DeLea Sod Farms Improves Driver Safety, Operational Efficiency and Customer Experience

“IntelliShift is easy to use, and the support staff is terrific. If we have an issue, I shoot an email and usually get a call back within ten minutes, sometimes even less. Support is Grade A.” – John Conover, Account Manager, DeLea Sod Farms

New York-based DeLea Sod Farms is a fourth-generation family business. It operates across the tri-state area and serves a diverse customer base, supplying materials for projects ranging from residential landscapes to large commercial settings – including professional athletic fields, golf courses and parks, as well as stocking home improvement retailers.

On any given day, the company runs 25-30 sod delivery trucks, plus vehicles for farm pickups and dump trucks for delivering materials like topsoil, sand and gravel. With a demanding daily schedule, keeping drivers safe while maintaining high marks for on-time deliveries and top-quality product is critical to success.

Before adopting IntelliShift, DeLea Sod Farms Account Manager John Conover lacked the end-to-end operational visibility needed to ensure driver safety and optimize workflows. Deploying IntelliShift’s dual-facing, in-cab video and telematics with real-time GPS tracking was the solution.

Challenges

1. Lack of visibility into on-the-road driver behavior made it impossible to ensure safe practices or accurately respond to driving complaints received from motorists
2. Faced with rising insurance premiums and a coming mandate by its insurance provider to deploy dual-facing, in-cab video
3. A demanding delivery schedule and perishable product required excessive communication between drivers, dispatch and sales

Goals

1. Gain video evidence to provide context for safety incidents, either proving exoneration or giving the insight needed for effective driver coaching
2. Improve driver safety and performance while lowering insurance costs
3. Eliminate the need for constant phone status checks with drivers, optimize route efficiency and on-time delivery

Results

• Reduce insurance premiums:
  • 13% lower liability costs
  • 10% lower comprehensive cost
• 75% of driving complaints exonerated
• 12-15 hours per week saved tracking delivery schedules