Part 1: Understanding The True Benefits Of Fleet Cameras

The implementation of camera solutions within fleets is gaining momentum as there are countless benefits associated with them. However even with new popularity, industry leaders within the telematics sector continue to notice gaps in the knowledge that fleet managers have regarding the devices. 

Within this two part-series, we will discuss what many industry leaders within the telematics sector are starting to notice. Specifically how fleet camera solutions need to have more awareness spread about the vast features they offer and how the technology can drive new success in fleets.

Where Does The Initial Interest For Fleet Cameras Come From? 

When fleet managers or business owners begin to research how they can deploy fleet camera solutions, typically there are a few common needs they’re trying to fill;  

• The need to track poor driver behaviour, 
• The need to protect the fleet from false claims or conflicting reports,
• And the need to abide by company policies that focus on safety.

While these are all very good and legitimate concerns that fleets are looking to address, it’s critical to reiterate that there are more benefits that come from deploying camera solutions. 

What New Information Do Fleet Managers Learn After Inquiring About Solutions

Fleet managers may understand that footage can be retrieved for certain times and dates, but many are unaware of the real-time alert capabilities of new cameras. This leads us to the first benefit that many fleet managers learn after speaking with a solutions provider; the ability to be alerted in real-time to specific driver actions or incidents. For many fleet managers, this is a great feature because sometimes, when there is a period of time between the reporting of a driving incident and the investigation, the severity can lessen or even be forgotten! Having the option to see and be alerted in real-time about what is happening with drivers can make all the difference when trying to improve efforts. 

One example of this being implemented in fleets is when managers are notified in real-time of speeding or harsh braking events. Regardless of if the commercial vehicle driver was at fault for a driving event, it’s always critical for fleet managers to maintain communication. Taking the time to make contact with drivers to conduct coaching and discuss recent events as they happen can help improve safety and skill on an ongoing and immediate basis. 

The second feature that fleet managers are happy to hear about is the option to monitor distracted driving. Specifically being notified if any visual, cognitive or manual distractions in-cab to that ensure maximum safety standards are being met at all times. Since many smart dash camera solutions are always monitoring the driver, the device can begin to record if the driver appears to be distracted. This footage can then be stored in the cloud and sent to managers for review immediately, or at a later date. In fact, in some cases, fleet managers take these clips of real-world scenarios of distracted driving and use them in training modules to help educate their fleet on how to maintain safety on the road! 

The last feature that many fleet managers are impressed to learn about is the ability to live-stream video from camera solutions that are online. Having this ability to see what drivers are doing in real-time while on the road is impressive because as previously mentioned, it allows managers to better communicate with drivers about driving habits for coaching purposes. For example, if managers are notified of a driver appearing distracted, dispatchers can easily log into the solutions interface to view what is happening. So if a driver is preoccupied with something other than driving, they can make contact and bring the drivers attention back to the road, or if required, advise the driver to pull over.

Stay tuned next week for Part 2 of this series! We’ll be discussing why fleet managers can’t afford to not implement innovative dash camera solutions and what they need to keep in mind to ensure the implementation is a success!