From Raw Data to Action: KPIs and Dashboards That Translate Telematics into Insurance Savings

The collision of telematics, dashcams and connected-vehicle data creates measurable risk signals that insurers and fleets can convert into lower premiums and reduced claims costs. For US trucking and logistics operators — from Port of Los Angeles drayage fleets to interstate long-haul carriers out of Chicago and Dallas–Fort Worth — the route from raw sensor output to underwriting action requires the right KPIs, clear dashboards, and governance to prove value to carriers and insurers alike.

Why telematics matters to trucking insurance (short version)

• Telematics converts driver behavior, vehicle health and trip context into quantifiable risk factors insurers can price.
• Insurers that adopt Usage-Based Insurance (UBI) and video-based claims programs can offer premium reductions to fleets demonstrating safer performance.
• Typical savings scenarios: fleets commonly see measurable premium or claim-frequency reductions in the range of 10–30% when telematics and in-cab video are implemented and paired with active coaching and claims integration (see vendor and regulatory adoption context below).

Key regulatory and market context: US fleets must comply with FMCSA ELD and HOS rules; telematics vendors and insurers leverage ELD and event data to verify compliance and produce auditable records for underwriting and post-accident investigation (FMCSA ELD resources: https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/hours-service/elds).

Sources and vendor pricing references: Samsara pricing and product pages, Geotab pricing, and Motive (KeepTruckin) pricing provide current hardware/subscription benchmarks and illustrate market pricing variability:

• Samsara pricing: https://www.samsara.com/pricing
• Geotab pricing: https://www.geotab.com/pricing/
• Motive pricing: https://www.motive.com/pricing

High-value KPIs that translate to insurance action

Select KPIs that are objective, auditable, and correlated with loss outcomes. Below are the essentials for trucking insurance programs:

• Crash & Event Detection — automated crash detection, fused sensor + video evidence
• Harsh Braking / Harsh Acceleration — measurable aggressive-event counts per 10k miles
• Harsh Cornering / Rollover Events — lateral-G events indicating unsafe cornering
• Speeding Events — time over posted speed % and absolute mph over limit
• Hours-of-Service Compliance — HOS violations per driver per 30/90 days
• Distracted Driving / In-cab Video Events — phone use, eyes-off-road flagged by AI dashcams
• Seatbelt Usage — percent seatbelt-on events captured by camera/seat sensors
• Idle Time & Fuel Efficiency — fuel burn per mile and idling hours (indirectly impacts crash exposure)
• Maintenance Alerts / Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTCs) — preventative maintenance compliance rates
• Driver Coaching & Retention — coaching sessions per event and repeat-event percentages

Each KPI supports a specific underwriting or claims action: e.g., high rates of repeat harsh braking -> targeted driver training -> reduced frequency of rear-end collisions -> lower loss ratio for insurer.

Example dashboard layout (what underwriters and risk managers need)

A single-screen executive dashboard should give underwriters and fleet managers immediate answers:

• Top-line: Fleet risk score (aggregate), expected loss ratio delta vs baseline
• Drivers: Driver leaderboard (risk rank), repeat-event flags, coaching status
• Vehicles/routes: High-risk routes (by corridor — e.g., I-95 NJ corridor, I-710 LA/Long Beach drayage), utilization
• Claims pipeline: Video-verified FNOLs, time-to-first-touch, estimated loss exposure
• Compliance: HOS violation trend and CSA-related exposure

Sample KPI-to-action mapping (table)

From dashboard signals to premium savings: practical pathways

1. Underwriting tiering — Insurers use telematics-derived fleet scores to place accounts in lower-risk tiers with premium credits. Successful programs stipulate minimum data duration (e.g., 90 days) and minimum miles to reduce sample noise.
2. Loss control + coaching — Demonstrable reductions in aggressive events following coaching are creditable for ongoing premium discounts.
3. Claims acceleration with video — Dashcam-verified FNOL reduces dispute time and litigation exposure; many carriers negotiate lower reserves when video proves fault.
4. Usage & exposure-based pricing — For regional or dedicated fleets, mileage- or route-based pricing uses utilization KPIs to adjust premiums precisely.

Empirical ROI: vendors and carriers report variable results by fleet type, but case studies consistently show that combining telematics + video with active coaching and claims integration yields the steepest reductions in both frequency and severity of losses.

Implementation checklist (for US-based fleets: CA, TX, IL, GA, NJ examples)

• Choose a vendor with proven trucking capabilities (ELD + AI dashcam + fleet gateway).
  • Expect hardware capital (per-vehicle device) and monthly subscriptions: market examples show device costs commonly in the low hundreds and subscriptions in the low tens to low forties per vehicle/month depending on features and scale (see vendor pricing: Samsara, Geotab, Motive).
• Define business KPIs tied to insurance outcomes (e.g., reduce preventable collisions by X% in 12 months).
• Pilot in a high-claim corridor (e.g., LA drayage, I-95 freight lanes, Port of Savannah) for 90 days minimum.
• Integrate telematics data with the insurer’s underwriting and claims platforms (API or SFTP).
• Establish data retention, privacy and consent protocols complying with state laws and driver notice.
• Build a coaching loop with measurable repeat-event tracking.

Data governance, privacy and legal guardrails

• Maintain auditable chains of custody for telematics/video used in underwriting or claims.
• Implement role-based access and encryption for PII and video; redact or limit sharing to what is necessary for underwriting/claims.
• Offer transparent driver notice and opt-in/out processes where required by state law; ensure union contracts and employee handbooks reflect monitoring policies.
• See implementation best practices: Implementing Telematics at Scale: Data Governance, Retention and Privacy for Fleets.

Claims integration: dashboards that speed FNOL and subrogation

Integrating telematics dashboards with claims systems drives measurable savings:

• Auto-FNOL from crash detection + video reduces adjuster handling time.
• Side-by-side event timelines (GPS, speed, video, HOS) reduce investigation costs.
• Automated evidence packages increase subrogation recoveries and lower litigation frequency.

See related operational benefits from dashcams and claims: Dashcams, Video and Claims: Using In-Cab Footage to Reduce Liability and Speed Settlements.

Choosing KPIs that insurers will underwrite

Insurers prefer KPIs that are:

• Objective and reproducible (sensor-based rather than manual)
• Auditable over time (90+ days recommended)
• Linked to loss outcomes (rear-end collisions linked to harsh braking, for example)
  For deeper underwriting impacts and UBI models for carriers see: Pay-How-You-Drive Programs for Carriers: UBI Models That Impact Trucking Insurance Premiums.

Final checklist for converting telematics to insurance savings

• Deploy devices + AI dashcams across a representative pilot (90 days).
• Track core KPIs and tie them to coaching and maintenance workflows.
• Feed cleansed, auditable KPI summaries to insurers for tiering.
• Measure claims frequency/severity and time-to-settle before and after deployment (target 10–30% improvement window).
• Maintain privacy, documentation and driver communication to avoid legal exposure.

Telematics yields insurance savings only when raw data becomes repeatable KPIs, visualized in decision-oriented dashboards, and integrated into underwriting and claims workflows. For US trucking operations — from coast-to-coast carriers to local drayage operators — that combination is the difference between a data lake and realized premium reduction.

Related reading:

• Telematics and Trucking and Logistics Insurance: How Data Is Changing Underwriting
• How Insurers Use Telematics Data to Reward Safer Drivers and Lower Rates
• Telematics ROI: What Safety and Premium Reductions Fleets Can Expect From Connected Data