Samsara

Pros

The equipment we received was good quality and easy to install. Software was simple to install.

Cons

As with any new system there is a learning curve but Samara's support team is there every step of the way. They will check on you weather you ask or not.

Alternatives Considered

Reasons for Choosing Samsara

Switched From

Reasons for Switching to Samsara

Pros

The device itself is very easy to use. A good driver experience.

Cons

Some of the support persons seem like they are learning the product themselves. To a motor carrier, we need quick response to issues with immediate answers.

Pros

Decent Software, passable at best I guess..

Cons

Customer service is incredibly poor. I highly recommend going elsewhere.

Alternatives Considered

Reasons for Switching to Samsara

Pros

Since putting the Samsara system in our vehicles we have decreased our drivers idle time, eliminated dangerous driving behaviors in drivers and been able to verify client complaints. Our dispatchers are able to see where the vehicles are when clients ask why their ride is late. Our mechanics use the system to pre-diagnose issues with the vehicle.The system is an invaluable tool.

Cons

There are some vehicles that don't have all diagnostics available. We would like to see more interaction with all vehicles.

Alternatives Considered

Reasons for Switching to Samsara

Pros

It's ability to monitor driving practices and the individual driver scorecards that help us coach behaviors to drivers of concern.

Cons

I don't feel the AI technology or ability to read speed limit signs are very accurate but there are, "work arounds" to internally repair incorrect speed limits no matter location.

Alternatives Considered

Reasons for Switching to Samsara

Pros

very easy to use and helps a lot with confirming the arrival and departures of deliveries. also helps with complaints about trucks being able to verify speeds and route of truck if someone complains about being in a restricted area.

Cons

wish it was easier to fix off duty drivers that forgot to go off duty at the end of the day. it will also track the driver in their own personal vehicle

Pros

Turn key ELD and Video Platform. A true value to our company. Losses are already decreasing.

Cons

Not being able to post scores on safety events on a per event basis. Drivers that log more miles are at an advantage for higher scores. Per event is preferred but not possible.

Pros

Having the ability to tune the Samsara system to tailor alerts for our type of business.

Cons

The Samsara AI used to trigger alerts such as following too close or closing in too fast on the car ahead do not work well. This causes me to review alerts that are a waste of my time. The AI trigger points are not tunable by the user administrator as they once were.
I also find that navigating the Samsara system is not intuitive. I have shared this with examples over the past few years, but have seen no improvement.
Working with contract renewal and billing is more difficult than it should be.

Alternatives Considered

Reasons for Switching to Samsara

Pros

Samsara is easy to work with. Camera downloads very important, the ease of downloads makes investing an incident so quick. Anytime help has been needed they are on it.

Cons

Videos for compliance would be helpful for drivers. Also being able to create workorders for maintenance would complete the program.

Pros

Customer Service is the best. Responsive and prompt. They work hard to find solutions to and problems.

Cons

Shipping price on things from the store is too high.

Alternatives Considered

Reasons for Choosing Samsara

Switched From

Reasons for Switching to Samsara

Pros

Samsara has been decent to work with and the overall service has been great for our fleet. The dash cam safety scoring has been great for holding our driver's accountable and giving them extra incentive to keep it safe. Also it has protected our company from potentially bad situation via the driver's behavior or other vehicles on the road they may be dealing with.

Cons

Sometimes the cameras pick up on events that aren't actually happening (example: Mobile Usage) Driver's will be drinking coffee and it will pick it up as mobile usage

Alternatives Considered

Reasons for Choosing Samsara

Switched From

Reasons for Switching to Samsara

Pros

The ability to track and pull video for driver vindication vs complaints, etc. Does away with the aggravation of not being able to definitively determine what took place. (Crash, Complaint or Commendation)

Cons

The billing is something of a maze to follow.

Pros

Ease of product. The alerts are pretty accurate. Easy installation of hardware.

