate in the program, incorporating Samsara safety reports into ongoing risk control and safety improvement conversations. RLI will also use Samsara’s harsh event notifications for First Notice of Loss, so they are aware of incidents in real time, can more accurately and quickly determine fault, and can process claims faster.