2025 SambaSafety Report Highlights Telematics Impact on Commercial Auto Insurance
The 2025 SambaSafety Telematics Report highlights the growing role of telematics technology in commercial auto insurance and fleet safety management within the U.S. market. This cloud-based risk management tool captures detailed driving behavior such as speed, braking, and mileage to provide insights that help insurers tailor coverage and promote proactive risk mitigation strategies. The report underscores that the commercial auto industry is undergoing a transformation with telematics at its core, driving collaboration between insurers and fleet operators toward preventing losses instead of merely reacting to them.
Survey data from 402 North American industry participants in sectors including trucking, construction, energy, utilities, government, and healthcare reveals widespread adoption of telematics, with 88% of fleets using it for safety purposes and 95% prioritizing driver training. Despite evident benefits, challenges remain around data complexity, integration difficulties, and operational concerns linking drivers to their telematics data. Approximately two-thirds of fleets found interpreting or acting on telematics data difficult, indicating significant room for improved data usability.
The relationship between fleets and insurers is also evolving due to telematics data, though there is a noticeable gap in engagement and collaboration. Only 41% of fleets reported reduced insurance premiums as a result of telematics use, while 70% seldom engage with insurers on this topic, limiting opportunities for shared innovation and enhanced risk management. Where insurers do initiate discussions, fleets describe more productive partnerships focused on risk reduction, pointing to a need for greater insurer outreach.
SambaSafety’s integrated Risk Cloud platform combines telematics with court, Department of Transportation (DOT), and claims data to deliver actionable insights and tailored driver training. Their Verified program further incentivizes risk-conscious fleets by aiding insurers in recognizing and rewarding safety management efforts. The report's insights serve as a strategic reference for insurance professionals seeking to leverage telematics data more effectively for underwriting, compliance, and fleet safety programs.
This industry analysis is particularly relevant as insurance underwriters and risk managers navigate complex regulatory environments and seek data-driven methods to optimize coverage and reduce losses in commercial transportation and related sectors. Enhanced telematics integration is seen as a pivotal factor in advancing industry risk management capabilities while aligning insurer and fleet incentives around measurable safety outcomes.