Recognised for excellence in driver engagement, Lanes Group demonstrates a commitment to safety and efficiency through advanced AI solutions.

Lanes Group, one of the UK’s leading providers of water and wastewater services, and the largest drainage specialist in the UK, has achieved notable industry recognition with the Samsara Connected Operations Award for Excellence in Driver Engagement in the UK and Ireland. This award highlights the company’s outstanding commitment to driver safety and operational efficiency through advanced technology and innovative engagement programs. Central to this achievement is the strategic implementation of Samsara’s AI solutions, which provide real-time data on fleet activity, environmental conditions, and driver behaviour. Through this system, Lanes Group has empowered drivers to prioritise safe habits, dramatically reducing accident risks and enhancing overall performance.

Amber Kirkby, Fleet Systems Team Leader at Lanes Group, has played an instrumental role in this transformation. Initially brought on by subsidiary Sapphire Utility Solutions, Amber and the Sapphire transport team, led the deployment of Samsara’s AI Dash Cams and Driver App across the fleet of 650 vehicles and drivers. Amber and her team now oversee around 4000 vehicles and drivers. Under her leadership, driver engagement initiatives – such as tailored incentives to foster safe driving habits – have yielded impressive results, including a 92% reduction in inattentive driving and potential mobile phone usage and a 25% drop in severe speeding incidents. Lanes Group’s success in this area reflects not only a commitment to driver well-being but also a dedication to setting new benchmarks for safety and operational excellence within the industry.

Reflecting on the introduction of Samsara solutions, Amber says, “We aimed to ensure the system felt supportive rather than intrusive, recognising that our drivers are skilled professionals who know their job well. It was essential to present the cameras as tools for their safety. When the system was first introduced, many drivers viewed it negatively, describing it as “Big Brother” – they imagined I was monitoring them 24/7 from a room full of screens. To address this, we prioritised transparency and open communication, explaining how the system worked and giving examples. This approach helped shift their perspective, especially as they saw the system’s value in clearing them of fault in accidents and customer complaints.”

Video monitoring, for instance, has delivered tangible advantages quite quickly. “We have used the footage to exonerate drivers in cases where complaints or claims are made against them. For example, we often work with subcontractors like United Utilities, and complaints can arise about vehicle damage on the road. With camera footage, we’ve been able to prove that some claims were unfounded – last year, 63% of customer complaints were shown to be false. When drivers see how the cameras protect them, they become more receptive to the system. Initially, we had a strict rules-based approach, but we realised that a positive reinforcement model, including a rewards scheme, resonated much better. Recognising safe driving behaviours and highlighting instances where drivers have avoided accidents or responded safely has been far more effective than focusing on punishing mistakes.”

Another major improvement has been the prevention of inattentive driving and potential mobile phone usage where incidences dropped by 92% in just eight months after implementing the system. “Initially, over 100 drivers a month were using their phones while driving, often without realising it,” notes Amber. “Many were performing these actions subconsciously as part of their routine. Samsara’s system includes an in-cab audio alert, which notifies the driver if it detects phone usage with a message like ‘phone detected.’ This immediate feedback helps drivers become aware of their actions, and they start thinking twice before reaching for their phones. Now, across our 4,000 drivers, we rarely see more than one or two instances of mobile phone usage each month.”

Setting New Benchmarks

A crucial advantage of Samsara’s system lies in its dual camera setup and AI capabilities, which provide continuous, real-time tracking. Unlike previous tracking tools that recorded only location points every five minutes, Samsara delivers a complete view of each vehicle’s journey, allowing Lanes Group to verify routes and respond to incidents more accurately. This precise tracking has proven especially valuable for resolving route disputes or addressing customer complaints, as it shows exact routes, down to specific roads taken, and even timestamps. By providing immediate notifications for incidents like collisions, Samsara enables quicker response times, further enhancing safety and operational efficiency.

