TRAVECO is first mover in Samsara AI dashcam adoption in Switzerland

“In Samsara, we have found an innovative partner with whom we can position ourselves as   future-facing and continuously develop in the areas of safety, efficiency and sustainability.” Christian Clauss, Division Manager IT & Digital Transformation

Standout Benefits

• Improved safety: Drivers supported with Samsara’s AI dashcam and proactive coaching solution

• Fast implementation: 350 trucks equipped in under 3 months

A historic company heading boldly into the future

Swiss transport and logistics company TRAVECO embodies tradition and modernity in one organisation. With over one hundred years of company history, TRAVECO has transformed itself into a pioneer of the Swiss logistics industry with AI dashcams. TRAVECO operates more than 350 trucks, actively shaping the logistics industry and always thinking about the future and the impact on businesses. New incentives to invest in technology were driven by a growing body of demanding customers and employees, which led to the partnership with Samsara. 

Digitalisation - less-is-more

Technically, many vendors offer flawless tools, but often lack the holistic picture of the process and so customers are forced to use multiple tools from different vendors to digitally map the entire operation. This not only leads to an inferior customer experience, but, depending on the subscription model, it can lead to significant additional costs. 

Samsara's Connected Operations Cloud provides complete visibility into an organisation's processes, offering valuable insights for drivers, fleet managers and IT managers. Synergies can be created through synchronized data sets from which the entire company can benefit.

Samsara prevails over 14 competitors

Christian Clauss, Head of IT & Digital Transformation at TRAVECO, wanted to reduce the number of tools used while still mapping the entire coaching-workflow digitally and making it accessible to drivers. Christian Clauss considered a total of 14 different providers when selecting a future technology partner, but Samsara ultimately came out on top. The special feature lies in the Connected Operations Cloud: it bundles processes in one platform, which were previously separated in three different applications. 

"Samsara is an important technology partner with whom we can drive digitalisation at TRAVECO," says Christian Clauss, explaining the partnership between the IoT company and the logistics firm. 

"Our customers and employees in particular have high expectations when it comes to our digital setup. At the same time, they also give them a lot of incentives," says the IT division manager. 

Samsara had completely convinced with the overall offer. One reason, for example, was the Hardware-as-a-Service model from Samsara — software, hardware, connectivity, and necessary cables all bundled together into a single subscription with free periodic hardware and software upgrades. This saves TRAVECO a high six-figure investment sum. At the same time, the company no longer has to deal with life-cycle management around the truck telemetry components. Samsara was the only provider able to offer the Swiss company a safety driver assessment based on AI dashcam and sensors. Unlike other providers, Samsara's focus is on the software, which means that the customer can enjoy new features on an ongoing basis and there are no up-front hardware costs and industry-leading warranty, and support is included in every license. 

Successful Implementation with Samsara

In addition to meeting technical requirements, Samsara also offers unparalleled customer support. "At Samsara, you are not left alone," is how Christian Clauss describes the collaboration. Samsara provides new customers and partners with a cost-free dedicated rollout manager during the implementation process who assists with onboarding, training and support until all vehicles have been equipped with the technology and systems have been successfully introduced. This ensures that customers can continue to work effectively with Samsara's Connected Operations Cloud after the rollout and that all stakeholders are satisfied. Samsara's plug-and-play hardware allows for a smooth installation to ensure minimal vehicle downtime and quick value realisation.

Major change requires buy-in from all stakeholders

To make the rollout process as successful as possible, it is important that everyone involved comes together. Christian Clauss was able to draw on his own experience in this regard during the preparation phase; as he once worked as a driver himself. For the large IT project, TRAVECO put together a 25-member project group under the leadership of Christian Clauss, which included all relevant stakeholder groups.

TRAVECO placed great emphasis on change management in the project. Important internal partners were the Training & Education and Marketing & Communication departments. At the beginning of the project, all employees were informed by means of an article in the employee magazine. Subsequently, Otti Häfliger (Chairman of the Executive Board) and Christian Clauss personally informed the employees at each facility. This gave the driving personnel the opportunity to ask critical questions about the AI dashcam and to make suggestions.

In the course of the change management, TRAVECO produced information brochures, presentations and distributed interviews with drivers who had already installed their own camera. One of the goals of the change management was to explain how the dashcams work, to promote their acceptance and to prevent layoffs associated with the introduction of Samsara.

It was clearly communicated that the Samsara cameras do not provide permanent video transmission, but only record event-related and data protection-compliant footage outside the vehicle in order to simplify subsequent evaluation. Data protection is thereby ensured by an artificial intelligence-based privacy filter that pixelates the faces of passers-by and vehicle license plates.

"From my point of view, AI dashcams will be one of the most important elements in road safety in the future, after seat belts and ABS." Christian Clauss, Division Manager IT & Digital Transformation

 An intuitive app and modern platform enable handling across all levels. This gives driving personnel, dispatchers and trainers access to the data relevant to them at all times. 

With Samsara, the leadership team at TRAVECO were able to consolidate the technological support their drivers received and will make great gains in safety, sustainability and driver satisfaction after the Rollout is complete.