Cons

Speed limit alerts are not consistence. I know Google maps is used for speed limits, so you are locked into an inadequate system.

Alternatives Considered

Reasons for Choosing Samsara

Reasons for Switching to Samsara

Pros

Consolidated invoicing!!!! Also love the ability to see my vehicles at all times and reports! I monitor vehicles and equipment for 3 different companies.

Cons

Google maps are not updated often enough. Receive speeding alerts when posted speed limit is higher than what Samsara shows.

Pros

Aside from the great system and features, this product has always proven to show drivers it is reliable and accurate.

Cons

It is not what I don't like about Samsara as much as it is I need to understand more about transfer old gateways that used to be assigned in old trucks into new trucks

Alternatives Considered

Reasons for Choosing Samsara

Switched From

Reasons for Switching to Samsara

Pros

Ease of use, and mobile functionality. I can be anywhere and view current location and share location all from my phone.

Cons

There can be the odd bug in the system where it throws out check code for trucks when there is actually nothing wrong.

Pros

Very efficient ELD system, and the same for Dash Cameras. By far, the best I've used after using several ELD systems. Very user friendly. I would recommend it to anyone needing a good ELD system.

Cons

Nothing bad to say. It is a very good system. The multi-year contract could be reduced, but I understand why they use that type of contract.

Alternatives Considered

Reasons for Choosing Samsara

Reasons for Switching to Samsara

Pros

EASEY TO USE, BEING ABLE TO LOG IN AT ANY TIME AND FROM ANYWHERE.

Cons

LOSS OF CONTION AT TIMES. DONT READ THE ECM AT TIMES,

Alternatives Considered

Reasons for Choosing Samsara

Switched From

Reasons for Switching to Samsara

Pros

ease of use for drivers and admins , everything is just one click away

Cons

needs to work more on log HOS issues, and quickly
sometimes edits or software fix take more time that it should

Pros

I love the A.I. technology, it notifies are office if a driver is distracted or playing on his phone. Safety is our priority and Samsara helps us tremendously.

Cons

I liked the Ag46 tags the least due to disconnecting and going offline, besides that the new Ag51 tags work great.

Alternatives Considered

Reasons for Switching to Samsara

Pros

Samsara is awesome. The tracking and camera features have helped with to stay on top of safety practices of our drivers.

Cons

No complains about Samsara. Do not have anything bad to say

Pros

I like how easy it was for me to learn how to use. It helps us to keep track of how our drivers are doing out on the road. The AI is pretty accurate for the most part and I like how you can give feedback if the alert was incorrect. The cameras are also very high quality and good to have if there's ever an accident.

Cons

Right now I'm having an issue with the camera IDs that I'm working to resolve. It's not picking up on some people who have been here for a long time and have 100% on their camera training. When it does work correctly, it's very helpful to automatically assign drivers.

Pros

The tracking service worked reasonably well.

Cons

They use very deceptive contract practices. The "overseas call center" feel billing dispute system is horrible if you are a customer.

Pros

So far we have found all aspects of Samsara to be great. I have been able to make our Truck Drivers safer by utilizing the safety score feature and adding it to our bonus structure.

Cons

I have had to update a lot of area on our maps for Speed as we are very rural and some area did not have any speed limits associated which caused my drivers to have speeding violations when they were not speeding.

Pros

The samsara video display is fantastic for live time video displays current and old recordings gives required proof to all incidents and to all drivers gives them potential of hazards that surround them while staying focused on driving and there surroundings

Cons

The thing that I liked least about samsara is that there is no video feed to the rear of truck also some times video is blurry

Pros

It is a great software for tracking and elogs. I use it all week and all day from checking hours and routes. I am able to use it on my pc and phone and aslo has a app based product. It is very useful in the trucking industry. I have used other programs in the past but this one is all inclusive.

Cons

I dislike that when I try to zoom into the maps the exit number doesn't become any more visible.

Pros

real-time tracking and detailed analytics that make managing operations more efficient.

