SambaSafety vs. Samsara
SambaSafety delivers comprehensive driver risk management that combines MVR violations, license status, CSA inspections, crash history, and telematics data from 100+ providers, including Samsara, in one platform.
Get Complete Driver Risk Management Beyond the Cab
While Samsara optimizes fleet operations through telematics devices, SambaSafety delivers comprehensive driver risk management that combines MVR violations, license status, CSA inspections, crash history, and telematics data from 100+ providers, including Samsara, in one platform.
SambaSafety's Approach
SambaSafety delivers the complete view of driver risk by aggregating telematics behavioral data with critical risk factors that exist outside the cab: license status changes, MVR violations, CSA roadside inspections, claims history, training completion, and more. Choose SambaSafety when your goal is fewer claims and better insurance terms, not just reducing in-cab events.
Samsara's Approach
Samsara excels at optimizing operational efficiency through proprietary telematics devices, capturing in-cab driving behaviors with cameras and sensors. Their focus centers on physical fleet operations: vehicles, equipment, sites, and real-time driving events.
How SambaSafety Compares to Samsara
Catch every risky driving event with 3,000+ integrated data sources all in one place with SambaSafety
Capability
continuous monitoring
SAMBASAFETY
Industry's only provider offering national MVR network, comprehensive license monitoring, CSA tracking, and telematics aggregation in a single platform.
samsara
Telematics-based monitoring from Samsara devices capturing in-cab behaviors. No MVR or CSA monitoring for license status changes or violations.
Integrated Data Sources
3,000+ federal, state, and local data sources including all 50 state DMVs, FMCSA, 100+ telematics providers, claims, and training history.
Risk insight limited to telematics data from proprietary Samsara devices.
Telematics Hardware Dependency
Device-agnostic telematics aggregation from 100+ leading providers (including Samsara), covering over 65% of connected commercial vehicles. No proprietary hardware required.
Single-vendor approach requiring Samsara's proprietary hardware, creating device dependency.
Risk Assessment & Scoring
Holistic Risk Index combining MVR violations, license status, CSA events, telematics behavior, crash & claims history, and training completion into one normalized score. AI Profile Summary provides clear, scannable risk insights from trusted data sources.
Safety scores based primarily on telematics events from Samsara devices. Does not incorporate MVR violations or CSA events. AI summaries are delivered in brief, unpredictable formats, often lacking critical context.
Pre-Hire Support
Pre-hire MVR screening integrates seamlessly with continuous monitoring, enabling risk assessment before and after hiring.
Telematics data only tracks in-cab behavior after hiring. Cannot be used for pre-hire qualification.
Driver Training Expertise
400+ mastery-based courses developed in-house by professional 3D animators and instructional designers. Built on 25+ years of training development expertise, proven to reduce violations by 77% with monitoring and training. Robust LMS functionality with completion tracking.
Newer to training space, lacking depth in curriculum development. Relies on third-party providers (including SambaSafety) for content. AI-generated course builder may lack structured curriculum and proven instructional design principles.
Coaching & Intervention Workflows
Contextualized MVR, CSA, and telematics alerts trigger AI-generated training recommendations via AI Training Advisor. Assign targeted courses directly from alerts. AI Profile Summary spotlights critical risk patterns across all data sources for focused intervention.
Intervention workflows limited to in-cab events without MVR or CSA integration. In-cab alerts trigger automated coaching triage; AI routes low-risk behaviors to drivers and escalates high-risk events to managers.
Analytics & Insights
Advanced analytics simplify thousands of safety data points into clear risk intelligence with configurable dashboards, benchmarking, trend analysis, and group-level reporting.
Strong operational analytics, but limited insight into holistic fleet-wide risk beyond telematics.
Artificial Intelligence
SambaSafety AI synthesizes driver risk across all data sources (MVR, CSA, telematics, claims, training) to generate clear risk summaries and automate intervention workflows. Built on access to thousands of trusted data sources, delivering explainable insights managers can verify.
AI-powered solutions focus on operational automation and in-cab event triage. AI analyzes telematics and video data to automate coaching workflows. Insights lack critical context from MVR, CSA, crash & claims, and training history.
