Timber operations depend on trucking. Whether you run your own fleet or manage contract haulers, knowing where loads are in real time—and connecting that data to your procurement and settlement systems—eliminates blind spots that cost money. TRACT is a vertically integrated forestry ERP platform that integrates with Samsara’s fleet management system to connect GPS tracking, driver safety, and vehicle diagnostics directly to timber operations.
What Samsara Does
Samsara is a leading fleet management and IoT platform used across trucking, logistics, and field services. For timber hauling, Samsara provides:
- Real-time GPS tracking of every truck and trailer
- Electronic Logging Device (ELD) compliance for Hours of Service
- Dash cam and driver safety monitoring
- Vehicle diagnostics and maintenance scheduling
- Fuel usage tracking and route efficiency
- Geofencing alerts for mill yards, log decks, and loading sites
What TRACT Does
TRACT manages the operational side: procurement, load ticketing, settlements, landowner management, and financial reporting. TRACT currently serves a growing base of customers ranging from regional dealers to institutional timberland investors like INGKA Investments (IKEA), BTG Pactual, and Superior Pine.
Why the Integration Matters
Automated Load Verification
When a truck arrives at a mill, Samsara’s GPS confirms the truck was at the correct harvest site and delivery point. TRACT matches this against the load ticket—whether entered manually or via AI ticket scanning. This eliminates disputes about whether loads originated from the correct tract.
Real-Time Hauling Visibility
Dispatchers can see every active load on a map alongside TRACT’s load tracking data. Instead of calling drivers for ETAs, you see live positions, estimated arrival times, and whether trucks are loaded or empty. This matters when mills have receiving windows and delays cost demurrage fees.
Fuel and Cost Allocation
Samsara tracks fuel consumption per vehicle per route. When connected to TRACT, fuel costs automatically allocate to specific tracts and loads—giving you true per-load profitability instead of averaged estimates.
Driver Hours and Compliance
Timber hauling in remote areas means long routes and variable conditions. Samsara’s ELD tracking ensures HOS compliance. Integrated with TRACT’s scheduling, dispatchers can assign loads to drivers who have available hours, avoiding compliance violations and downtime.
Geofence-Triggered Events
Set geofences around harvest sites, log yards, and mill gates. When a Samsara-tracked truck enters or exits a geofence, TRACT can automatically update load status—from “in transit” to “at mill” to “delivered”—without manual input.
What This Looks Like in Practice
A typical timber hauling workflow with Samsara + TRACT:
- Dispatcher assigns a load in TRACT to a specific truck and driver
- Driver receives the assignment and navigates to the harvest site
- Samsara confirms arrival at the geofenced loading area
- Truck loads and departs—Samsara tracks the route to the mill
- At the mill, scale ticket data enters TRACT (via AI scan or manual entry)
- TRACT matches the load to Samsara’s GPS trail for verification
- Fuel, mileage, and time data flow into TRACT for cost allocation
- Settlements calculate automatically with accurate hauling costs
According to a University of Georgia study, integrated forestry technology saves operations an average of 43 hours per week. Fleet integration is a significant contributor—eliminating phone calls, manual trip logs, and fuel receipt data entry.
Getting Connected
The Samsara + TRACT integration uses Samsara’s open API. Setup typically involves mapping your Samsara fleet assets to TRACT’s hauling module, configuring geofences for your active sites, and setting up the data sync. Most integrations are operational within the 2–4 week TRACT implementation window.
Schedule a demo to see how TRACT integrates with Samsara and your existing fleet management tools.