Beyond tracking, Samsara serves as an integrated platform that consolidates several key functions, including walk-around inspections, defect reporting, and incident forms. This unified approach has allowed Lanes Group to streamline multiple systems into a single solution, making fleet management more efficient and comprehensive. By using Samsara for these diverse tasks, Lanes Group not only saves time but also improves overall accountability and communication across the team.

The company has also been able to leverage the benefits of Samsara to pursue some of its environmental sustainability targets. “With our walk-around processes, we’re now about 95% paperless, and our drivers no longer use any paper forms – it’s all managed through the app,” explains Amber. “Drivers have a dedicated app for everything they need, and managers and administrators access the fleet system for oversight. All the information a driver needs is available in their app, while system-side information is accessible to the management team, creating a fully integrated, seamless workflow.

“If we need a new form, we can easily create it in the system and send it directly to specific drivers, managers, or teams, cutting down time spent filling out and managing paperwork. The Samsara trackers even have built-in Wi-Fi, so when drivers are in an area without a signal, they can connect and complete their walkarounds and compliance tasks directly on the app. It’s essentially a one-stop shop, simplifying the process and ensuring everyone stays compliant without juggling multiple systems or passwords.”

Additionally, Samsara’s fuel and efficiency feature significantly enhances fleet management by providing real-time insights into vehicle performance. It tracks critical metrics such as idling status, miles per gallon (MPG), fuel purchases, and fuel usage, allowing Lanes Group to assess how efficiently each vehicle operates. This is particularly useful for comparing fuel consumption across different vehicle types and assists with Group fleet suitability appraisals for the transition to alternative fuels.

The integration of Samsara’s camera system has also transformed how Lanes Group retrieves and manages footage from its fleet. Adds Amber, “Previously, we had to physically access each vehicle’s cameras to retrieve footage, which could take weeks if the driver was unavailable or out of range. Samsara’s system now includes connectors that automatically upload footage from multiple cameras on the vehicle, covering the sides, back and other angles. This means we no longer need to retrieve hard drives manually from vehicles stationed across the country – from Aberdeen to Plymouth.”

Ambitious Objectives

Yet, despite Lanes Group making a lot of progress, Amber feels there’s a lot more to come as she looks ahead. “There’s definitely room to delve deeper into these statistics and provide more comprehensive insights. It’s important to recognise that not all of our drivers have scores within the optimal range of 90 and above. Ideally, we would like to see all drivers achieving these higher scores. Fortunately, the system allows us to adjust the scoring criteria, which encourages drivers to continuously improve and strive for excellence. The Samsara system makes this process manageable and effective.

“One of our primary goals is to achieve 100% paperless operations. Although we still require some paper documents, we’ve made significant progress since February 2023, transitioning from a paper-dependent environment to one where virtually everything is managed through Samsara. This shift is part of a broader strategy to integrate various company operations into a unified system. Given the diversity of companies within our group, standardising processes and adopting the best practices across the board is essential. We continually evaluate which systems work best and aim to incorporate these into Samsara, setting the stage for a more efficient and cohesive future as we consider expanding our fleet even further.”

The award for Excellence in Driver Engagement in the UK underlines the progression Lanes Group has made over the last 12 months. “This achievement was a collective effort; it wasn’t just one person but rather a whole team that came together to get all the drivers on board and ensure everyone was engaged,” Amber says, admitting that on receiving the award at a glittering event held in the U.S. city of Chicago, that, “It felt incredibly rewarding to be acknowledged for the hard work our entire team has put in.”

The statistics speak for themselves, notes Amber. “We’ve seen a 92% reduction in potential mobile phone usage and inattentive driving, and instances of obstructed cameras dropped by 67% after we implemented our reward scheme. Additionally, severe speeding incidents decreased by 25% and decreased DVIR administrative manual processes by 100% as a result of automation with Samsara. It’s encouraging to witness continuous improvement across our fleet of 4,000 drivers. The progress we’ve made month on month indicates that we’re moving in the right direction, and it’s gratifying to see our efforts yield positive results for everyone involved.”

Transport & Logistics – Driving The Industry Forward