Strategic Partnerships & Integrations
Integrates with leading technology providers including 100+ telematics providers (including Samsara), pre-employment screening partners, fleet management companies, and DQ file management systems.
Ecosystem designed around proprietary hardware and Connected Operations platform. Integrates with select fleet management, maintenance, and ERP systems. Customers integrate Samsara data into SambaSafety for holistic risk intelligence.
Verified Safety Posture
SambaSafety Verified: Insurer-recognized safety accreditation program demonstrating committed proactive risk management, built for insurer confidence and renewal leverage.
No equivalent fleet safety accreditation program positioned for insurer signaling. Samsara's Verified Safest Drivers list recognizes high-performing drivers but does not verify fleet safety programs.
Independent Proof for Decision Makers
SambaSafety's primary research includes an annual Driver Risk Report (multi-source, not vendor usage only) and an annual Telematics Report, based on survey results from insurers, brokers, and fleets. The reports uncover driver risk trends and insurance linkages based on over 50 million MVRs, claims, court, FMCSA, and telematics data. Companies use SambaSafety insights to keep up with market trends, as well as benchmark and guide their safety strategies.
Safety insights and benchmarking limited to Samsara customer cohorts using their hardware. Focused on outcomes from their own solutions, providing valuable operational insights but lacking visibility into broader industry trends and strategies beyond their ecosystem.
Industry Expertise
Delivers over 50 million driving records annually for 15,000+ customers across regulated and non-regulated fleets, gig economy (6+ million drivers), and insurance carriers. Supports 16 of top 25 private motor carriers.
Focused on commercial fleets. Lacks depth and breadth across non-regulated drivers, sharing economy, and insurance carriers.
Insurance Workflows
Built for insurance carriers, brokers, and fleets. Carriers use portfolio and underwriting insights to price consistently, reduce adverse selection, and prove insured engagement. Verified accreditation gives fleets insurer-recognized signal of program maturity.
Focused on fleet safety and operations. Reports and coaching improve safety metrics; insurers leverage via customer data sharing, not dedicated insurance risk insights.
Change Management & Time to Value
Actionable alerts and policy enforcement available immediately using existing data and MVR/CSA feeds, then accelerate with telematics as integrations activate.
Requires fleet-wide device installation, activation, and usage to start seeing risk insights.
How SambaSafety and Samsara Work Together
Many organizations use both platforms to get the complete picture of driver risk
Use Samsara for: Daily operational management and in-cab devices. In-cab dash cams and operational dashboards deliver real value for fleet efficiency and post-incident video evidence.
Use SambaSafety for: Comprehensive risk management. If your goal is claims reduction and insurance premium relief, you'll need more than telematics events. We integrate directly with telematics providers like Samsara to combine behavioral data with critical risk factors for the most complete picture of driver risk.
The Result: Keep the operational tools you've already invested in while gaining complete visibility into driver risk across all data sources. License, CSA, court, claims, and training data are all critical factors your insurer, legal counsel, and compliance teams require.
Frequently Asked Questions:
What's the main difference between SambaSafety and Samsara?
Samsara optimizes fleet operations through proprietary telematics devices capturing in-cab behaviors. SambaSafety delivers comprehensive driver risk management by combining MVR violations, license status, CSA inspections, crash history, and telematics data from 100+ providers, including Samsara, in one platform. SambaSafety provides the complete view of driver risk beyond the cab.
What driver risk factors does SambaSafety monitor that Samsara doesn't?
SambaSafety monitors critical risk factors that exist outside the cab and aren't captured by in-vehicle telematics devices:
- MVR violations: Speeding tickets, DUIs, and other moving violations from official state motor vehicle records
- License status changes: Suspensions, expirations, downgrades, and restrictions across all 50 states
- CSA roadside inspections: FMCSA compliance events, violations, and DOT reportable crashes
- Claims history: Past crash and insurance claim data
- Training completion: Documented safety education and behavior modification
While Samsara captures valuable in-cab behaviors like harsh braking and speeding events, these additional data sources provide the complete picture of driver risk your insurer, legal counsel, and compliance teams require.
Can SambaSafety integrate with Samsara devices?
