AI-driven fleet solutions and machine learning: What does it all mean for fleets?

Artificial Intelligence (AI) seems to be picking up speed almost as fast as it can process data. It wasn’t too long ago that most people hadn’t even heard of AI. Fast forward to today, and the technology has penetrated industries as diverse as education, healthcare, banking, marketing, agriculture and social media. 

The fleet industry is also taking a big leap into AI. Case in point: AI-driven fleet solutions provide fleets with faster, more powerful insights that have major impacts on fleet safety, vehicle health and costs.

AI is revolutionizing driver coaching

Whether fleets know it or not, some dashcam and telematics solutions have already been using AI to detect unsafe driver behaviors as they happen and issue in-cab alerts. This real-time training helps drivers become aware of which behaviors aren’t safe and prompts them to correct them immediately.

The impact of AI on safety doesn’t stop there. The latest AI-powered video telematics solutions are helping fleet managers customize coaching sessions and track performance over time. Shifting the focus from “what you did wrong” to “look how you improved” creates a more collaborative relationship between drivers and coaches. With evidence of progress, fleet managers can reward drivers who show continuous improvement. 

Taking a collaborative — not punitive — approach to coaching helps gain driver buy-in, and individualized safety plans help them make progress on safe driving techniques. 

According to the 2025 Fleet Technology Trends Report, 60% of respondents said in-cab video is extremely or very beneficial for improving driver coaching sessions. The latest AI-powered dashcam advancements are positioned to make video even more advantageous for safety minded fleets. 

AI-powered dashcams help protect drivers from harm

Seat belt use and speeding are two areas where breaking fleet safety protocol puts drivers at greater risk of harm. AI is helping fleets do a better job of addressing both issues.

According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), 64 percent of trucking drivers killed in automobile accidents weren’t wearing seat belts. And the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that speeding was a factor in 29% of all traffic fatalities.

An analysis of more than 200M Verizon Connect road- and driver-facing dashcam videos verified there is room for improvement for fleets. The analysis revealed that 7% of commercial drivers operate vehicles without fastening their seat belts and 40% of the vehicles exceeded the posted speed limit. 

To address these issues, Verizon Connect made AI dashcam enhancements to include dedicated AI tags for speeding and unfastened seat belt detection. Likewise, Verizon Connect’s Cloud AI video analytics engine provides additional context to each dashcam video, helping fleet managers understand which unsafe driving practices (like speeding) and road incidents need immediate attention. 

A majority of fleet professionals already agree that dashcams are an effective safety tool: 75% of 2025 Fleet Technology Trends Survey respondents said in-cab video helped them meet their goal of improving driver safety. AI-driven fleet solutions aim to make dashcams an even more effective safety tool for fleets.

Large language model applications provide operational insights

Today, telematics providers offer a variety of reports and dashboards that aggregate data and provide fleet insights that aid more informed decision making. As AI technology advances, accessing these insights will become even easier.

Large language models are a type of AI program that can recognize and generate text. Conversational large language models earn their name because they analyze large data sets and allow users to submit questions in plain terms and get answers in understandable language.

In the fleet context, users will be able to query topics like productivity and fleet efficiency metrics and get results that highlight anomalies and trends in fleet operations data. This empowers fleet managers to make timely data-informed decisions to aid in operational efficiency. 

Currently, 62% of 2025 Fleet Technology Trends Report respondents said GPS fleet tracking is extremely or very beneficial for increased efficiency in managing daily operations. Likewise, 56% of respondents reported improved operational efficiency as a result of using a field service management solution. AI-powered large language model applications could help push these percentages higher.

AI-driven fleet solutions help reduce costs 

By aiding driver coaching, safe driving practices and vehicle health, AI-driven fleet solutions are helping fleets reduce costs. 

When safe drivers operate safe vehicles, they are less likely to be involved in crashes — and that means lower accident costs. The 2025 Fleet Technology Trends Report revealed that 42% of respondents said in-cab video helped them achieve their goal of decreasing accident costs, with the largest percentage of respondents reporting a 15-24% decrease in those costs.

Fleet technology is also helping reduce insurance costs. In the last few years, fleets have demonstrated their dedication to safety by discussing their fleet technology packages with insurance providers. Sharing metrics that show progress in the areas of driver safety, crash rates and vehicle repair and injury claims costs can help insurers feel confident about reducing insurance premiums.

Insurers are increasingly recognizing the value of fleet technology, and some are using telematics data to customize policies and offer discounts on premiums. Using video telematics to prove drivers aren’t at fault and avoid nuclear verdicts is also attractive to insurance carriers, as avoiding litigation significantly reduces their costs.

The 2025 Fleet Technology Trends Report sheds light on insurers’ attitudes on telematics: 50% of respondents reported in-cab video helped them decrease insurance costs, with the largest contingent reporting a 5-24% decrease. Those leveraging GPS fleet tracking reported a 13% decrease in insurance premium costs.

The broader impact of advanced fleet management tools

When fleets use advanced fleet management tools to buttress safety and promote vehicle health, the impacts stretch beyond those spheres. The latest technology can have fleet-wide impacts that lead to finely tuned, high-functioning fleet operations. The result? Reduced downtime, cost savings on fuel, crashes, labor, maintenance, insurance and more — and most importantly, the satisfaction of knowing you’re doing what you can to get drivers home safely to their loved ones. 

Learn about more fleet trends

Is your fleet keeping up with the latest trends? The 2025 Fleet Technology Trends Report reveals what fleet professionals have to say about:

• Cost reduction in fleet management
• The impact of data-driven fleet decision making
• How technology aids fleet safety and security
• Insights on how technology aids EV adoption 

To learn about these topics and more of the latest fleet trends, download the 2025 Fleet Technology Trends Report.