How Lodging Solutions Uses Samsara to Power Disaster Recovery Fleet Operations
Lodging Solutions, a subsidiary of Bolton Holdings, provides temporary workforce accommodations and industrial tent systems for disaster recovery operations, managing 60+ vehicles, 1,000+ trailers, and 1,700+ specialized equipment pieces. After struggling with a previous provider's hardware failures and 15-minute location lag, the company deployed Samsara Asset Gateways, Asset Tags, AI Dash Cams, and Qualifications Management. The result is near real-time fleet visibility during crisis response, 300–500+ hours of staff time saved per storm season, and AI-powered document processing that cuts hours of work to minutes.
Impact
300–500+ hours
Staff time saved per storm season
1,000+ trailers + 1,700+ specialized equipment
Assets tracked in real time
Under 2 months
Deployment time for 1,000 assets
Hours/days → minutes
Document processing time
Challenge
Lodging Solutions' previous fleet tracking provider caused hardware failures, unexpected battery drain, and 15-minute or more location lag—with updates dropping entirely during cellular outages—making it impossible to maintain reliable real-time visibility of 1,000+ trailers and 1,700+ equipment pieces during time-critical disaster response deployments.
Solution
Samsara Asset Gateways, Asset Tags, Vehicle Gateways, AI Dash Cams, and Qualifications Management were deployed fleet-wide, providing near real-time asset visibility, AI-powered bulk document processing, and driver safety monitoring across disaster recovery operations.
Tools & Technologies
What Leaders Say
“Samsara wasn't just a technology upgrade—it was a better partner. The hardware works, the support understands our urgency, and the rollout across thousands of assets was incredibly easy.”
“Each trailer represents a critical piece of our response infrastructure. We can't afford to lose sight of even one. If a sleeping trailer doesn't arrive, someone isn't sleeping in a bed that night.”
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Full Story
Lodging Solutions serves as a critical lifeline during disaster recovery operations, providing temporary workforce accommodations and industrial tent systems that enable emergency teams to carry out life-saving missions. The company manages a fleet of 60+ vehicles, 1,000+ trailers, and 1,700+ specialized equipment pieces across high-stakes deployments.
Before Samsara, Lodging Solutions struggled with a previous provider that couldn't keep up with the tracking demands of disaster response. Hardware failures were common, batteries drained on idle assets, and location updates could lag by 15 minutes or more. During terrestrial cellular tower outages—which happen precisely when disaster response is most critical—live location updates would drop off entirely. When Lodging Solutions asked for CAN bus integration to monitor generator diagnostics, the provider proposed replacing all existing hardware rather than expanding capabilities.
Lodging Solutions deployed Samsara Asset Gateways, Asset Tags, Vehicle Gateways, and AI Dash Cams fleet-wide. Implementation was fast: the team installed devices on nearly 1,000 assets in just under two months. The company also adopted Samsara Qualifications Management, using AI-powered bulk document processing to upload 50 asset documents at once—with the system automatically recognizing, categorizing, and attaching them to the correct assets.
The results were immediate. Near real-time tracking across 1,000+ trailers allows teams to stage, deploy, and reroute equipment faster during active storm events. Over a typical 26-week storm season, improved asset visibility saves an estimated 300–500+ hours of combined IT and operations staff time. Document processing that previously took hours or days now takes minutes. Samsara's Street Sense provides real-time road condition visibility during severe weather, and AI Dash Cams give operations teams insight into driver safety during unfamiliar emergency routes.
"Each trailer represents a critical piece of our response infrastructure. We can't afford to lose sight of even one," said Savannah Kincaid, Special Projects Administrator at Lodging Solutions. "If a sleeping trailer doesn't arrive, someone isn't sleeping in a bed that night. If restroom or shower trailers are delayed, there's nowhere to use the facilities—and without tent trailers and culinary supplies, there's no dining hall or hot meals. Every asset matters."