Materials Spreaders

Note

This feature is currently in early access. If you are interested in using this feature, please contact your Samsara representative.

If your fleet includes materials spreaders used on snowplows, street sweepers, and similar vehicles, you can integrate the equipment with Samsara. These spreaders use a wide range of sensor inputs and controls for measured delivery of materials (liquid, salt, or otherwise). By using Samsara to extract data from your materials spreaders you can:

• Realize cost savings through minimizing material usage necessary for complete road coverage.

• Reduce total cost of ownership (TCO) through improved maintenance response.

• Improve the ability to accurate forecast and size your fleet taking into account weather, speed, vehicle upkeep, and other factors.

• Become more efficient and timely in the service delivery of city streets.

• Conduct better decision-making based on inputs such as traffic, weather, and road conditions.

• Ensure spreaders are both safe and operated safely.

For more information, see the following topics:

• Supported Material Spreader Controllers

• Integrate a Materials Spreader with Samsara

• Access and View Materials Spreader Data in the Samsara dashboard

Supported Material Spreader Controllers

Vendor	Setup Details
RexRoth spreader controllers	Samsara supports integration with RexRoth models 450 and 550, which have the capability of sending data to Samsara. Older models do not have the capability to send data. For setup instructions see, Set up a RexRoth Controller.
FORCE America spreader controllers	Samsara supports integration with FORCE America models 5100, 5100ex, and 6100, which have the capability of sending data to Samsara. Older models do not have the capability to send data. For setup instructions, see the installation guide for your model in Set up a FORCE America Controller
Certified Power spreader controllers	Samsara supports integration with Certified Power model SpreadSmart RX, which has the capability of sending data to Samsara. Older models do not have the capability to send data.
Dickie John spreader controllers	Samsara supports integration with Dickie John model Control Point.

Integrate a Materials Spreader with Samsara

Samsara receives diagnostic information over an RS232 serial cable that connects your material spreader control unit to your Vehicle Gateway. To integrate your machine spreader with Samsara, you must connect a supported control unit; please work with your Samsara representative to determine which units in your fleet are compatible.

1. Ensure a Samsara Vehicle Gateway is connected to the vehicle.

   

2. Locate the serial port on the material spreader controller.

   Typically, the serial port is on the back side of the spreader controller unit located inside the cab of the vehicle. For some spreader controls, the serial port is a cable previously attached to the control unit, rather than an open port.

   

3. Connect the serial-end of the RS232 cable to the material spreader controller.

   The hardware on the RS232 cable are changeable between screws and standoffs. Use the provided null modem adapter, as needed.

   

4. Connect the USB-end of the RS232 cable to the USB port on the Vehicle Gateway, and the serial end to the material spreader controller.

   

5. Depending on how your spreader control was configured, you may need to enable Event Logging and/or automatic vehicle location (AVL) data transfer on the unit to enable Samsara to receive data. Please contact your Samsara implementation partner for assistance if you need assistance with this step.

6. Turn on the spreader for at least 30 seconds to generate data, then return to the Samsara dashboard and verify you’re receiving spreader data from the vehicle. To view data, see Access and View Materials Spreader Data in the Samsara dashboard.

Access and View Materials Spreader Data in the Samsara dashboard

After your account representative enables materials spreading features, you can view data from your materials spreaders. After Samsara receives materials spreader data at least once from the vehicle, you can view the following information in the Samsara dashboard:

• Diagnostics: To view diagnostics for your materials spreaders, view the diagnostics section for the vehicle on which the equipment is connected.

  

  When relevant data is available from the spreader unit, the following spreader diagnostics are available in the Spreader section of the vehicle page sidebar:

  • Spreader Mode (On / Off / Blast)

  • Spread Rate (lbs/mi)

  • Material Type (liquid/granular/prewet)

  • Air Temperature (in Fahrenheit)

  • Road Temperature (in Fahrenheit)

• Activity: You can view materials spreader activity and spread rate charts for the associated vehicle. View historical materials usage data on the vehicle page in the material spreader graph. You can display this graph by clicking the Graph Data drop-down at the top right corner of the vehicle page and selecting Material Spreaders.

  

  Available graphs include:

  • Spreader on/off/blast

  • Granular spread rate

  • Liquid spread rate

• Material usage: A Material Usage Report available from Reports > Assets.

  

  The report includes any of the following relevant data from your materials spreaders:

  • Summarized Data:

    • Granular Total

    • Liquid Total

    • Pre-wet Total

    • Total Lane Miles Covered

    • Time Utilized

  • Time Driven Vehicle-level Data:

    • Vehicle Name

    • Granular Spread Rate

    • Granular Total

    • Liquid Spread Rate

    • Liquid Total

    • Prewet Spread Rate

    • Prewet Total

    • Lane Miles

    • Time Utilized