Yes. SambaSafety integrates directly with Samsara as one of 100+ telematics service providers we support. You can keep your existing Samsara devices and operational dashboards while adding SambaSafety's comprehensive risk management capabilities.
Many of our customers use both: Samsara for daily operational management and in-cab monitoring, and SambaSafety for complete driver risk visibility combining telematics with MVR, CSA, claims, and training data. This approach gives you the best of both platforms without replacing investments you've already made.
Does SambaSafety require proprietary hardware like Samsara?
No. SambaSafety takes a device-agnostic approach with no proprietary hardware requirements. We integrate with your existing telematics devices from 100+ providers, including Samsara, Geotab, Verizon Connect, and others.
Key advantages of this approach:
- No hardware installation or activation delays: get actionable alerts using existing data and MVR/CSA feeds immediately
- No vendor lock-in: flexibility to change telematics providers without disrupting risk management
- Simplified mixed fleet management: aggregate data from multiple telematics vendors in one platform
- Lower total cost of ownership: leverage existing hardware investments
Which platform is better for insurance negotiations?
SambaSafety offers insurer-recognized SambaSafety Verified accreditation and comprehensive risk documentation that insurance carriers require, including MVR violations, CSA events, claims history, and proactive training completion. This enables fleets to demonstrate committed risk management practices during renewal negotiations.
How does SambaSafety's driver training compare to Samsara's?
SambaSafety's driver training is built on 25+ years of training development expertise with 400+ mastery-based courses developed in-house by professional 3D animators and instructional designers. Our training is proven to reduce violations by 77% when combined with monitoring.
Key differentiators:
- Depth of curriculum: Comprehensive course catalog covering all vehicle types, driving roles, and risk scenarios
- Proven efficacy: Measured 77% violation reduction with monitoring and training (32% with monitoring alone)
- Integrated workflows: AI-recommended training assignments triggered directly from MVR, CSA, and telematics alerts
- Robust LMS functionality: Completion tracking, compliance reporting, group assignments, and mobile app access
While Samsara is newer to the training space and relies on third-party providers (including SambaSafety) for content, our training maintains the advantage in quality, depth, and measurable behavior modification.
What makes SambaSafety's Risk Index different from Samsara's safety scores?
SambaSafety's Risk Index combines MVR violations, license status, CSA events, telematics behavior, crash/claims history, and training completion into one holistic, normalized score. This provides complete visibility into driver risk across all factors, not just in-cab behaviors.
Key differentiators:
- Configurable scoring: Adjust activity weighting and risk thresholds to match your safety policy
- Transparent breakdown: See exactly what's contributing to each driver's score
- Comparable across sources: Normalized per-mile risk enables fair comparisons across your entire fleet
- Pre-hire through retention: Score drivers before hiring and track improvement over time
Samsara's safety scores are based primarily on telematics events captured by their devices and don't incorporate MVR violations, license status changes, or CSA events—critical factors that impact overall driver risk and insurance outcomes.
Measured, Defensible, Insurer-Recognized Outcomes
For over 25+ years SambaSafety has been the leader in driver risk management. Companies that monitor with SambaSafety often experience up to:
32%
reduction in monthly violations within 12 months
14%
reduction in crashes within the first 12 months
77%
violation reduction after 12 months of using monitoring and training
Hear What Customers Have to Say About SambaSafety
There's a reason over 15,000 fleets trust SambaSafety
Ashlie Nguyen
HSE Analyst, Plains All American Pipeline
"[SambaSafety’s] user-friendly platform enables us to manage our drivers more efficiently and effectively. We’ve reduced our administrative workload, saving our team significant time. It’s easy to act on risk thanks to daily MVR monitoring alerts we receive any time one of our drivers is not in compliance with the FMCSA."
David D. Keyser
Vice President of Safety, Loomis U.S.
“Before SambaSafety, our team would manually pull 5,000+ MVRs twice annually – often learning of a driver’s DUI or suspended license six months to a year after the fact. We needed a continuous solution to provide this information sooner and with less manpower... Now we pull MVRs electronically once a year and continuously monitor our drivers via SambaSafety’s monitoring solution. The ease of accessing vital MVR information to ensure our drivers meet our stringent requirements is unmatched... the time savings is immeasurable.”