How to Review Video Footage in Samsara
What Is the Quick Summary?
When an incident happens, speed and context matter. Managers need to see what the road, the driver, and the vehicle did in the moments that counted. Video footage provides that evidence, but only if your team can find it quickly and review it with confidence. Otherwise, hours of recordings become noise.
Samsara – GPS Fleet Tracking Software pairs AI dash cams with a cloud dashboard so you can review safety events, request footage on demand, save key clips, and coach drivers. This guide explains how to review video footage in Samsara step by step. You will learn where footage comes from, how to use the Safety Inbox and Video Library, how to request video remotely, and how to protect important clips. The details come from the official Samsara knowledge base, so confirm menu names and camera features against your own account, because they vary by hardware and license.
In short:
- Review automatically uploaded safety events in Safety > Safety Inbox.
- Request footage from a specific vehicle through Safety > Video Library, Proximity, or Trips.
- Save important clips to the library so they do not expire.
- Use speed and sensor data alongside the video, then coach the driver.
Where Does Samsara Video Footage Come From?
Before you review anything, understand how the footage reaches the dashboard. This knowledge helps you set realistic expectations and troubleshoot gaps.
What Triggers a Recording?
Samsara AI Dash Cams automatically record and upload detected safety events to the dashboard. In addition, recording can start through several triggers, according to the Samsara knowledge base. The table below summarizes the most common ones.
| Source | What Happens | Typical Result |
|---|---|---|
| Detected safety event | The dash cam records and uploads the event | Appears in the Safety Inbox |
| Panic Button | Pressing it triggers recording | Up to 30 seconds uploaded automatically |
| Dash Cam Button (compatible models) | The driver starts a manual recording | Up to 30 seconds uploaded to the dashboard |
| Video Retrieval request | An authorized user requests a time range | Footage uploads to the cloud on request |
How Long Does the Camera Keep Footage?
Samsara dash cams store footage locally until the device overwrites it. How much history you can retrieve depends on the camera model and its storage capacity. In Event-Based Recording mode, the camera keeps only clips tied to safety events, up to three minutes in length. Therefore, request important footage promptly instead of waiting weeks.
How Do You Review Safety Events in the Safety Inbox?
The Safety Inbox is the fastest route to the footage that matters. It collects events that need attention, so your team does not have to watch routine driving.
How Do You Open and Filter the Inbox?
- In the Samsara dashboard, go to Safety > Safety Inbox.
- Open the Needs Review list.
- Filter by event type, driver, vehicle, tag, or date.
- Select an event to open the video.
Samsara describes the Safety Inbox as a prioritized, fleet-wide view that helps the most critical events get attention first. You can also open the Safety Inbox on a mobile device to review footage and respond remotely.
What Should You Look for During Review?
Watch the video with a clear checklist. Doing so keeps decisions consistent across reviewers.
- The trigger: Identify what the camera detected, such as harsh braking, a following distance event, or speeding.
- The context: Note traffic, weather, road layout, and any hazards.
- The driver response: Check whether the driver reacted appropriately.
- The data overlay: Compare speed, posted limit, and other metadata with what you see.
What Can You Do After Reviewing?
After you watch an event, decide on the outcome. You can dismiss false positives, apply labels, add comments, or send the event to coaching. Because consistent labels power your reports, agree on naming rules with your safety team.
How Do You Request Video Footage From a Specific Vehicle?
Not every incident triggers an automatic upload. A customer complaint or an accident report may require footage from a time you choose. Remote retrieval handles those cases.
Where Can You Start a Video Request?
The knowledge base explains that the dashboard supports remote retrieval from all generations of dash cams and multi-cams. Users with Video Retrieval permissions can select Request Video from several places:
- Video Library: Go to Safety > Video Library, choose the vehicle, and pick the date.
- Proximity Search: Go to Overview > Proximity to find vehicles near a location and time.
- Trips: Open a completed trip and select Retrieve Video below the trip map.
What Does the Request Progress Mean?
After you submit a request, open Video Library > Requests to follow its progress. Samsara lists four stages.
| Stage | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Connecting | The request waits in the retrieval queue on the device |
| Uploading | The dash cam created the video and is sending it to the cloud |
| Processing | Samsara received the file and is preparing it |
| Video Ready | Retrieval is complete and you can review the footage |
What Conditions Must Be True for Retrieval to Work?
