How Van der Linden Used Samsara to Track Driver Hours and Jumpstart its Digital Transformation

HIGHLIGHTS

• <span class="text-base font-bold"><span class="text-blue">40</span> HOURS MANUAL WORK PER YEAR PREVENTED</span>

• <span class="text-base font-bold"><span class="text-blue">80</span> DRIVERS COMPLIANT WITH EU WORKING HOURS </span>

• <span class="text-base font-bold"><span class="text-blue">100,000</span> OF EUROS IN FINES AVOIDED </span>

PROBLEM

Van der Linden is a 125-year-old road transportation company, specializing in dedicated delivery services. A niche player in the Netherlands, this family business prides itself on equipping customers – which include Dutch retail giant C&A and global logistics provider Rhenus Group – with best-in-class branded vehicles and delivery drivers. 

 But outdated systems meant they were struggling to monitor driver hours and keep compliant with EU rules. In the Netherlands, when a driver is fined for driving too many hours without observing the mandatory rest periods, the employer must pay a fine double that amount. With the cheapest fine for drivers set at €220, Van der Linden risked mounting costs from non-compliance across its growing fleet.

HOW THEY SOLVED IT

With a tailored Samsara solution, Van der Linden went from drivers clocking in with timecards and manually reporting monthly truck data, to automated hours calculations and real-time tachograph downloads. The in-vehicle tachograph system informs drivers when they have reached their maximum hours and need to schedule rest. Managers can also monitor this remotely, sharing a monthly report with drivers that helps them identify why they have been breaking labor laws. 

 RESULTS

Taking the first step on its journey to leveraging connected operations, Van der Linden is demonstrating how a traditional business is using technology to modernize for the future. By automating, the business has saved hours in admin work. Drivers better understand when and why they were in breach of the rules and how to prevent it, reducing the risk of fines and saving potentially hundreds of thousands of euros. Most importantly, Samsara assists in driver safety and wellbeing, helping employees to take adequate breaks and rest time.

“The number of drivers breaking the law is down month on month. The real-time insights delivered by Samsara’s connected operations technology benefit the safety and wellbeing of our drivers while keeping us legally compliant and saving us and our drivers a lot of money.”

Frans Zoetmulder, Owner, Van der Linden, Hillegom, Netherlands