FiberLight: Creating a tether for remote drivers and improving driving behavior by 21.6% with Geotab

Challenge: Engaging a dispersed workforce without adding administrative burden

FiberLight is a B2B fiber optic infrastructure company that builds and maintains high-performance networks across the South, Southeast, and key Mid-Atlantic markets, including Virginia and the Washington, D.C. region. Often referred to as being "the fifth utility," the company relies on a fleet of field technicians who spend their days installing, testing, and maintaining the fiber networks that keep businesses connected.

Operating in remote locations, these drivers are rarely in an office. For Becky Ospina, FiberLight’s Head of People and Culture, keeping this dispersed team engaged, recognized, and aligned with company safety standards required a modern approach.

FiberLight already possessed a strong safety record and utilized Geotab telematics, but they lacked a structured driver incentive program. Safe fleets can always get safer, and for FiberLight, the goal was to shift from a reactive safety posture to a proactive, data-driven culture. Even with a strong record, leadership recognized the need for hard data to support upcoming board-level reporting and insurance renewals. They sought a solution that could provide predictive safety insights and cost avoidance without adding administrative friction.

Becky’s oversight of the fleet represents a growing industry trend: safety culture and risk mitigation are increasingly owned by People & Culture leaders. Her role encompasses HR initiatives alongside high-stakes responsibilities like workers’ compensation and safety strategy, where driver behavior directly impacts the bottom line. Traditional, time-consuming safe driving classes weren't a fit for their fast-paced operations, nor was any solution that required heavy administrative oversight.

“These guys are all out on islands somewhere in the middle of nowhere," explained Becky Ospina. "When managing a fleet is only about one percent of your job, you need something that maintains itself. I didn't want a program where I had to play an active role in keeping things going week to week.”

Solution: A plug-and-play pilot that created instant internal demand

Because FiberLight was already a Geotab telematics customer and utilized Vitality US for its corporate wellness program, combining the two through Geotab Vitality was a natural fit. The company launched a pilot for 26 of its Geotab-equipped drivers.

The rollout was swift and highly effective. During a single driver meeting, the Geotab Vitality team walked the fleet through the program, and drivers downloaded the app onto their personal phones on the spot. Within one week, the program achieved a 100% log-in and adoption rate.

Rather than feeling micromanaged, the drivers responded exceptionally well to the app's positive reinforcement. Geotab Vitality provided them with real-time visibility into their driving habits—specifically acceleration, hard braking, cornering, and speeding—allowing them to make small, incremental changes to improve their daily scores and earn rewards.

“I actually thought they might see it as punitive or micromanaging, but they were pleasantly surprised," Becky noted. "They realised they were getting rewarded for the safe driving they were already practicing. It wasn't about a huge behavioral overhaul; the incremental changes they made created a significant improvement without impacting their day-to-day routes.”

The program's gamification features quickly took hold. After a mid-pilot check-in where program-wide statistics were transparently shared, healthy competition spiked, and the driver goal completion rate nearly doubled. Even more impressively, the program generated organic internal demand. Drivers on the company’s older, non-Geotab telematics system began hearing about the scores and rewards from their colleagues and started asking management when they could join.

“We try to create a situation where people actually want to be a part of corporate initiatives, rather than feeling forced into training," said Becky. "The best testament to this program is that other drivers are actively asking to be a part of it.”

Impact: Measurable safety improvements driven by positive reinforcement

Since implementing Geotab Vitality, FiberLight has seen a distinct improvement in driving style across the board. Achieving gains in an already safe fleet is the ultimate test of a safety program's effectiveness. While most solutions focus on 'fixing' high-risk drivers, Geotab Vitality unlocked an additional 21.6% improvement in driving behavior for a best-in-class fleet—proving that even the most disciplined drivers can refine their habits through predictive feedback. The app has acted as a "tether to the organization," fostering a better dynamic between remote management and drivers who now feel actively invested in.

Notable results from the 60-day pilot include:

• The pilot is projected to achieve a 22% ROI with $10,800 in annual savings by unlocking hidden value in a low-mileage, safely operating fleet through fuel gains and major operational breakthroughs.
• 21.6% overall improvement in driving behavior, driven by significant improvements in braking (+31.2%) and cornering (+21.7%).
• 3.8% improvement in fuel efficiency, projecting over $3,330 in direct annual fuel cost savings simply by incentivizing smoother, safer driving habits.
• 13.8% reduction in Predictive Collision Risk (PCR). By leveraging predictive safety analytics, FiberLight was able to proactively mitigate risk before incidents occurred, leading to an estimated $7,450 in annual cost avoidance from prevented collisions and associated downtime.
• 68.6% driver goal completion rate in the second month of the pilot, up from 35% in the first month.

Drivers have also earned $580 in rewards to date, with many choosing to "bank" their digital currency in the app to save up for larger purchases from the rewards mall.

