How to Get Your Employees On Board with Video Monitoring
Video telematics may be essential for protecting your fleet, but how can you get your drivers to support it?
For those who have read, or been forced to read, George Orwell’s classic novel 1984, the idea of being constantly monitored by a governing authority through a faceless camera can be disheartening. While our modern society has not regressed as far as the novel’s examined invasion of privacy, drivers in the transportation industry have raised concerns about video telematics in their working environment. So how do you get your employees excited about dash cams, rather than dreading what they may see as a privacy catastrophe? You can get started by sharing with them these 5 reasons why cab-cameras work for their personal, and professional, benefit.
5 Reasons Your Drivers Will Love Video Telematics and Dashboard Cameras:
Dash Cams Increase Driver Safety and Support
In-cab cameras are like a driver’s panic button. Say your job is transporting people from place to place, like limousine or bus drivers. You never really know who is going to climb into the back of your car. Additionally, as a delivery or fleet driver, having a professional attitude with customers is key. By using video equipment to monitor your vehicle, you can ensure that you as a driver remain clear if accused of any inappropriate customer interactions or settle disputes. Having access to a backlog of video data, fleet managers can provide drivers the kind of safe work environment and support they need to do their job well.
Video Telematics Can Reduce Liability and the Blame Game
The very nature of road accidents fosters confusion and uncertainty regarding the exact circumstances of the incident. In a ‘he-said’ vs. ‘she-said’ moment, how can accident authorities determine who is at fault? With access to video data that shows the movement of the vehicles involved and your actions during and prior to the collision, determining who’s at fault is easy. You as a driver can take control of your testimony by using your own personal digital witness and GPS locator to prove your innocence. Video evidence is protection for both you and the business as a whole.
Video Cameras Have Positive Impact on Driving Behavior
Social responsibility mandates that drivers be vigilant and consciously reduce distractions in order to drive as safely as possible. Video monitoring encourages proper driving behavior and helps fleet managers assess who may need additional training to promote safe driving practices. Combined with an incentive program that rewards this good behavior, tracking video feeds can provide proof of an employee’s eligibility to receive a coveted prize.
Video Evidence Can Prevent Mistakes In Timesheets
Imagine you are on the road for hours on end, working overtime to get your cargo to destinations on time. When the long-haul is over, you wait eagerly for that extra-thick paycheck, but when you receive it, you notice some of the hours you worked are missing. Video telematics and dash cams provide a resource both drivers and managers can access to verify timekeeping and ensure accuracy of financial records to make sure you are compensated correctly.
A Camera Policy Can Help You Work with Your Employer for Success
For cross-country or long-haul truckers, the vehicle cab is both a work environment and a sanctuary where you live and rest on the road. To put you at ease, companies should make clear rules about who views and has access to the videos before installing the cameras. Be sure you know how the data will be used, and how the camera will collect the data. Some video telematic technology allows cameras to switch off when the vehicle is off, or you may be able to negotiate “video-free time” to take breaks unmonitored by company equipment. With clear rules of use in place, you can be assured that your privacy and comfort are a priority for your employer’s business.
3 Quick Reasons Why Fleet Managers & Operators Love Video Telematics
Video Equipment Can Mean Tax Breaks
If you are still unsure whether the risk of purchasing video telematics equipment is worth the potential employee fallout, be assured that the IRS has your back. Under Section 179 of the IRS tax code, your business could receive a full purchase price refund for qualified equipment purchased during the tax year. This means that if you lease or buy qualified equipment, you can deduct the cost from your gross income. This U.S. sanctioned incentive was created to encourage businesses to invest in themselves and their company’s future.
Video Telematics Protects Your Business
It’s a fact: commercial trucks often get the blame in an accident even when it’s not their fault. That means time, money and headaches for you as a fleet owner or operator. Video telematics makes this nearly impossible. Using dash cams and rear and front-facing video cameras give you the visibility necessary to protect your fleet from these types of incidents.
Dash Cams Help Identify Training Needs
From new drivers to veterans of your company, training and coaching should be ongoing. Video telematics commercial dash cams provide quality videos that are sensitive to various types of problematic driver behaviors. The combination of vehicle and driver data makes for a significant layer of protection for commercial fleets. Additionally, you can create incentive programs that help foster driver loyalty.
Are you ready to capture what matters in your business? Take a look at how video telematics from GPS Trackit can help you protect your business, your drivers and your fleet, or speak to an expert Fleet Advisor today!
