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Telematics adoption is now standard across nearly every industry, according to this year's telematics statistics. But most fleets are still only using a fraction of what that data can tell them. Speeding and distraction show exactly where risk concentrates, patterns a fleet can act on directly. A growing number of fleets are also finding that the same data is worth sharing with their insurer, not just using internally.
SambaSafety's 2026 Telematics Report analyzed millions of these events and surveyed insurers, brokers and fleets. Here are the three trends that stood out this year, along with what each one means for your safety strategy and partnership with your insurer.
Key Takeaways
- Speeding shows up in 73% of all telematics-recorded events, and it's the most reliable predictor of crash risk.
- Distraction concentrates in specific industries and times of day, and insurers now rank it among their top threats to profitability.
- Sharing telematics data with insurers and brokers is still the exception, not the rule, but it's growing quickly, mainly because of what fleets get in return.
- The biggest reason fleets don't share data isn't distrust. It's that no one has shown them a clear reason to.
Speeding Is the Most Common Event Telematics Catches
Nearly three-quarters of all driving events telematics catches involve speeding, more than any other single behavior. A driver can speed regularly for months without receiving a violation. That’s why telematics is critical; it can catch speeding right when it happens, instead of waiting for a citation to bring the issue to light.
Speeding is the most reliable predictor of crash risk, according to SambaSafety's 2026 Driver Risk Report, and it's a contributing factor in 29% of all traffic fatalities. Major violations follow the same pattern: speeding is the single largest category, making up 36.5% of them. Telematics gives fleets a way to see that risk building well before it results in a citation or a crash.
Severe speeding also varies widely by industry. Construction fleets see 254 severe speeding events per 100,000 miles, the highest rate we measured. Transportation fleets see just 48, the lowest, more than a fivefold difference. Understanding what underlying factors could be influencing speeding trends in your industry, and confirming how your own fleet compares, is the first step toward addressing the risk directly.
The most useful finding for fleets managing a high volume of speeding events: the riskiest 10% of drivers typically drive more than half of a fleet's overall risk exposure. Coaching doesn't need to start with everyone; it needs to start with the drivers already driving that number up.
The real value is catching speeding early, before it becomes a citation, a crash or a claim, and having the tools to intervene and bring that risk down.
Distraction Concentrates by Industry and Time of Day
Distracted driving isn't evenly spread across fleets. Some industries see it far more often than others, and operating conditions explain much of the difference.
Construction fleets record a median distracted driving rate of 187 events per 100,000 miles, the highest of any industry measured. Transportation and Wholesale Trade fleets run far lower, at 76 and 74.
Much of that gap comes down to regulation. Transportation fleets mostly operate under federal rules that prohibit drivers from holding or reaching for a phone, and violations affect a carrier's compliance rating, not just an individual driver's record. Fewer vehicles in Construction and Wholesale Trade fall under those same rules, which helps explain the wider gap.
Distraction also concentrates by time of day. More than 40% of all distracted driving events happen between 6 a.m. and noon, well ahead of any other part of the day. The report points to two likely explanations:
- Mornings simply carry more driving exposure
- Pressure to make calls or juggle tasks early in a shift may play a role too
That concentration is exactly why distraction has become one of insurers' biggest concerns. In 2026, 84% of insurance professionals named distracted driving one of the top two threats to commercial auto profitability, tied with litigation. That's up from roughly 71% to 75% a year earlier. The financial stakes behind that concern are real. An ATRI analysis cited in the report found that two-thirds of trucking litigation cases involving a driver's mobile phone use resulted in a nuclear verdict. The median award was $25.3 million.
Distracted driving has always been difficult for insurers to measure through traditional underwriting data alone. Camera and telematics event data give insurers a level of visibility they haven't had before. That's part of why this kind of data is becoming more valuable to share.
Knowing exactly when and where distraction concentrates gives fleets a real place to intervene, not just a reason to worry. Training, policy reminders, or telematics alerts timed to the morning hours are far more likely to prevent a crash than a generic annual reminder. That kind of targeted response also gives a fleet something concrete to point to the next time this risk comes up with an insurer.
Data Sharing With Insurers Is Growing, But Most Fleets Still Don't
Sharing telematics data with an insurer or broker still isn't common practice, but that's starting to change. Thirty-five percent of fleets now share data with an insurer or broker, up five points year over year. Transportation fleets are leading that shift: 55% now share with an insurer, up from 29%, and 32% share with a broker.
Fleets that share data are usually doing it for something concrete in return, not out of obligation. Sixty-five percent of fleets that share data do it for better pricing, and 61% do it because their insurer actively helps manage risk. Among fleets sharing specifically with brokers, the share citing pricing as their main reason jumped from 30% in 2024 to 80% in 2026.
Distrust isn't the biggest barrier, even though brokers often assume it is. Fifty-two percent of brokers believe fleets hold back because they don't trust how the data will be used. Only 5% of fleets say that's true. The real obstacle is closer to outreach and value. The share of fleets citing “never asked” as their reason for not sharing dropped from 78% to 64% this year. Meanwhile, the share citing “no clear benefit” more than doubled, from 13% to 31%.
That shift matters. Fleets are past the point of needing to be convinced to share. What they need now is a reason that's worth it. More than 80% of fleets say they would share data in exchange for the right incentive. That could be a lower premium, a lower deductible, or a rewards program tied to safer driving. Insurers consistently underestimate how many fleets would say yes. A lower premium alone would move 60% of fleets to share, well above what insurers typically expect.
Fleets that share this data early, rather than waiting to be asked, are the ones best positioned to turn it into a real advantage at renewal.
What These Trends Mean for Your Safety Strategy
Speeding, distraction, and data sharing look like three separate findings, but they add up to one idea. Fleets that already know where their risk concentrates are in a stronger position, both internally and with their insurer.
That data already exists inside most fleets. The real opportunity is having the tools to spot that risk and act on it, then show your insurer or broker the impact instead of waiting to be asked. Programs like SambaSafety Verified are built around that same idea, giving fleets a way to show insurers and brokers the proactive risk management they're already doing.
The data is already there. The only question is whether it's being put to work.
This is a small piece of what the 2026 Telematics Report covers. For a fuller look at where fleet telematics adoption stands today and where fleets still have room to close the gap between data and action, download the full report.