Several conditions must hold. Both the dash cam and the Vehicle Gateway need to be online and connected. The dash cam must also have recorded during the time range you pick, and the footage must still exist in local storage. The calendar and timeline in the Video Library show whether footage is available and which formats you can retrieve. When you request footage for a completed trip, use Trip Media to select the exact segment first, which saves time and bandwidth.
How Do You Review Trip Images and Video?
Sometimes you want the story of a whole trip, not a single event. Samsara supports that through trip-based review.
How Do You Open Trip Media?
From Safety, select Cameras, and then choose a trip. Below the trip map, you can select Retrieve Video to request footage for the completed trip, or View Safety Event to open the footage for an event detection. Trip timelines also show still images, which give you a quick visual summary before you commit to a full retrieval.
What Video Formats Are Available?
Dash cams support several formats that vary in resolution, duration, and audio availability. The exact options depend on the camera configuration and the retrieval request. Samsara also notes an important limit: it does not support extracting license plate information from dash cam videos, and it does not provide image enhancement tools. Plan your evidence process with that in mind.
How Do You Save, Download, and Share Important Clips?
Some footage needs a longer life than the default retention allows. Save it before it disappears.
How Do You Save a Clip to the Video Library?
During review, you can save any portion of a video that lasts less than one hour to the library for indefinite storage. Select the section on the stream timeline and choose Save to Library. Later, open Library in the dashboard to search all saved clips. By default, the library shows saved clips for all time.
How Do You Download a Video?
Open the video in the Safety Inbox, select the download icon in the video box, and choose your camera options. Downloaded files help you share evidence with insurers, legal teams, or authorities. Nevertheless, treat every download as sensitive. Store it securely, limit access, and follow your company policy and local privacy laws.
How Do You Turn Video Review Into Driver Coaching?
Review alone does not change behavior. Coaching does.
What Makes a Coaching Session Effective?
- Pick a clear example. Choose one event that shows the behavior.
- Share the footage. Let the driver see what you saw.
- Ask for the driver’s view. Context sometimes changes the outcome.
- Agree on one action. Focus on a single, measurable change.
- Follow up. Check later events to confirm improvement.
Samsara also offers coaching workflows and scripts, and managers can message drivers and share footage from the mobile experience. Recognize good driving as well, because positive feedback builds trust.
How Do You Keep Reviews Consistent?
Write a short review standard that defines what each label means and which events require coaching. Rotate reviewers occasionally, and sample a few dismissed events each month to check accuracy.
What Common Video Review Problems Can You Fix?
Why Is Footage Not Available?
Check the date and the camera model first. Footage may have been overwritten, or the camera may not have recorded during that period. In Event-Based Recording mode, only event clips remain. Confirm that your camera storage settings match your needs.
Why Is a Retrieval Request Stuck?
A request that stays in Connecting often means the device is offline. Verify that both the dash cam and the Vehicle Gateway have power and connectivity, and then try again.
Why Does a Clip Lack a Speed Limit?
Samsara gets speed limits from a database and does not read road signs. If the overlay shows no limit, the database may lack data for that location, and you can edit the limit where your permissions allow.
What Are the Key Conclusions?
Video review works best when you follow a repeatable process: triage in the Safety Inbox, retrieve extra footage when you need it, save key clips, and coach with evidence. Samsara – GPS Fleet Tracking Software supports each step with automatic event uploads, on-demand retrieval, a searchable library, and mobile access.
To get started, review this week’s Needs Review list and set a goal for response time. Next, practice a retrieval request from the Video Library so your team knows the workflow before an emergency. Finally, write your labeling and coaching standards. These small steps build speed, fairness, and trust, and they turn raw footage into safer driving. For the latest camera features and menu names, consult the Samsara knowledge base at kb.samsara.com.
Frequently Asked Questions
It depends on the camera model, its storage capacity, and your recording settings. Dash cams store footage locally until the device overwrites it, so request important clips quickly. You can save portions shorter than one hour to the library for indefinite storage.
Yes, if the camera recorded during that time and the footage still exists in storage. Users with Video Retrieval permissions can submit a request from the Video Library, Proximity, or Trips. Both the dash cam and the Vehicle Gateway must stay online for the request to finish.
Yes. Managers can open the Safety Inbox on a mobile device to review footage, respond to incidents, and coach drivers remotely. Available features can vary by app version and permissions.
