Inaccurate data made it difficult to achieve sustainability and emissions goals

Gordon Food Service (GFS) has been in business since 1897 and is the largest family-operated foodservice distributor in North America. Making 17,000 deliveries a day and driving 137 million miles annually across the United States and Canada, they serve a diverse base of 113,000 customers. These range from national and regional chains to educational institutions, healthcare facilities, and independent businesses, all through their broadline distribution model. 

As part of their enhanced commitment to sustainability, GFS needed a partner to provide them with reliable and real-time data reporting to help reduce idling times and accurately capture emissions from both transportation and warehousing. Although they had a previous partner who provided their team with safety reports that included idling time, the data was often unreliable and incomplete, making it difficult to provide precise guidance to their drivers and achieve their sustainability goals.

Operationalizing comprehensive and reliable data captured at scale

Thanks to a painless and hands-on implementation with Samsara’s team, GFS began to gather impactful data almost immediately from their Vehicle Gateways. The scope and breadth of the data provided by Samsara made it easy for GFS to accurately track and report on idling times, which played a crucial role in saving millions of dollars in annual fuel spend while also reducing their carbon footprint.

GFS has also made strong use of Samsara’s Fuel and Energy Reports, which provided them with a centralized view of the fuel efficiency and usage of their fleet. "When I got that first Fuel and Energy Report it was an ‘aha!’ moment,” said Todd VanDam, Continuous Improvement Manager. “With visibility into idling time and other important information, we could translate raw data into a comprehensive view of driver behavior. It's helping us transform into a more fully connected operation,” said VanDam.

In addition to Vehicle Gateways, GFS is using Samsara's Smart Trailer solution to track equipment location more effectively and stay on top of maintenance. "We share trailers across multiple divisions, and it was difficult to see where they were at any given time," said VanDam. "With Smart Trailers, we no longer have to wait weeks for a trailer to show up before we can maintain it. We know where our trailers are at all times and can be more proactive in maintaining them."

Reducing idle rate from 17% to under 5%, saving millions in fuel spend

Thanks to real-time reporting supported by location data, GFS has been able to identify numerous opportunities for their drivers to reduce idling time and adjust their fuel spending accordingly. With Samsara, GFS has been able to save 700,000 gallons of fuel, leading to $2.5 million in total fuel spend savings by the end of 2024. This has helped GFS improve their fleet’s baseline MPG and allowed the company to reach their early sustainability goals, motivating them to pursue even more ambitious environmental targets.  

With location data, GFS has also been able to show their drivers exactly where they were accruing idle time, often leading to immediate improvements in driver behavior. With the Samsara Fuel and Energy Report, the GFS team identified idling rates as high as 17% company-wide. They set a goal for their US fleet to reduce the rate to 5%, a benchmark they achieved nationwide in 2022. In early 2024, the company maintained an idling rate under 2%, with their most successful teams achieving less than 1%.

In addition, Samsara has helped the GFS team better utilize their equipment. "Our fleet managers have said that the Smart Trailer solution is a game-changer," said VanDam. "Instead of waiting for equipment to come in, we can see where trailers are, proactively schedule maintenance, and eliminate days of potential downtime, which also helps boost our equipment utilization." 

GFS has reinvested their savings into their business, and their company culture has also shifted towards more sustainable practices, with ongoing efforts to further decrease fuel idling and explore additional efficiency improvements. Samsara’s long-term vision and holistic approach has helped GFS confidently plan ahead, knowing they have a partner that will evolve and grow with them as they continue to explore more innovative solutions for their future environmental initiatives.