Delifresh drives improved safety and reduced redeliveries by 70% with Samsara’s AI-driven insights

“When Samsara told us the solution was plug and play, I’ll admit that, based on our experience of other technologies, we didn’t believe them. But we were astonished at what the portal offers: from vehicle tracking to forklift truck checks, all in one app, also promoting paperless documentation across our business.” Mark Heywood, Transport Manager, Delifresh

Standout benefits:

• Reduction in service issues leading to cost savings

• 599 safety events reviewed leading to 280 events being coached through with the drivers

• Reduced redeliveries leading to fewer journeys

A fresh approach to foodservice delivery 

Delifresh offers a next-day delivery service to their customers across the UK, serving all areas of the hospitality and events trade. Its extensive range incorporates the best ingredients from over 25 food categories, including fresh produce, speciality items, frozen, prepared and chilled ingredients delivered directly into kitchens daily.

Founded in 2002, and prospering even during the pandemic - when it temporarily pivoted to home delivery - the business now boasts five transport depots with 84 vehicles, made up of a mix of 3.5 and 7.5-tonne refrigerated vehicles, as well as 18 and 26-tonne vehicles. The five hubs form an effectively nationwide network enabling Delifresh to efficiently fulfil orders from Blackpool to Bridlington, and Edinburgh to London.

“We pride ourselves on first-class service and being adaptable to customer needs. They have constantly changing menus, concepts and suppliers, so we need to work hand-in-hand to get them the products they need, to a level of quality they rightfully expect,” explains Mark Heywood, Transport Manager, Delifresh.

As the firm has grown, its management team has trialed various vehicle tracking platforms - but with limited success. Colleagues from drivers to back-office teams found the technology complex and cumbersome, leading to low adoption and partial use of the available functionality. That meant Delifresh didn’t have a 360-degree view of vital data on order delivery completion, vehicle incident reports, and other commercially critical information.

Key ingredients of fleet driver safety

As it continued its journey to become the leading solution for foodservice in hospitality, Delifresh decided to bring Samsara on board to freshen up its customer service but also driver safety. 

As with any major technological transformation, user adoption was key. That meant winning the hearts and minds of Delifresh’s entire workforce - not least the drivers at the forefront of customer service.

Delivering orders to Delifresh customers is a more complex job than it might at first appear, and one that’s full of responsibility. Goods are carried in refrigeration or freezer units, with temperature monitoring a vital part of food quality control. Meanwhile, each region of England, Scotland and Wales may be well-served by the company’s distribution depots at Bradford, Leamington Spa, Newcastle, Widnes, and London, but the country’s roads are busy and filled with potential hazards. Drivers need to stay as alert and safe as possible if produce is to arrive as expected.

When Samsara installed its AI Dual-Facing Cameras in 2022, managers quickly discovered some issues with drivers being distracted. Delifresh management were smart enough to realise that collaborative change was needed - a heavy-handed approach could potentially result in drivers leaving the business.

“After seeing the data supplied from the technology, we rolled out a driving safety course,” says Heywood. “It amounted to an amnesty, a chance to abide by parameters in Samara’s system and be less distracted while driving.”

In just three months the standard of driving improved markedly and accidents reduced dramatically thanks to action plans put in place to improve performance. Delifresh believes the technology could even reduce serious incidents and driver injury.

Mark Waite, Delifresh’s Transport Supervisor, talks about the ability to avoid the consequences of drivers falling asleep at the wheel. “In one case, a driver was nodding off and the forward-facing camera picked up standing traffic ahead. Without the alert that woke him in time, he would have run into those vehicles. It’s active coaching in every cab - correcting behaviours before we even see the footage.”

Cutting the volume of costly redeliveries 

More drivers now self-report incidents and are keen for managers to instantly check camera footage to back them up, with one eye on a driving performance metric Delifresh allocates to each of them.

In addition, the business has seen an improvement in incident reporting to its insurance partner. Drivers are able to accurately and thoroughly describe an incident using the Samsara portal, which alerts office staff to instantly check time-stamped camera footage and, where appropriate, begin a vehicle damage or personal injury claim.

Not only is crucial information now available and monitored in real-time, but the platform is also bearing fruit for Delifresh’s drive to help to reduce paper across the business. Samsara’s intuitive portal allows users to set up account flows to view and manage its operations.

This means fewer redeliveries which lead to fewer journeys - and a reduced environmental impact as Delifresh seeks to hit its sustainability targets. The business is exploring this aspect of its relationship with Samsara more closely, for example examining how the technology could boost fuel and refrigeration efficiency.

Proven value for users and customers

Drivers are happier, safer and more certain they’ve delivered orders as expected. Customers, too, are reaping the benefits of Samsara’s technology.

The business feels this is just the beginning, as Samsara continues to add functionality that brings new benefits, with features that tap into the fleet’s telematics. All easily added without the need for further installation. 

And Delifresh continues to be impressed by Samsara after-sales service, even though it’s been using the technology for nearly two years. 

“There are ongoing functionality reviews, user group conferences and other events we attend,” Mark Heywood comments. “We get the chance to share knowledge and learnings with companies in our sector but from other industries, too, keeping [us] ahead of the curve. This isn’t something I’ve seen from other providers - it’s a big selling point for Samsara.”