Estes innovates their operations with Samsara, saving $3M by reducing idle time

Estes improves efficiency and customer satisfaction, saving $3M with Vehicle Telematics.

Prior to Samsara, tracking and addressing idle events was a manual, time-consuming process that often led to inefficiencies and missed opportunities for cost savings. By adopting Samsara Vehicle Telematics, Estes is able to monitor idle time in real-time, identify patterns, and take corrective action from the very first day of implementation.

"We've always targeted idle time because that costs a lot of money and wastes a lot of fuel,” said Curtis Carr, Vice President of Safety and Risk Management. “With Samsara, we can identify where it has happened, how long it has happened, and then address it individually with the drivers."

This capability allows Estes to coach their drivers more effectively, reducing unnecessary idling and, consequently, saving significant fuel costs—over $3 million in total. 

Additionally, by having more granular data on vehicle performance and driver behavior, Estes is able to provide their customers with better tracking and more accurate delivery estimates. Now, Estes can improve their customer service by ensuring that shipments arrive as promised. "Anything we can do to remove that friction for our employees always passes down and removes friction for our customers at the end of the day,” said Josh Newton, Senior Director of Fleet & Operations IT.

Estes cuts driver admin time and improves accuracy with the Samsara Driver App.

Estes leveraged Samsara’s Driver App to streamline and automate driver workflows, leading to significant improvements in both efficiency and driver satisfaction. Prior to Samsara, drivers had to manually enter a large amount of data at the start and end of their shifts, a process that could take anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes. This manual entry was not only time-consuming but also increased the potential for errors, which could impact the accuracy of routing, driver logs, and customer delivery estimates.

With the Samsara Driver App, many of these processes are now automated. For example, drivers could start their day with the push of a button, automatically logging their hours and receiving their route information without needing to manually enter data. As drivers depart or arrive at a location, the Driver App automatically updates their status, reducing the need for manual data entry and enabling real-time tracking. This automation resulted in a 40% increase in the accuracy and timeliness of departure and arrival reporting, which in turn improved the customer experience by providing more reliable and up-to-date information on shipments. "The Driver App made it easier for drivers to get the information they need when they need it, without the burden of constant data entry,” said Newton.

Drivers found the app to be user-friendly and appreciated the reduction in administrative tasks, allowing them to focus more on driving. The app’s intuitive interface and large, easy-to-read buttons make it easier for drivers to navigate their daily tasks, contributing to a smoother, more efficient workflow.

Samsara’s open API helps Estes automate dispatch, reducing administrative tasks for drivers.

The Samsara Platform played a crucial role in making Estes’ shipping experience more frictionless. By utilizing Samsara’s open API, Estes reduced the volume of manual dispatch calls, significantly improving the efficiency of their routing process. This automation reduced the need for drivers to make time-consuming calls to a central dispatch team, allowing them to focus more on driving and less on administrative tasks. This streamlined approach directly contributes to a smoother and more predictable shipping experience for customers, as shipments could be tracked and managed with greater precision.

Samsara AI Dash Cams enhance driver safety and reduce collisions.

Safety is a top priority for Estes, and the introduction of Samsara AI Dash Cams significantly enhanced their safety program. Estes’ drivers face numerous challenges on the road, including traffic, road construction, and adverse weather conditions. With Samsara AI Dash Cams, Estes now has the tools needed to address these challenges more effectively by offering real-time, actionable data on driver behavior and road conditions.

Before Samsara, Estes relied on a less granular safety system that required extensive manual investigation to identify safety issues. With Samsara AI Dash Cams, safety events can now be isolated and addressed more quickly. "The AI technology allows us to filter through a lot of the videos that are not really a true safety event, which frees up time to concentrate on issues that need to be addressed,” said Carr.

The system’s in-cab alerts and Safety Scorecards creates a culture of healthy competition among drivers, motivating them to improve their safety scores. This focus on safety has led to measurable improvements, including a reduction in rear-end collisions and rollovers.

Driver feedback was crucial in the decision to adopt Samsara AI Dash Cams. During the evaluation process, drivers found Samsara’s Video-Based Safety solution to be the most intuitive and easy to use compared to other vendors. This ease of use was a key factor in the successful and rapid adoption of the technology, as drivers were able to quickly learn and integrate the system into their daily routines without significant disruption. The AI capabilities of the dash cams also helped Estes filter out non-critical events, allowing their safety teams to focus on addressing the most important issues, further improving overall safety outcomes.