To track drivers and assets (such as vehicles, trailers, and equipment) by specific characteristics, you can use attribute labels. Attributes can be used to filter dashboard views and reports helping you to view, manage, and segment your data more efficiently.
After you define the attributes you want to track, you can assign them to relevant drivers or assets and then use them when managing your fleet or running reports. For example, you could create an attribute for License Classification and dispatch all drivers with a certain license type. You could similarly create an attribute for Fuel Type and analyze all vehicles for utilization data based on the specific Fuel Type.
For more information about attributes, see the following topics:
Attributes differ from tags which are primarily used to control dashboard access and permissions. Attributes are highly customizable in that you can define both the characteristics and lists of associated values that matter most to your fleet. This allows for more simplified and efficient management of your drivers and assets.
Use the appropriate feature for your use case:
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Tags: Use when the characteristic you are looking to define has implications for user access.
Tags enable you to restrict the access of users to certain drivers, vehicles, trailers, or equipment (e.g. I want to set up the dashboard so that the district manager for Houston can only see the drivers and vehicles in the Houston branch). This is often done by mimicking the organizational structure of the company.
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Attributes: Use when the characteristic you are looking to define is purely descriptive, and does not have implications on user access.
Attributes serve as a tool that enable you to more easily and effectively label descriptive characteristics of their drivers and assets, and use those characteristics to filter views and exports across our dashboard. Attributes do not have any relationship to roles or restricting user access.
With attributes, you can also filter views and reports across the dashboard down to drivers, vehicles, trailers, or equipment with a particular combination of attributes (e.g. I want to see Utilization for all of the Heavy Duty Vehicles in my fleet)
Attributes are structured with a single attribute name, who or what it applies to, its attribute type, and associated attribute value names.
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Attribute Name identifies a specific quality for a dashboard driver or asset entity (such as drivers, vehicles, trailers, powered equipment, and unpowered equipment). The name you choose will be used to filter views across the dashboard and included in exports.
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Applies To is the category of entity to which the attribute applies: drivers or assets. An attribute can only be assigned to a single entity type.
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Attribute Type indicates how users will select or enter values for this attribute.
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Value Names define the set of matching characteristics based on the definition of your driver and asset entities.
The following table displays examples of each type of entity.
|
Attribute Name |
Applies To |
Attribute Type |
Value Names |
|---|---|---|---|
|
License Type |
Driver |
Single-Select (only one option can be selected) |
Class A, Class B, Class C, Non CLD |
|
HOS Status |
Driver |
Text |
Exempt, RODS, 100AMR, CA SOUTH NoteThis attribute will accept any value entered by a user when assigned to entities. |
|
License Endorsements |
Driver |
Freeform Multi-Select (multiple options can be entered) |
Tanker, Haz Tanker, Doubles/Triples, Haz Mat, Passenger NoteThis attribute will accept any value entered by a user when assigned to entities. |
|
License Restrictions |
Driver |
Multi-Select (multiple options can be selected) |
Glasses, Automatic Only, No AirBrakes, Intrastate Only |
|
Vehicle Length |
Asset |
Number (includes optional unit) |
189 ft, 272 ft NoteThis attribute will accept any numeric value entered by a user when assigned to entities. |
|
Onboarding Date |
Driver |
Date |
12/23/2024 NoteThis attribute will accept any date value entered by a user when assigned to entities. |
|
IFTA |
Asset |
Single Select |
Y, N |
|
Liftgate |
Asset |
Single Select |
Y, N |
Samsara supports two types of attributes: Attributes and standard attributes. Most attribute labels are fully customizable, and you can set the attribute name, entity type, and value. Different from other attributes, standard attributes are Samsara-managed and can unlock additional feature capabilities. Since standard attributes are premade, Samsara-created, and Samsara-managed labels, you can only customize some values, and you cannot create them yourself.
