Technology is crucial in assisting fleet managers in addressing industry challenges. According to Samsara's recent 2023 State of Connected Operations Report, 56% of respondents that manage physical operations such as transporting goods and services, stated that improving workforce productivity through adopting new technologies is a critical priority for their organizations.

Plus, respondants predict that by 2025, 55% of their field employees will rely entirely on digital workflows to carry out their day-to-day tasks.

Samara has released new product offerings to assist the industry in accomplishing the many challenges of heavy-duty trucking. These products include:

• Smart Trailers solution.

• Virtual Coach.

• Mobile Experience Management (MEM).

• Asset Tracking solution and Find My Asset.

Smart Trailers: Enhance Visibility and Control

One of the key factors in improving profitability for trucking companies is the ability to consolidate fleet operations efficiently.

Samsara’s Smart Trailers solution aims to:

• Track and protect trailers.

• Optimize utilization.

• Enhance temperature-sensitive fleet operations.

By leveraging Smart Trailers, organizations gain a centralized platform to manage their entire fleet of trailers and reefers, resulting in various benefits.

Smart Trailers Solution Benefits

Samsara announced several new features for its Smart Trailers solution:

1. The new Samsara Powered Asset Gateway: This advanced gateway connects to Samsara Door Monitor and Samsara Cargo Monitor, providing enhanced visibility across all trailers. This feature is available worldwide, enabling customers to track and monitor their trailers more effectively.

2. Environmental Monitor (EM31): Samsara has introduced an upgraded Environmental Monitor with an improved ingress protection of IP69k waterproof grade. This monitor allows fleet managers to monitor ambient temperature, helping to ensure regulatory compliance and reduce load loss. The EM31 will be generally available to global customers starting this fall.

3. Actionable Alerts: Samsara has introduced new customizable temperature and reefer alerts, giving customers flexibility in configuring and managing alerts. These alerts allow fleet managers to monitor temperature-sensitive cargo and take necessary actions proactively. This feature will be generally available to global customers in the upcoming summer.

Alexander Stevenson, general manager, connected equipment, Samsara, explained that the product also benefits international trucking companies.

“Before technology like Smart Trailers [solution], it was hard to keep track of trailers, and managers would buy more trailers than needed," he said. "With smart trailers, fleet managers can see exactly where there is a surge in business that needs more trailers and other areas that don’t use trailers as efficiently. With new data available, fleet managers can redeploy trailers or move them over and generate more revenue with the same amount of capital expenditure, making the company more efficient."

Virtual Coach: The Next Level of Safety

For fleets looking for more autonomy and personalized coaching experience, it’s not always easy for geographically dispersed fleets. Samara’s Virtual Coach is a coaching tool that provides video-based AI insights, accessible anytime and anywhere.

With Virtual Coach, managers can personalize coaching experiences for individual drivers directly within the Samsara platform.

Once coaching has been prescribed, drivers can review safety event videos and coaching tips for risky behaviors directly in the Samsara Driver App, eliminating the need to wait for an in-person coaching session with their manager.

Stevenson explained how drivers get alerts: “Drivers can get personalized coaching and alerts based on their direct actions. If they're speeding or on the phone, the camera detects that in real time and notifies the driver. It also has a safety score that drivers and managers can view.”

Virtual Coach is now available in beta for customers worldwide.

Mobile Experience Management: Simplifying Mobile Management

The adoption of mobile devices among commercial drivers is on the rise, and organizations that connect their workforces are reaping a range of benefits.

According to Gallup, these include a 17% boost in productivity, a 21% increase in profitability, and a 24% decrease in turnover.

Samsara's new Mobile Experience Management (MEM) allows operations professionals to customize, control, consolidate, and secure Android devices in the remote and rugged contexts where their employees operate.

Managers can create a tailored mobile experience that provides field workers easy access to the needed applications.

Additionally, managers can use the Focus Mode feature to limit distractions, allowing drivers to stay focused and compliant on the road.

MEM even has a feature to help drivers with technical difficulties while on the road.

“MEM allows the driver to share the phone’s screen with the administrator. The driver will get a message saying, ‘Do you want to share your screen?’ And the administrator can see exactly what's happening and help with any problems. It provides remote visibility on the road,” Stevenson said.

Asset Tracking Solution: Protect Your Equipment

Now more than ever, companies must safeguard their assets and optimize their utilization. Samsara has responded to this need with Asset Tracking solution, designed to protect equipment and enhance asset utilization.

The solution consists of unpowered and powered Asset Gateways, featuring exteriors with an IP69K waterproof grade to withstand challenging conditions. These gateways can monitor various types of physical assets across operations and are available to customers globally.

“They are quite small and run on AA batteries. It lasts five years with just those batteries for two seconds a day. So, it’s great for assets with no power source,” Stevenson said.

As part of the Asset Tracking solution, Samsara launched FindMyAsset. Customers can use this feature to locate, and track lost or stolen unpowered assets efficiently.

FindMyAsset offers customers asset location capabilities, reducing wait times from hours to minutes.

Customers can set up more frequent location updates for assets on the move, with the flexibility to adjust, extend, or terminate these updates within a designated timeframe.

FindMyAsset beta program is available to United States customers.