New Data from Samsara Shows How AI and Digital Tools are Helping Combat the Labor Shortage

API Requests, Mobile Workflows, and AI Detections Increase As Digitization Accelerates Across Physical Operations

Samsara, pioneer of the Connected Operations Cloud, released new data that reveals industrial organizations are turning to data insights from technology solutions and AI to address the needs of a shifting workforce.

Organizations across the world of physical operations, including transportation, logistics, and warehousing, have been experiencing a surge in demand. Meanwhile, labor shortages in these same industries are also at an all-time high. Companies have been offering both financial and non-financial incentives to attract and retain scarce talent throughout 2021. Now, they are facing the additional pressure of a fast-approaching holiday season, which experts anticipate will further increase demand and exacerbate these existing challenges.

Using cohort analysis to control for growth in customer count, Samsara analyzed aggregated data from thousands of customers to show how industrial organizations are addressing demands and building a new, more digitized workforce. Key findings from this analysis include:

• Fleets supporting physical operations are covering more ground than ever. On average, Samsara logged more than 12 million vehicle location data points per customer in the first nine months of 2021—a 46 percent year-over-year (YOY) increase.
• Application programming interface (API) connections are helping break down data silos and streamline internal processes and communication for the distributed workforce. Samsara saw a 300 percent YOY increase* in API pings to its Connected Operations Cloud. A vast portion of these pings are going to and from Samsara and various transportation management systems (TMSs), helping companies streamline processes and communications related to compliance, routing, and dispatch.
• Mobile workflows and digital documents are allowing industrial organizations to get new employees up to speed faster and modernize their day-to-day experience, helping to bridge the skills gap. Samsara saw a 48 percent YOY increase* in daily active users of its mobile Driver App, as well as a 100 percent YOY increase* (i.e. doubling) in usage of its digital Documents feature. 
• Industrial organizations are increasingly able to leverage AI to proactively detect potential safety and security risks, automate previously time-consuming tasks, and improve the employee experience. Samsara saw a 13 percent YOY increase* in AI detections per 1,000 miles driven from its vehicle dash cams, as well as a 129 percent increase so far this year* in AI detections from its site security cameras per customer.

“The days of running operations with pen and paper are coming to a close as industrial organizations accelerate their adoption of new technologies,” said Sowmya Murali, data analytics manager at Samsara. “Leaders are using technology to shape a new industrial workforce fit to help operations thrive, no matter the challenges they face. At Samsara, we’re eager to continue building the solutions they need to improve the employee experience and bring new levels of efficiency to their organization.”

To read the complete analysis of this data and gain additional insights, see here.

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