DENVER, Colo., Sept. 30, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Concerns about distracted driving climbed roughly 10 percentage points in a single year for both insurers and brokers, reaching 84% and matching litigation and nuclear verdicts as commercial auto’s top threat to profitability, according to SambaSafety’s fourth annual Telematics Report.
The research found that although 90% of fleets now use telematics, many organizations still struggle to turn the data they collect into action. The risks themselves, however, vary sharply by industry, with Construction fleets, for example, recording severe speeding events at more than five times the rate of Transportation fleets.
The report is based on responses from 740 fleet, broker, and insurance professionals, alongside an analysis of 500 million miles of proprietary telematics data that spans over 135 million driver behavior events.
Key findings:
- Telematics adoption has slowed; 90% of fleets use it, but only 5% have adopted it within the past year. As fleets move beyond implementation, 53% say interpreting and acting on the data is now a leading challenge.
- Insurers are still working to access and operationalize telematics data, with 43% saying value creation is a top challenge, a hurdle that has nearly tripled from last year’s 16%. The challenge comes as concerns about convincing large fleets to share data have declined.
- Severe speeding rates vary more than fivefold across industries, from 48 events per 100,000 miles among Transportation fleets to 254 events among Construction fleets.
- Artificial intelligence (AI) emerges as an interpretation layer, with 60% of fleets and 94% of insurers reporting some form of AI use, including applications of analyzing driver risk data and reviewing footage that previously required manual processing.
- Fifty-two percent of brokers cite fleet distrust as a data-sharing barrier, while only 5% of fleets agree, overestimating the resistance clients have around sharing. The signal indicates that fleets may be more willing to participate when the purpose and value are clear.
Together, the findings point to a market in transition. While telematics adoption is reaching maturity among fleets, growing data volumes are challenging the commercial auto ecosystem to translate insight into effective action.
“Insurers are looking for ways to expand the data sources they use throughout the underwriting process,” said Kristy Kennah, Head of Insurance at SambaSafety. “While traditional records remain foundational, there is growing interest in evaluating broader driver populations and focusing deeper review where it matters most. Understanding risk isn’t just about having more data. It’s having the right information to reveal the story behind it, and that’s the value this research delivers year after year.”
These findings reflect SambaSafety’s ongoing investment in research and product innovation that help insurers move beyond static assessments toward a more complete, actionable view of driver risk.
The 2026 Telematics Report is available at sambasafety.com.
About SambaSafety
SambaSafety is a recognized innovator and leading provider of cloud-based risk management solutions for over 15,000 organizations with automotive mobility exposure, including many on Fortune’s Global 500 list. Employers and insurers benefit from SambaSafety’s continuous monitoring, intuitive insights, risk reduction tools, and configurable pricing solutions.
Through the collection, correlation, and analysis of federal, state, local, and telematics data sources, our flexible, end-to-end capabilities enable businesses and insurers to evaluate better and mitigate driving risk, accelerate product development, reduce crashes, and foster safer communities.
Arissa Dimond SambaSafety (720) 994-3824 adimond@sambasafety.com
