Samsara Harnesses AI to Enhance Fleet Operations
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SAN DIEGO — Fleet technology supplier Samsara is expanding its artificial intelligence capabilities with a plethora of new products and enhancements for its connected operations platform, encompassing everything from vehicle inspection and maintenance workflows to truck routing and navigation, multicamera visibility and even wearable technology for frontline workers.
“We’re entering an entirely new era — the age of intelligence,” CEO Sanjit Biswas said during the company’s Samsara Beyond 2025 user conference, held June 23-26.
He described recent advances in AI as the third wave of world-changing technology in our lifetimes, building upon the communications revolution sparked by the emergence of smartphones and, before that, the rise of computation with the proliferation of computer infrastructure.
“This is the most powerful wave yet,” Biswas said, adding that AI adoption already has expanded to 1 billion users since the launch of generative AI chatbot ChatGPT just a few years ago.
During the conference, Samsara introduced more than a dozen product updates that incorporate AI to help fleets become smarter, safer and more efficient.
Welcome to the new age of intelligence.
Today, we’ve unveiled our largest product slate yet—built to help organizations like yours operate smarter and safer.
Explore what’s new: — Samsara (@Samsara)
Among these new capabilities is a product designed to streamline one of the transportation industry’s most common workflows — driver vehicle inspection reports.
To simplify the DVIR process, drivers can now automatically convert their inspection notes from voice to text. Fleet managers, meanwhile, can view drivers’ walk-around paths to ensure they are properly completing their reports.
During the conference’s opening session, Samsara conducted a live demonstration of this DVIR capability on a Class 8 truck parked next to the stage. The AI detected and prevented attempts to circumvent the process, such as uploading an old photo from a prior inspection.
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This DVIR feature is part of a new, end-to-end maintenance management system developed by Samsara. Customers can monitor vehicle fault codes, create automated work orders for repairs and optimize their maintenance operations without moving into a third-party maintenance system, said Kiren Sekar, Samsara’s chief product officer.
One feature within the maintenance software, Fault Code Intelligence, automatically interprets fault codes, explains the severity and risks associated with them and provides information on how to troubleshoot and fix the issue.
The maintenance software uses AI to automatically extract key information from invoices provided by third-party technicians who perform work on the vehicle, eliminating the need for workers to manually transfer that data from the invoice to the maintenance system.
“It’s painstaking. It’s work no one wants to do,” Sekar said.
What a day at !
From major product reveals to hands-on demos in the Tech Showcase, today was packed with innovation.
What was your favorite moment? 👇 — Samsara (@Samsara)
Samsara also introduced its own integrated route planning and turn-by-turn commercial navigation products.
The route planning and optimization system automatically generates the most efficient routes and delivery schedules for a fleet operation while accounting for variables, such as vehicle limitations, driver compliance, customer delivery windows, and traffic and weather patterns.
Samsara includes road restrictions like vehicle weight, height and hazardous materials directly onto digital maps to provide drivers with more accurate turn-by-turn directions through its new Commercial Navigation product, which drivers can access in the Samsara Driver App.
These new in-house routing and navigation products, along with the new maintenance system, expand the scope of Samsara’s proprietary technology offerings and provide alternatives to other software on the market.
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“These provide you new choices alongside the third-party apps that integrate into our open platform through our open ecosystem,” Sekar said. “We are going to continue to invest in and grow our ecosystem of partners who integrate with our platform while also building the products that we hear you asking for.”
Another new capability is Weather Intelligence, which enables fleet managers to overlay real-time weather data from the National Weather Service onto existing dashboards to help alert drivers of safety threats on their routes, such as inclement weather and wildfires.
Fleet managers can view real-time images from the Samsara dash cameras in their vehicles so that they can see the same weather conditions that their drivers are encountering. Beyond that, they can also check weather-related images captured by other participating fleets with Samsara-connected vehicles through a new capability called StreetSense.
“This is what it means to have true situational awareness and context to keep your teams safe,” Sekar said.
Samsara’s Kiren Sekar (left) and HappyRobot’s Pablo Palafox discuss how AI voice automation can streamline communications in the transportation industry. (Seth Clevenger/Transport Topics)
AI Communications
Samsara also demonstrated how it is incorporating lifelike voice automation into its platform through a partnership with AI communications firm HappyRobot.
In a live demo, the voice-based chatbot automated a phone conversation with a mock customer, providing a status update on a delivery and responding to a variety of follow-up requests.
RELATED: Samsara Expands AI Offerings With New Intelligence Suite
Pablo Palafox, CEO and co-founder of HappyRobot, outlined multiple use cases for this voice automation in the transportation industry, including sales, customer service, payment collection calls and even driver recruiting.
Werner Enterprises, for example, has used the technology to automate driver onboarding and orientation calls, resulting in time savings and better engagement with new drivers, Palafox said.
“We’re helping our customers get time back,” he added. “We’re helping their teams automate the pieces of their work they don’t want to do so they focus on what they want to work on.”
Samsara is investing in HappyRobot through its venture capital arm, Samsara Ventures.
Samsara’s new AI Multicam product provides drivers with greater visibility around the vehicle via feeds from additional onboard cameras. (Seth Clevenger/Transport Topics)
Driver Safety and Recognition
In addition, Samsara continues to expand the safety features available for its core in-cab technology.
The company introduced AI Multicam, which enables fleets to install up to four additional onboard cameras to provide a 360-degree view around the vehicle and reduce blind spots. The system can use added hardware from Samsara or connect with existing third-party cameras already installed on the vehicle.
Drivers can view these additional camera feeds through an in-cab monitor. The product uses AI to help alert drivers to potential safety risks, such as pedestrians and cyclists.
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Samsara also has added new features designed to help fleets scale up their driver coaching and driver recognition programs through AI and automation.
The AI analyzes risky driving events based on their severity and frequency and road conditions and automatically alerts drivers about low-risk events to promote self-coaching while escalating high-risk events to fleet managers.
Customers can utilize a built-in recognition and rewards dashboard designed to make it easy to celebrate and reward safe driving with customized messages and even digital gift cards.
Also, Samsara has updated its driver app with new gamification features and recognition tools to reinforce safe driving, along with TikTok-style training videos to enhance coaching.
Wearable Tech
To help protect drivers and other isolated workers, Samsara is rolling out the Samsara Wearable, a small, connected device with a panic button that can clip onto a belt or safety vest.
. has introduced a variety of new AI-powered products and capabilities, including DVIR automation, maintenance tools, integrated routing and navigation, additional onboard camera views, and even a wearable safety device for frontline workers. — Seth Clevenger (@SethClevenger)
The device adds a layer of protection for workers who could face safety risks or worksite injuries caused by anything from falls and slips and equipment-related injuries to crime and severe weather.
With one click on the wearable device, workers can record and send an audio message and connect with emergency services, which can identify their exact location and view the incident in real time.
In the event of severe weather or wildfires, fleet managers can proactively alert workers to unsafe conditions through notifications on the device, which is equipped with a battery designed to stay charged for one year.
Samsara also is adding this same panic button functionality to its driver app.
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