The Top 5 Ways Video Telematics Helps Protect Your Fleet

Find out how getting on board with video telematics and commercial dashboard cameras can help protect your fleet, your employees and your business.

As a fleet manager or owner, you know that safety is top priority. Both your workforce and your assets are valuable and keeping them protected is integral to your business’ success.  However, have you considered how adding video telematics to your mix of solutions might help streamline your various safety initiatives? By utilizing dash cams and video telematics, you can more easily focus on safety without sacrificing the time you need to handle other obligations on your to-do list.

 The Case for Video Telematics

Using video telematics in today’s market can make a major difference as it relates to safety and business expenses. A 2016 study conducted by Fleet Owner revealed that using video telematics could reduce fatal crashes by 20% and injury crashes by 35%. As this technology evolves, it is predicted that these numbers will increase. If your fleet doesn’t use some form of video telematics, your fleet could be at risk for an issue that could affect the longevity of your business. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) actually strongly recommends that heavy truck and bus fleets use video recorder technology. 

How Video Telematics Works

Video telematics uses a cellular network to collect both driving data and vehicle data, paired with video footage in real-time, to inform you about behaviors and incidents that may need your attention. Most video telematics solutions are incident-driven, meaning they respond to specific driver behaviors, such as speeding, hard braking and distracted driving. The goal of video telematics is to gather a comprehensive view of what is going on inside and around commercial vehicles at any given time. Video telematics also works to improve driver safety by providing personalized data to inform driver coaching and training. 

In the 2017 edition of Large Truck and Bus Crash Facts, a publication by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), there were over 4,800 fatal crashes involving large trucks and buses. Accidents are sometimes unavoidable, but video telematics provides the insight that is necessary to discover the facts surrounding an incident, whether your driver or another vehicle is at fault. Video telematics for commercial fleets helps to:

• Increase productivity by preventing driver idle time.
• Reduce operational costs by improving fuel efficiency and theft prevention.
• Create greater visibility which helps to increase safety.

Dashboard cameras are essential to getting the basics out of your video telematics package. GPS Trackit provides quality dash cams that are both road facing and driver facing to give you an all-encompassing view of the driver’s cabin. You can stop there or add more cameras for more visibility, depending on the needs of your fleet.

External commercial fleet cameras are the icing on the cake in video telematics. These quality cameras are strategically positioned on the vehicle and connected to your software for a seamless experience. The video data is uploaded to the cloud software for future reference or if necessary. 

The Top Five Ways Video Telematics Helps Protect Your Fleet

At this point, you may likely understand the value of adding video telematics to your fleet, but have you considered the safety and savings benefits of this decision? Video telematics is actually an investment in your business that quickly pays for itself. Here are the top five reasons to add video telematics as a way to protect your fleet management brand:

#1: Reduces fraudulent insurance claims.

It’s a fact: commercial trucks often get the blame in an accident even when it’s not their fault. Fortunately, this becomes nearly impossible with video telematics. Using dash cams and rear and front-facing video cameras give you the visibility necessary to protect your fleet from these types of incidents. There are also the “cash for crash” offers that are experienced by commercial fleet managers. Using external and internal video telematics creates the perfect buffer to mitigate these types of issues. Video telematics software and video technology make it easy to remotely ride along with your drivers to better manage your fleet. 

#2: Builds trust with employees and clients.

Using video telematics in your fleet management operations is something that shows both your employees and clients the level of value you put toward safety and accountability. The presence of video hardware provides additional data that can be very helpful for identifying driver-specific areas for improvement. It also provides an extra level of assurance to clients that their cargo will be safe in your hands and should an issue arise, there will be plenty of documentation via video telematics. 

#3: Detects training needs with the driver’s view of the road.

Whether the driver is in the on-boarding process or is a veteran to 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.

#4: Equals up-front savings on insurance costs.

As the use of commercial trucking cameras grows, many insurance companies are providing incentives for using them in the form of savings on insurance policies. Insurance companies know that commercial cameras reduce the likelihood of fraudulent accident claims. It is recommended that you speak with your commercial auto insurance provider about any available savings your fleet can claim. Video telematics also provides a great foundation for a comprehensive safety training program for drivers, that insurers often offer discounts to commercial brands for implementing. Also, being able to provide video footage can reduce the evidence collection time in the event of an incident, allowing for speedier processing of your insurance claim.

#5: Prevents & pinpoints external and internal thefts.

Theft, whether it is by employees or individuals outside of your organization, is something that many fleet managers have to combat. The presence of cameras, both internally and externally, often prevents employee thefts, but in the case that it doesn’t, you’ll have the video hardware to pinpoint the culprit(s). Having quality video telematics cameras is also great when the situation requires law enforcement to use it to identify unknown suspects. 

How to Outfit Your Fleet with Video Telematics

Fleet managers need to know what to look for when sifting through the various video telematics providers in the market. Depending on the size, distance and volume your fleet covers, you want to choose carefully and consider all of your brand’s needs. With all of the benefits of using video telematics to protect your fleet, there is never a reason to sacrifice quality for cost. 

Here are some things to look for when purchasing video telematics software:

• Wide range of views.
• Video transmission to a self-accessible, remote source.
• Ability to receive mobile, email and desktop alerts to announce new footage.
• Incident-driven technology that responds to driver behaviors and road conditions.

While managing your fleet, you want to be prepared to handle the various aspects of running your business. Operating without these tools could change the entire outlook of your brand. From driver coaching to protecting yourself against no-fault incidents, the value of video telematics is immeasurable. 

Are you ready to put the power of video telematics to work for your business? Take a look at how video telematics from GPS Trackit can help you capture what matters to your business. 

If you’d like to learn more about how GPS Trackit can help to improve safety, increase productivity and reduce costs for your business, speak with one of our knowledgeable Fleet Advisors at 866-320-5810 or get a quick Custom Quote.