New Orleans moves vehicle fleet operations into the cloud

New Orleans on Thursday announced it’s selected a vendor to move the technology behind its public safety and public works vehicle fleet into the cloud.

The city announced it selected Samsara’s Connected Operations Cloud platform to host its fleet operations across 41 city departments, including the New Orleans Police Department, New Orleans Fire Department and Department of Public Works. According to a city news release, New Orleans will invest $75 million in the technology for its fleet, which includes about 2,800 light and heavy-duty vehicles, as well as motorcycles.

While city officials said Samsara was selected for the public safety and public works fleet because of its real-time data offering, some of the company’s technology has already been deployed with the New Orleans Emergency Medical Services. The city’s EMS has used Samsara’s Video-Based Safety, Site Visibility and Vehicle Telematics solutions since 2021, the release said.

Purported benefits of the new operations platform, according to the city’s news release, include proactive vehicle maintenance, vehicle utilization and improved driver safety. Particularly noted is the system’s video-based safety technology, which officials said will enhance driver coaching and help drivers become exonerated from false claims.

The system will also support the city’s climate action strategy, which includes the goal of moving 40% of the city’s passenger and light-duty vehicles to electric by 2035. The news release said Samsara’s Vehicle Telematics solution is expected to increase fuel efficiency and help with this transition to EVs.

In addition to these environmental benefits, New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell said that it was essential the public safety and public works teams have access to more innovative technologies.

“These teams rely on the City fleet to get the job done and to get it done well. Additionally, Samsara is aligned with our goal to transition to the use of electric vehicles as part of our efforts to combat climate change and the detrimental effects of emissions,” Cantrell said in the release. “Partnerships like these deliver great results for City government, which, in turn, allows us to deliver more progress for our residents.”