How Lanes Group boosted driver engagement and improved safety scores by 72% in eight months

"Samsara allows us to showcase driver behaviours and reduce incidents, leading to happier, safer drivers."  Amber Kirkby, Fleet Systems Team Leader

Standout Benefits

• 180% increase of number of drivers with a safety score of 90 or above in eight months

• 92% decrease in mobile phone usage in seven months

• 67% reduction in obstructed camera events 

• 25% reduction in severe speeding incidents

• £3000 reduction in average claim value

Stagnant safety scores and costly fleet maintenance

Lanes Group is the UK's largest provider of wastewater solutions. With 4,000 vehicles nationwide maintaining critical drainage infrastructure, it's essential the company can ensure their drivers operate safely and efficiently. But disparate systems and a lack of visibility into driver performance and vehicle health made it difficult to identify risk areas, ensure compliance, and provide consistent service nationwide.

With existing vehicle tracking systems offering little insight into driver behaviour behind the wheel, Lanes Group were unable to systematically coach their drivers. Risky behaviours remained unmitigated, and good practice went unrewarded. The end result? Driver safety scores remained stagnant, and poor on-road habits worsened vehicle wear and tear – bumping up operating costs.

A full view of risk to empower safer habits

Lanes turned to the Samsara Connected Operations Cloud to gain full visibility and insights into their fleet operations with AI Dash Cams, Vehicle Gateways, and Digital Workflows. 

“With Samsara, everything is in one place, as opposed to across multiple different platforms, which was a problem we faced in the past,” said Amber Kirkby, Fleet Systems Team Leader at Lanes Group. “It makes things easier knowing everything is stored on one standardised system.” 

The dual-facing AI Dash Cams capture footage during safety events like harsh braking or distracted driving, and upload it automatically to a centralised inbox for review — making paper-based processes a thing of the past. This new digital model allows Lanes to access key data far more easily, and better pinpoint driver safety challenges like speeding, mobile phone use, and vehicle camera obstruction. 

Actually changing these behaviours, however, required strategic change management in order to win over drivers and break bad habits. Lanes Group took a two-pronged approach: educating drivers on Samsara's capabilities through meetings and resources, while also launching targeted incentive programs to steer them towards safer practices. 

“We get a lot of pushback on change," said Kirkby. "So we had to be very transparent about how the technology would work and ensure drivers understood it was about protecting, not policing them."

“That process takes time, which is why we started by testing Samsara’s safety solutions, communicating changes to drivers, and then activating features like the in-cab alerts across the entire fleet. This way, we were able to empower drivers to self-coach and foster a culture of continuous improvement moving forwards.”

Key incentives include rewards and recognition for drivers who exhibit the highest safety scores, or achieve the greatest improvement over time. Additional awards like "Speed Limit Superstar" and "Most Improved Driver" offer cash prizes to top performers based on the metrics and data provided by Samsara. 

Improvements in efficiency and driver safety

Equipped with the data to identify and address on-road risks — and shape incentive programs — Lanes have seen a dramatic improvement in driver performance in just eight months. The number of drivers achieving in the ‘elite’ safety bracket of 90 or higher soared by 180%, with nearly a third of Lanes' 4,000 drivers now earning the highest safety score month after month.

This uptick in performance is reflected in safety improvements across Lanes Group’s wider operations. Mobile phone usage dropped by 92%, and severe speeding incidents decreased by 25% as drivers remained more focused on the road. In addition, obstructed camera rates fell by 67% as drivers understood the importance of capturing clear footage for exonerating them in the event of a claim. 

"Crash footage coming through to the safety inbox allows us to determine fault quickly and send evidence to third parties in real time," said Kirkby. “This has made all the difference: our average claim value has decreased by £3,000 since we implemented Samsara.”  

Samsara's impact extended beyond just driver coaching, however. Digital workflows enable employees to spend less time dealing with paperwork, and more time prioritising tasks like urgent vehicle repairs. Vehicle walkarounds, driver documents, and defect reports are now all managed through 65 different templates in the Samsara system – centralising information and improving communication across departments.

Striving for optimal safety and service

Looking ahead, Lanes Group plan to build on their success with Samsara. By continuing to connect systems on one platform and further digitise workflows, the organisation aim to achieve their goal of a hyper-efficient, fully paperless workforce by 2025. 

"We've made such great strides, but there's still room to get even better," said Kirkby. "Samsara's insights and tools are crucial for monitoring our progress and finding new opportunities to enhance safety and service for communities across the UK."