Wright Tree Services achieved a 71% improvement in driver safety scores using Geotab data

Wright Tree Services, a leader in professional and environmental services operating a fleet of 5,000 vehicles across the United States, used Geotab’s telematics platform to transform a reactive safety program into a proactive, data-driven operation. In 18 months, driver scores improved by 71% — and the technology became mission-critical at every level of the organization, from field managers to executive leadership.

The challenge: managing 5,000 vehicles across demanding and diverse environments

Wright Tree Services operates in one of the most complex fleet environments imaginable — crews moving between urban residential neighborhoods, remote reforestation sites, and utility corridors, all at the same time. With 5,000 vehicles and a lot of moving parts going in a lot of different directions, the core question was: how do you manage a fleet that size and ensure assets are being used efficiently — and more importantly, that drivers are safe?

Before Geotab, the answer was largely reactive. When incidents happened, the process was unreliable — the usual “he said / our driver said” — with outcomes sometimes determined in court rather than on data. Training was equally reactive: programs were built around what had already gone wrong, not what could be prevented.

The company needed a connected telematics partner that could shift the entire operation from reactive to proactive — delivering real-time visibility, predictive safety coaching for drivers, and legally defensible incident documentation across a sprawling, complex fleet.

Why Wright Tree Services chose Geotab

Beyond Geotab’s recognition as the top commercial telematics vendor worldwide, the decision came down to what they could actually demonstrate: not just tracking, but actionable data insights. The Geotab-Gridline partnership helped unlock capabilities they hadn’t anticipated, moving the needle from surface-level tracking to deep fleet intelligence. 

“When we started looking for a telematics partner, Gridline actually showed us what we could do with the data. It helped bring more organization. Before this technology, most of what we were doing with our training approaches was reactive. It really wasn’t the answer. This allows us to be proactive before the accident happens.” -  Ken Venzke, Division Manager Wright Tree Service, Inc.

The solution: fleet intelligence at every level of the organization

The easy-to-use MyGeotab platform became the operational backbone for Wright Tree Services — used by every manager, every field manager, and executive leadership to make data-informed decisions across the entire fleet.

1. Driver behavior scoring and real-time coaching

Geotab’s driver scoring system tracks key behaviors — speeding, harsh braking, and harsh cornering — and makes that data instantly accessible, down to the individual driver level. Managers can pull trend data from the day before, the week before, and compare individual scores against fleet medians in real time.

Because Wright Tree Services operates as an employee-owned company, this matters even more. Employees take personal pride in their performance — and having data that reflects that performance creates accountability that goes beyond a manager’s directive. The result: a 71% improvement in driver scores across the fleet in 18 months.

“Many times it is not a lecture — it’s just bringing it to light. Showing the data right on a cell phone: this is what’s happening. It’s really a game-changer for us.” -  Ken Venzke, Division Manager Wright Tree Service, Inc.

2. Fleet utilization and right-sizing

With 5,000 vehicles, even marginal inefficiency compounds quickly. Geotab’s utilization data allowed Wright Tree Services to evaluate whether the fleet was appropriately sized — identifying both underutilized assets that could be redeployed and areas where additional capacity might be needed.

Idling time became a specific focus area:

“We are saving a lot of money just by looking at our idling time — do we have trucks running when they don’t need to be?” -  Ken Venzke, Division Manager Wright Tree Service, Inc.

3. Incident documentation and legal protection

One of the most powerful — and unexpected — use cases for Geotab at Wright Tree Services has been collision reconstruction. The platform’s capability rebuilds exactly what happened during an event: where the vehicle was down to the foot, whether it swerved, whether brakes were applied, whether speed limits were followed.

Before Geotab, a roadside incident could become a legal dispute with no objective record. Now:

“We can actually rebuild trip history to know exactly what’s going on — down to the foot. Where was that vehicle? Did it swerve? Did it slam on its brakes? Were we speeding? Were we following all the traffic rules? It’s really helped protect our drivers and our employee-owners — proving they were in the right, doing everything right. We’ve actually used this technology to show law enforcement exactly what happened.”  -  Ken Venzke, Division Manager Wright Tree Service, Inc.

For an employee-owned company, the ability to protect employee-owners from unwarranted liability with objective data is a direct financial and cultural asset. 

MyGeotab: a core operations platform

The turning point was committing to the partnership — working with Gridline and Geotab to understand what the platform could actually deliver, not just what it appeared to do at the surface. Wright Tree Services is candid about the learning curve:

“Initially when we first got Geotab, it was a shiny toy that we didn’t know what was capable to do. But then, partnering up with Geotab and really digging into the nuts and bolts of what they can provide has really helped us along. It’s been really beneficial to me as a manager to have this technology right at my fingertips.”, mentioned the Manager

Today, decisions at every level of the organization — from field operations to executive strategy — are made using Geotab data.

Results at a glance

What fleet managers in environmental and field services need to know

Wright Tree Services’ experience maps directly onto challenges faced by any large, dispersed field services fleet:

• Driver scoring works best when it’s transparent, not punitive — showing employees their own data in real time, on a phone, changes behavior without confrontation.
• Employee ownership creates a natural incentive structure — when drivers are also owners, safety scores carry personal stakes beyond job performance.
• Incident documentation is a hidden ROI of telematics — Geotab collision reconstruction for legal protection pays for itself in a single incident.
• Fleet right-sizing starts with utilization data — 5,000 vehicles means significant cost exposure from idle assets; visibility is the first step

A safer fleet starts with better data. See what Geotab can do for your fleet.