An example of how a standard attribute is partially customizable is that you can add custom values, such as the Cost Center an asset or driver is associated with, but the standard attribute name or entity type is preset and cannot be edited.
The following table displays information about the different Samsara-managed standard attributes.
|
Standard Attribute |
Description |
|---|---|
|
Asset Cost Center |
The cost center an asset is associated with. You can assign the standard attributes, Asset Cost Center and Driver Cost Center, to assets or drivers, respectively, in Itemized Cost Breakdown. For more information, see Cost Centers. |
|
Driver Cost Center |
The cost center a driver is associated with. You can assign the standard attributes, Asset Cost Center and Driver Cost Center, to assets or drivers, respectively, in Itemized Cost Breakdown. For more information, see Cost Centers. |
|
Worker Type |
Worker Type enables custom experiences within the Samsara Driver App tailored to a user's specific role. For more information, see Home Screen Customization for the Samsara Driver App. You can assign Worker Type in bulk, or directly to a driver through Settings ( |
|
Asset Status |
Enables you to define and track the status of an asset (for example: Idle, In Shop, Out of Service) throughout the lifecycle of an asset. You can assign Asset Status in bulk, or edit the settings of an individual asset from the Assets Summary (Overview ( |
Though standard attributes are premade, Samsara-created, and Samsara-managed labels, you can partially customize them with custom values. This enables you the flexibility in defining cost center names, the names of worker types, and asset status options.
To add custom values to a standard attribute, perform the following workflow:
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Select the Settings icon (
) at the bottom of your Fleet menu to view dashboard settings.
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Within Organization, select Tags & Attributes > Attributes.
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Search for and then select the more actions ( ••• ) menu next to the standard attribute, and Edit Attribute to add Value Names.
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Click Add value to add your new values, then click Next.
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Select a value name, then select assets or drivers to associate it with the attribute.
You can deselect an asset to unassign them from the attribute.
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When finished, click Done.
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Save.
You can create up to 100 custom attributes from the Samsara cloud dashboard or using Samsara APIs. For more information on APIs, see the Samsara Developer Documentation.
To create a custom attribute from the cloud dashboard, including new attribute types, perform the following workflow:
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Select the Settings icon (
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Select Tags & Attributes.
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Click Attributes.
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Click Create Attribute and define the attribute details, including:
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Attribute Name: Enter a descriptive name for the attribute.
The name must be no more than 190 characters.
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Applies To: Select the type of entity for which you plan to assign the attribute, Driver or Asset.
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Attribute Type: Select how values are entered for this attribute.
Attribute types:
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Single Select: Choose only one option from a predefined list
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Multi-Select: Choose multiple options from a predefined list.
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Freeform Multi-Select: Input new, custom values directly in the + Add Attribute Values field.
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Text: Free‑text entry (for example, notes or details). This attribute type is single-value only.
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Number: Enter a single numerical value, optionally with a unit (for example numeric values such as weight, cost, or engine hours with optional units like lbs, USD, or miles).
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Date: Enter a single date value.
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Value Names: For Single Select and Multi-Select attribute type options only, enter a value from a predefined list for the attribute. Click Add value for each additional value you want to define.
Each attribute can have a maximum of 1000 different values.
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Unit: For the Number attribute type option, you can optionally specify a unit, such as lbs, meters, USD, etc. This unit displays when entering or filtering values and applies uniformly to all values of that attribute. They cannot be changed afterwards.
For example, with the Number attribute type, you can create a custom field such as maximum asset capacity, with a unit of lbs. This enables you to filter for assets based on their carrying capacity, for instance, to find assets that can carry over 22,000 lbs. Once the attribute is set, it becomes a searchable and filterable field in your system.
-
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Click Next.
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If you selected the Attribute Type Freeform Multi-Select, Text, Number, or Date, click Save.
Attributes can be added to drivers or assets in bulk, or they can be applied on an individual basis if you edit a driver's account or edit the settings of an individual asset from the Assets Summary (Overview (
) > Assets).
