How Grundon Waste Management drove an 86% reduction in speeding with Samsara's AI-led driver programme

"Using Samsara, we've taken a different spin on safety events. We're celebrating the successes of our drivers and reinforcing positive behaviours, which has led to dramatic improvements in both safety and efficiency." Chris Double, Regional Operations Manager

Standout Benefits

• 95% reduction in mobile phone usage

• 93% reduction in tailgating 

• 87% reduction in no seatbelt driving

• 86% reduction in speeding

Pioneering safety technology in waste management

Grundon Waste Management, the UK's largest private waste company, operates a fleet of over 300 vehicles across the south of the UK. But a lack of comprehensive insights and data meant the team struggled to effectively monitor, manage, and improve driver safety.

"We didn't know what we didn't know," said Chris Double, Regional Operations Manager at Grundon. "We were looking for a system that could give us the data we need, but more importantly, in a format that we can understand."

The team turned to Samsara for a solution that would provide actionable data, and could be used to inform a bespoke driver safety strategy.

Managing driver expectations with AI

Grundon introduced Samsara video-based safety technology through a phased approach, starting with a four-week baselining period. This involved collecting data on driver performance and setting a benchmark to improve on, before the system went live. Baselining was followed by a four-week trial of detecting safety events with Samsara, but without any human intervention to give drivers time to get familiar with the technology. From week nine onwards, Grundon began to actively manage on-road behaviours picked up by Samsara to coach drivers moving forward. 

The new system provides instant feedback to drivers, and lets them monitor their  performance through a points-based system on the Samsara App — encouraging both driver engagement and self-improvement.

"We now use driver specific data and examples to engage and promote development, as such we’re seeing the training having a positive first-time impact with drivers avoiding repeat behaviours," said Chris Double. "By investing time and communications at an early stage, we’ve received little to no objection to the software or how we’re managing it."

Reaping the rewards of risk management

The performance monitoring paid off, resulting in a 71% reduction in incidents during the initial eight-week trial period. Over time, AI-powered in-cab coaching dramatically reduced safety events before active management even began. The team also realised a 87% reduction in no seatbelt driving, 95% reduction in mobile phone usage, 93% reduction in tailgating, 86% reduction in speeding, 79% reduction in harsh events, and a 30% increase in driver score. 

“We saw a massive improvement on all metrics within Samsara,” said Chris Double, Regional Operations Manager at Grundon, “and were able to proactively manage risk by targeting training resources where needed.”

Fuel efficiency gains and beyond

Beyond a reduced number of safety incidents, implementing Samsara dash cams and telematics also enabled the team to achieve a 5% improvement in fuel efficiency. 

"Changing that culture and attitude of that driver to keep to the speed limits, keep their distance, not brake harshly, not accelerate harshly, actually has a real-world impact on our fuel efficiency,” said Chris Double. "Fuel is a big expenditure. A 5% saving on fuel pays for the Samsara system itself.”

Looking ahead, Grundon plans to further leverage performance monitoring to target idling and eco-driving for even greater efficiency gains.