How W.L. French Reduced Claims and Insurance Costs with SambaSafety

The Challenge

As W.L. French’s fleet grew, so did the complexity of managing driver eligibility and safety. Annual Motor Vehicle Record checks left critical blind spots in driver activity, and rising insurance costs demanded better risk management.

“You’re covering an entire year without having the knowledge or information of what has transpired on a driver’s record or the status of their license,” explained Jessica French, chief operating officer at W.L. French. “It was archaic, time-consuming and the information would be irrelevant.”

Apart from reducing manual work and uncertainty from relying on annual MVR checks, W.L. French had a public responsibility to promote road safety through qualified drivers. Their outdated processes couldn't provide the visibility needed to uphold that commitment. The company was pulling driver records through different states across New England, which made it challenging to interpret different states’ MVRs and get notarized signatures from all employees.

The Solution

W.L. French implemented SambaSafety’s intuitive platform to address their safety and compliance challenges through three key capabilities:

Instant MVR Access
Instant driver record verification allowed internal teams to make informed, immediate decisions during the hiring process. “Getting the data in real-time with SambaSafety, minutes after we request it, makes it a lot easier for us to make a hiring decision in the moment,” noted Diarmuid Gallagher, Director of Transportation.

Risk Score Categorization
SambaSafety’s intuitive MVR score, color-coded to make driver risk levels easy to understand and actionable, provided W.L. French with clear intervention thresholds: green for clean records, yellow for minor violations that require coaching, and red for high-risk drivers needing immediate intervention. This visual system eliminated guesswork in fleet risk assessment and allowed internal health and safety teams to make confident operational decisions.

Continuous License Monitoring
Ongoing license monitoring provided continuous visibility into any changes to a driver’s record or license status, ensuring continued compliance with fleet safety standards and insurance requirements. This level of insight gave W.L. French the confidence to make informed decisions about their drivers.

These integrated solutions transformed W.L. French’s driver management to become more proactive and competitive in the market, streamlining operations while maintaining rigorous safety standards.

The Results

Through the investment in SambaSafety, W.L. French experienced measurable improvements across their operations:

• Streamlined hiring and reduced risk through instant access to driver records
• Eliminated blind spots with continuous monitoring that enabled proactive interventions
• Lowered claims and insurance deductible by demonstrating a robust safety program
• Enhanced safety culture with transparent communication and driver support
  

The deployment of SambaSafety’s solutions has produced transformative results for W.L. French. The company now has continuous visibility into license activity for their entire fleet of more than 155 drivers, enabling them to take proactive action before issues escalate. The improvement to their drivers' overall risk profile has resulted in fewer claims and a lower deductible payout to their insurer.

To maintain its continued commitment to driver and public safety, W.L. French plans to expand their use of SambaSafety’s platform, exploring training capabilities and additional risk management tools as part of their safety program.