Cons

the occasional delay in data syncing, which can be frustrating during time-sensitive operations.

Alternatives Considered

Reasons for Switching to Samsara

Pros

Samsara devices are easy to install, making tracking of equipment a breeze! Also, many, many reports are available for any time frame and groups!

Cons

Samsara behavior detection is often off and inaccurate. It would be nice if the external camara could detect the speed limit outside of the built-in google map speed limits. Samsara flags speeding on side roads, overpasses and other streets drivers aren't even on. It just isn't real time so there is a lot of investigating that has to be done to ensure your drivers are not speeding.

Alternatives Considered

Reasons for Switching to Samsara

Pros

It was a more established company at the time that we signed up. It was a Canadian contact at the time.
So far, after lengthy phone calls, we can usually source the problem with any discrepancies.

Cons

The inability to switch a new run to noon to noon or midnight to midnight without it switching all of the past logs. Sometimes our tours run differently and would work best on the other option than what the past tour ran on.
I don't like their renewal process and the lack of someone specifically looking after my account I keep getting sent to one department after another.

Pros

Easy to Setup - Customer Service is knowledgeable and Reliable - The fault code notifications are valuable for safety purposes giving knowledge about our Fleet Repairs Needed.

Cons

That the price to car owners on a personal level isn't really feasible at this time. If and when it is I would love to do sales for this product. lol

Pros

The accuracy and data it provides is incredible.

Cons

I have no cons. I really enjoy Samsara and find it is pivotal for a business because of the information it provides.

Pros

Installation of cameras was fairly easy, replacement was very easy. Tracking and updating pictures is better than our last vendor.

Cons

I would like to talk to someone when there is a problem instead of being directed to a library of how-to videos that take time and may or may not address the problem or question I am having.

Alternatives Considered

Reasons for Choosing Samsara

Switched From

Reasons for Switching to Samsara

Pros

We switched our entire fleet from Motive to Samsara. Absolutely disappointed in the client support.I am aiming to switch back to Motive.
I've tested out four ELD platforms in the past seven years. Samsara is by far the worst platform so far when it comes to client support.
I can't figure out how anyone could give this platform more than one star.

Cons

Zero client support. I've been attempting to resolve several issues for over six months and have been ghosted by every support staff member.
I need.to speak to a manager immediately if Samsara wants to salvage our relationship

Pros

The Power BI API first and foremost, the customizable roles, the accuracy of the GPS, the tag and attribute system, the advanced geofencing, and the excellent documentation.

Cons

The Power BI API is still in beta and needs work, it it is making great progress!

Pros

The thing i love the most about samsara is the easy to use interface. Between the apps that they offer to makes watching the fleet easy

Cons

I dislike the it only works with samsara products i understand why its like this but even to add more cameras it requires a few different things that make it hard to find what will work with the system

Pros

We like that it is an easier system to work with and provides tons of tools.

Cons

The feature we like least is the Reports. Reports need to be easier with data that makes sense. Who cares what percentage of time a driver used personal conveyance for, tell what time it started and where, tell me what time it ended/where. Reports are quite convoluted and often do not make sense.

Alternatives Considered

Reasons for Choosing Samsara

Switched From

Reasons for Switching to Samsara

Pros

The GPS tracking on map works good with a Google Maps View

Cons

Customer service, very hard to reach someone on the phone

Alternatives Considered

Reasons for Choosing Samsara

Switched From

Reasons for Switching to Samsara

Pros

Instant video of accidents and issues. We are able to get quick footage in the event of a major accident.

Cons

My only issue is not being able to assign drivers to there vehicle. We typically make many changes in that area as a school district.

Pros

The ease of use, good interface, helpful and quick support, consistent updates, a plethora of efficient equipment. Lots of features in how to keep track of company analytics. Speedy delivery.