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If you selected Attribute Type Single Select or Multi Select:
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Select a value name, then select assets or drivers to associate it with the attribute.
To narrow the results, use the search or tags.
The maximum number of attributes that you can assign to a single entity is 20.
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Click Done to return to the list of other attribute values. Repeat the previous step to apply the attribute values to other entities.
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When you are done assigning the attribute values, Save the attribute settings.
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Use the attributes, as needed, to filter reports and lists throughout the Samsara dashboard.
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Filter your fleet (Fleet Overview) by attribute
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View attribute values in driver and asset details
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Filter drivers by attribute
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Filter assets by attribute
Note
When you select multiple attributes, Samsara returns results for drivers or assets that contain all selected values (meaning the operation is performed as an AND query). Similarly, when you select attributes in conjunction with tags, Samsara returns results for driver or assets that contain all selected values.
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For additional visibility in Driver and Asset lists, you can also add the attribute as a column in select reports.
For example on the Drivers report:
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Click the column manager icon on the top right of the table.
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Select the attributes for which you want to display.
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To quickly add attributes in bulk, Samsara provides a template in comma-separated values (CSV) format. When you export the template from the Samsara dashboard, Samsara includes all existing attributes and their unique Samsara ID. In the CSV file, you can add new attributes or modify information about your existing attributes.
Once you define the attributes in the Samsara dashboard, you can assign them to drivers and assets by adding or editing drivers in bulk and editing gateways in bulk.
To add or edit multiple attributes at once:
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Select the Settings icon (
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Select Organization > Tags & Attributes.
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Select Attributes.
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Select the more actions menu ( ... ) > Upload CSV.
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Select Download Attributes List to download a template containing your existing attribute definitions or Download Blank Template to start a new template and define attributes from scratch.
You can later return here when you complete your edits to the CSV file.
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Open the CSV file in a spreadsheet application of your choice.
If you open the file in Microsoft Excel, the application identifies the ID as a scientific number. As a result, you must first set the format for the ID field as a Number and remove any additional decimal places before saving the file. If you skip this step, you will overwrite the unique ID and will need to start over with a new file.
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Make any desired changes to your attributes and save the file. Use the CSV Format table below to properly format your CSV file prior to upload. Review the following additional considerations for modifying the CSV file:
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Any changes to existing attributes (including blank or empty fields) will overwrite the definitions in Samsara upon import. Be careful in these cases so you don't accidentally overwrite existing stored data.
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Ensure that you have fewer than 50,000 entries.
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You must include the first row (the header row) in the CSV file.
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If you include a column and leave a value blank, Samsara assigns the default value for the field (typically null or blank).
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Save your file and return to Attributes in the Samsara dashboard.
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Select the more actions menu ( ... ) > Upload CSV.
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Choose the CSV file or drag and drop the CSV file.
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Preview Changes to your attribute updates.
The Samsara dashboard displays Attributes Upload, where you can view the upload progress.
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Review your changes before you commit updates to the system.
If the upload has errors, click Review Errors. Edit your CSV file to correct the errors and retry the file upload.
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Select Finalize Changes to add attributes in bulk.
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After you define the attributes in the Samsara dashboard, you can assign them to drivers and assets. For more information, see:
The following table describes the CSV fields you can use to define your attributes. As you define your attributes, ensure that you make changes carefully. Any changes to existing attributes will overwrite the existing stored data.
|
Field |
Description |
Example |
|---|---|---|
|
ID |
(Required) Unique identifier for your attribute. |
10000001 |
|
Name |
(Required) The attribute name. |
License Type |
|
Entity Type |
(Required) The types of entities that an attribute can be applied to. This field can either be Driver or Asset. |
Driver |
|
Attribute Values |
(Required) The possible values for the attribute. Multiple values must be comma separated. |
Class A, Class B, Class C |
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