Columbus, OH – Commercial truckers are tasked with protecting their vehicles and businesses from myriad hazards, yet some of the costliest accidents are often outside of their control. To enable commercial trucking customers to protect themselves against external threats and help them take advantage of easy-to-implement fleet management, Nationwide has partnered with Samsara to offer a new video telematics solution to Excess and Surplus (E&S) customers with 11 or more commercial trucks.

The new partnership will allow eligible Nationwide E&S insureds to leverage Samsara’s artificial intelligence-based video telematics solutions and best-in-class fleet management software in their operations at a subsidized cost. According to Samsara, more than half of its dash cam customers have used footage to exonerate drivers in the past year – saving $5,000 to $25,000 on average, with some customers saving over $100,000 a year. In addition, 15% of Samsara dash cam customers have reported reduced insurance premiums after successfully implementing and managing the Samsara telematics program.

“As we continue to listen to our members and partners, we know that our trucking clients seek innovative solutions to protect their drivers, their trucks, their reputations and ultimately, their livelihoods,” said Gary Flaherty, Vice President E&S Commercial Auto at Nationwide. “This new capability will bring needed protection and ease to these clients to defend against outside hazards and learn from operational insights that translate to their bottom lines.”

The new telematics program will offer Nationwide members significant benefits, including:

• Artificial intelligence dash cameras designed to support Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) features
• Simple self-installation in less than 15 minutes and dedicated onboarding support for Nationwide members
• Internet-connected cameras auto-upload all incident footage to the cloud
• In-cab feedback and video-based coaching
• Real-time GPS fleet tracking and vehicle diagnostics
• Mobile Driver App with Electronic Logging Device (ELD) data, routing and messaging
• Customized monthly and quarterly safety reporting to track and support safety initiatives

Founded in 2015, Samsara is a leader in industrial Internet of Things (IoT) technology and serves over 15,000 customers across diverse sizes and industries. The company’s portfolio of complete IoT solutions combine hardware, software and cloud to bring real-time visibility, analytics and artificial intelligence to operations.

“At Samsara, we know that intelligent dash cameras are one of the most effective technologies for improving fleet safety. With this technology now available for eligible Nationwide E&S insureds, we have the opportunity to protect even more drivers and give them the tools to prevent road accidents before they occur,” said Iain Denham, Senior Director, Global Partner Sales at Samsara. “We’re incredibly excited about the immediate safety benefits of this program and look forward to the continued development of our partnership with Nationwide.”

As the industry moves toward an increased focus on profitability and risk management, Nationwide’s partnership with Samsara illustrates its continued investments and growth in commercial telematics offerings. Nationwide’s Vantage 360 suite of telematics products serve its Standard Commercial customers with telematics and fleet management solutions with an increased focus on safety and efficiency.

Nationwide is also exploring how the Samsara partnership can be expanded to offer video telematics solutions to Standard Commercial and Agribusiness customers in the future.

Nationwide and Samsara are also in development of a commercialized product for the underserved non-fleet market with 10 or less commercial trucks, with the goal to test and rollout in late 2020.

To learn more or get started with implementing video telematics in your operation, follow this link.