FM Conway cuts road traffic incidents across fleet by a fifth

FM Conway has improved the safety of its 1,000-plus vehicle fleet by using technology, including artificial intelligence (AI).

Incidents of light speeding have reduced from 2.7% to 0.6% and the average percentage of moderate speeding from 1% to 0.2%, between March 2023 and March 2024.

Safer driving has also delivered a reduction in road traffic incidents by a fifth (21.9%) from November 2022 and November 2023.

Furthermore, the number of outstanding vehicle defects reduced by 56.1% from May 2022 to January 2024.

The safety improvements have been driven by making Samsara’s Connected Operations platform central to its fleet operation and installing Samsara Vehicle Gateways and dual-facing AI dash cams across its fleet.

The move means that FM Conway’s fleet managers now have a view of the fleet, which travels 16 million miles annually, in real-time. 

Using the AI dash cams with their Samsara Driver App, drivers are alerted to any risky situation on the road. 

The app is also used to carry out vehicle checks, removing manual paper processes to ensure FM Conway’s fleet managers have sight of any potential issues immediately.

The technology-led initiative has positively impacted driver performance and delivered a more proactive maintenance and monitoring of vehicles, ensuring greater safety for the fleet, FM Conway drivers and other road users.

Paul Cerexhe, director of Logistics at FM Conway, said: “We needed to look at our drivers: what they’re doing, how they’re driving, how safe they are on the roads, and the problems they’re incurring daily. 

“We wanted to understand what was going on out there to ensure that our employees, and other road users, get home safe.

“Now we can actually see that information in real-time, which is a massive benefit.” 

He added: “One of the best things that has come from the system is that you see drivers go from a poor to a good rating very quickly.”

Samsara’s technology has facilitated significant cost savings for FM Conway.

Since implementing the Vehicle Gateways, which monitor diagnostic information about the vehicle, such as potential engine faults and fuel economy, FM Conway has achieved savings of £212,000, including £155,000 on third-party insurance claims.

Philip van der Wilt, senior vice-president and general manager EMEA at Samsara, said: “FM Conway plays an important role in helping the nation’s infrastructure operate effectively and efficiently, and we’re proud to do our part in facilitating this crucial work. 

“Building on a solid safety programme, Samsara has enabled FM Conway to create optimised workflows in the back office and ensure drivers on the road return home safely.”

Fleet News reveals what every fleet decision-maker needs to know about telematics.