Cons

Some slow server speeds at certain times, a few oddities when using the system, some unintuitive or non-detailed information in certain reports. It can also get quite expensive, especially their shipping rates.

Alternatives Considered

Reasons for Choosing Samsara

Switched From

Reasons for Switching to Samsara

Pros

user friendly, tracking is easy and reliable love the playback for videos safety features are great and help us get drivers involved in their daily safety tasks.

Cons

i wish ifta portion was more reliable for some reason our numbers are always off then what the miles really are

Pros

I really like the GPS tracking and the ease of downloading videos. I was using another system and GPS tracking was a guess at best and the camera system shut off at the point I needed it most.

Cons

The main issue that I have with Samsara is trying to get ahold of anyone for tech support or billing questions,

Pros

1. Simplified and robust documentation on each and every feature.
2. Also, the compliance and rules they follow and explain is also very helpful for small companies where safety manager is not available.
3. Customizable Alerts, Document Management Tools, Customizable Mobile app
4. Developer Friendly with webhook support.

Cons

I have not some to any such shortcomings so far. But sometimes, notification emails or alerts are not triggered on time.

Alternatives Considered

Reasons for Switching to Samsara

Pros

Knowing where all the trucks and equipment is in real time.

Cons

I cannot add fuel receipts directly from driver documents.
I cannot update service logs directly from driver documents.

Alternatives Considered

Reasons for Switching to Samsara

Pros

The admin side of the system is very easy to use. I can find assets and check how they are doing easily.

Cons

Camera system is not part of all admin rights and only being able to be assigned rights to only one permission level for the entire company.

Pros

I love the video library and dash cams. Being able to edit and download dash cam footage is great. That feature has helped us in many ways! It has helped us in incidents such as accidents, tracking down the fleet and coaching drivers on harsh events. I love the safety reports! I love that we are able to create my own reports in Samsara. Samsara has helped us save money and that is awesome!

Cons

The videos from the dash cam footage takes a while to download. Overall, Samsara is great!

Pros

The equipment works and we were able to track the vehicles. The ai feature works great.

Cons

The customer service. [sensitive content hidden] will not answer your messages or phone calls. We were suppose to do a renewal and he is absent. There is a bottleneck for the renewal where you can only deal with him. His management team doesn't intervene. You are left at his disposal. 3 weeks in the process of renewal with 7 systems failing. You can't buy replacements because you have to be in contract.

Alternatives Considered

Reasons for Choosing Samsara

Switched From

Reasons for Switching to Samsara

Pros

This is great for in the minute tracking. Anything else is a pain in the fanny.

Cons

I find it very frustrating when I have to correct someone's log because once they logged off someone else jumped in their truck and it logged the original person back on. It counts as driving time and will not allow you to make changes so it saves a violation. The reports are impossible to obtain at one time. Noting is really user friendly. You have to have the manual with you when ever you need to do any thing or your lost.

Alternatives Considered

Reasons for Switching to Samsara

Pros

ease of administering the tool with the drivers

Cons

Support is terrible. Access to support is the worst. Then when/if you get through, the first person you talk to can only read the screen/error. No depth of knowledge.
Why cant drivers see the picture from their own devices?
When running a split clock, drivers cannot view upcoming rollover hours easily. I end up sending screen shots to the drivers so they can plan.

Alternatives Considered

Reasons for Choosing Samsara

Switched From

Reasons for Switching to Samsara

Pros

Easy to use and troubleshoot when issues come up.

Cons

We could really use a way to white-list or black-list devices accessing the hotspot.

Alternatives Considered

Reasons for Choosing Samsara

Reasons for Switching to Samsara

Pros

Overall we love how easy this is to use. The ability to track vehicles accurately is huge for us at Douglas Lumber. Vehicle Diagnostics is also a huge help and makes scheduling service for our fleet easy!

Cons

The way the tracking system shows times. Trying to figure out the point in time a vehicle was near a certain address on its route is a little less cut and dry than other aspects of the tracking system.