Next Steps: Building the business case for leadership

While driver engagement and positive reinforcement have been the immediate cultural benefits, FiberLight is acutely aware of the program's bottom-line value. Geotab Vitality's ROI analysis proved that an engaged, safe fleet directly translates to operational savings, projecting over $9,500 in net savings after program costs are applied. Having converted the pilot into a paid subscription, FiberLight plans to expand Geotab Vitality to its remaining fleet once those vehicles are fully migrated to Geotab telematics.

Becky is currently preparing to integrate the program's impressive cost containment and risk reduction data into her upcoming board-level reporting ahead of future insurance renewals.

“You can have the most amazing program in the world, but if it’s not affordable and bringing a return on investment, we aren't getting it," Becky stated. "At the end of the day, a board of directors is going to want to know what this equals in real dollars and cents. Geotab Vitality's price point is very competitive, and when I look at our risk mitigation strategy and cost containment, I can't imagine that this won't save us money.”

From the Head of People and Culture

“The support team is amazing. The implementation was amazing. It's very plug and play. I don't have to manage it. It manages itself. And for those of us out in the field, it creates another tether to the organisation. It makes for a better dynamic between management and drivers because they feel like you're actively investing in them. Absolutely. I would recommend it.” — Becky Ospina, Head of People and Culture, FiberLight

About FiberLight

FiberLight is a premier B2B fiber optic infrastructure provider based in Plano, Texas, within the DFW Metroplex. The company manages an expansive footprint of over 20,000 route miles of high-capacity fiber networks, spanning major corridors in Texas, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, Virginia, and Washington D.C. They provide mission-critical services to enterprises, government agencies, healthcare systems, and hyperscale data centers. Widely regarded as "the fifth utility," FiberLight delivers dedicated internet, dark fiber, and Ethernet solutions to more than 300,000 pre-qualified locations and 280 data centers. Their operations are supported by a fleet of approximately 48 field technicians who are responsible for the installation and maintenance of the high-performance infrastructure that powers modern business connectivity.

About Geotab Vitality

Geotab Vitality LLC, a new joint venture launched in 2025, combines the power of Geotab's data science and telematics capabilities with Vitality Global's award-winning behavioral science, into an innovative solution that enables sustained driver behavior change through positive reinforcement, not penalties. Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, we tackle the escalating problem of roadway collisions and rising costs. Our evidence-based approach is delivering significant results for fleets around the world, with some customers experiencing a 24% reduction in collision frequency and a 15% improvement in driving behavior within the first 30 days. Learn more at Geotab Vitality and follow us on LinkedIn.

CUSTOMER QUOTES — FIBERLIGHT CASE STUDY

Source: Case Study Interview — Becky Ospina, Head of People and Culture, FiberLight

Interview Date: April 1, 2026 | Interviewers: Eric Schmidt & Summaya Stevens, Geotab Vitality

All quotes lightly edited for clarity from verbatim transcript.

On Program Experience

[1] "The drivers are, I would say, pleasantly surprised — because they are able to improve their driving with pretty small changes. The incremental changes they've made have created such an improvement overall. But I actually don't think it's changed their driving day-to-day at all. And that's why they like it."

[2] "I actually thought that they would hate it. So I was pleasantly surprised when I learned how much they liked it."

[3] “There's not really been a huge impact on the drivers' day-to-day. If it did, we would have heard about it. The fact that their day-to-day is not impacted is one of the reasons why they love it.”

On Ease of Use

[4] "The program is very plug and play. I don't have to do anything. I don't have to push a button. I don't have to remember to do anything. It just needs to work once people get registered. And that's exactly what happened."

[5] “The fleet is probably one percent of my job. I need something that maintains itself.”

On Driver Engagement and Recognition

[6] "It creates another tether to the organization. These drivers are out on an island somewhere. This is another connection back. That's more important than turnover. It makes for a better dynamic between management and drivers. They feel like you're investing in them."

[7] "They can see what you're seeing. It's definitely more visible now. They want their score. It's created healthy competition."

[8] "Most of our drivers are already doing a good job. This confirms it. And then they get rewarded for the behavior they're already doing."

[9] “It's about being recognized rather than punished. That has a lot to do with how the app frames things — not punitive, just: here's your score, here's how to improve it.”

On Goal Completion Jump

[10] “We had a check-in call and Summaya went through the stats and shared the details with the drivers. I'm a big believer in being transparent. Share out results, celebrate the wins. That's what drove the jump.”

On Internal Demand

[11] “Our other drivers — the ones on the old GPS system — they're wondering when they're going to get to take part in this. That's the best testament to any program: when other people are asking to be a part of it.”

On the Recommendation

[12] “Absolutely. I would recommend it. The support team is amazing. The implementation was amazing. It's very plug and play. I don't have to manage it. It manages itself.”

On Cost and ROI

[13] “I can't imagine it won't save money. Boards do care about that — they want to know what it's equaling in real dollars and cents. And the price point is very competitive.”

On What Makes the Program Different

[14] "Most training, people are like — okay, it's training, we have to do it. This has become something drivers want. That's how you create a situation where people want to be part of it. And that's what you've created here."