Video Dash Cam is Transforming the Trucking Industry
Video dash cams are revolutionizing the trucking industry. Trucking has been the backbone of the American economy since 1956 when the Interstate Highway System — part of the National Highway System — was developed and started linking cities nationwide. This was the milepost that gave rise to over-the-road trucking as the most common form of transport. Explore our range of transformative fleet dash cam solutions designed to provide comprehensive monitoring and improve driver performance.
Mechanical necessity, legal ELD compliance and federal regulations were all catalysts leading to the industry’s advancement with the video dash cam. Today’s rapidly changing technology has advanced the commercial dash cam, which in turn has provided the trucking industry with substantial improvements. The transformation in wifi and IT capabilities have positively affected fuel usage, vehicle maintenance, trip mapping, driver safety, insurance premiums and more.Â
All of these changes have been partly responsible for the disruption of the trucking industry and have transformed how fleet managers and drivers approach their day. Alternative fuels like biodiesel, propane and hydrogen are being explored. Artificial intelligence (AI), automation, and the truck dash cam are changing even more and today form the foundation fleet managers build from as they devise strategies for the future.Â
Regardless of the industry chatter about innovations like AI and hydrogen fuel cell trucks, most commercial transport vehicles still use internal combustion engines. Heavy-duty rigs mostly use diesel fuel, and gasoline is still popular for medium-duty trucks. Technology hasn’t changed the fact that fuel usage remains one of any fleet’s top expenses, especially as greenhouse gas emissions and fuel economy standards get more strict.Â
Technology can positively affect fuel economy and reduce costs of fleet management with the use of a video dash cam. Slowing down just 10 mph has been shown to slash an average of 27 percent from fuel costs. Monitoring speed with a video dash cam has been proven to lead to new driver behaviors that in turn will result in lower fuel costs. Your truck dash cam offers a complete record of speed for whatever period of time you want to measure.Â
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Keep Up with an Ever-Evolving Industry
AI helps power a commercial dash cam system and assists in data analysis to improve safety and efficiency. AI is also being used to find the most efficient ways to load trailers and manage assets in the field. The industry will continue to advance with:
Engine and component makers also continually improve the overall efficiency of trucks, assisted by the launch of innovative aerodynamic devices. Tires are longer-lasting and safer and have evolved to offer trailblazing pressure management and analytics systems that can help optimize tire pressure for fuel economy while also extending a tire’s life.
Dash Cam Benefits for Commercial Businesses from TrackNet
Fleets equipped with smart video dash cam makes it much easier to create meaningful safety programs that are more effective than they would be if traditional telematics was the only resource. Having thorough video footage from a truck dash cam takes telematics to another level by providing context and identifying positive and negative driver behaviors that telematics alone cannot detect.
Whether your main goal is to protect your company and fleet in an accident, eliminate fraud attempts, keep your drivers accountable, or lower your insurance premium, equipping your fleet vehicles with video dash cam is a valuable investment.
A truck dash cam offers detailed records and video footage of:
Driver Footage
Distracted Driving
Live Stream
Vehicle Trails
Video Dash Cams Record and Offer In-Depth Insights
As telematics technology grows, it is expanding to include more data types that fleets can analyze with a commercial dash cam. More sophisticated technology also offers more ways to filter the data to make it more meaningful and actionable for fleet managers. The video and data captured by a truck dash cam system are enabling fleets to identify operational goals and measure progress. Cameras provide much more than just footage. Video dash cam platforms can capture the right data to reveal insights and targeted information.Â
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The Blurring Line Between Trucking and Logistics
There used to be separate industry divisions for trucking, brokers, and third-party logistics providers. Now, trucking companies of all sizes have a minimum brokerage operation to help load unused backhauls. Because of technology and the advancements in commercial dash cam, it’s becoming more and more common that brokerage or logistics are a significant part of fleet operations.Â
The major pillars of trucking logistics are to enhance the productivity of your business and increase the efficiency of your services. Using video dash cam, the logistics process may involve defining the optimal fuel types for your fleet, identifying the most efficient routes for your trucks to follow, and finding the best type of vehicle to address the demands of a particular service your customers are looking for. Trucking logistics commercial dash cam can also be used to empower your fleet drivers to become more efficient while on the job.
Video Dashcam Offers In-Depth Insights
As telematics technology grows, it is expanding to include more data types that fleets can analyze with a commercial dash cam. More sophisticated technology also offers more ways to filter the data to make it more meaningful and actionable for fleet managers. The video and data captured by a truck dash cam system are enabling fleets to identify operational goals and measure progress. Cameras provide much more than just footage. Video dash cam platforms can capture the right data to reveal insights and targeted information.Â
Exonerate Your Drivers with Video Evidence
The use of commercial dash cam systems in heavy-duty trucks is constantly on the rise in part because video evidence can ascertain blame in crashes.Â
Over the last decade, the commercial telematics market grew from approximately two million units in service to 6.4 million units, according to a 2019 study from C.J. Driscoll & Associates. Telematics hardware and service grew from an estimated $2 billion to $5.3 billion.
As businesses continue to merge and streamline operations worldwide, reconciling video dash cam data from multiple systems will be important in order to give the data the most meaning. As time moves on, fleet platforms and truck dash cam systems will evolve to seamlessly communicate with other organizations’ systems.
The TrackNet video dash cam platform monitors events in real-time, collecting data points about safety, efficiency and compliance for every driver in your fleet. That data is then systematically evaluated for useful insight that fleet managers can use to make decisions.
TrackNet’s commercial dash cam system is designed so you can monitor fleet and driver metrics, analyze behavior trends and assess risk. Complex analytics can help you figure out how much risky behavior by a driver could be costing the company.
Legal Protection Among Key Benefits of Truck Dash Cam
Having a video dash cam recording of the road outside and the cab inside provides fleet managers with numerous benefits, including assistance in court cases. The footage can also help insurance companies in the event of an accident.
One main reason fleets incorporate dash cams is because court cases are all too common involving collisions with tractor trailers and other heavy vehicles. Video evidence helps expedite investigations and exonerate innocent drivers.
Trucks have to carry $750,000 to $5 million insurance depending on the type of freight, according to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration requirements. In 42 percent of truck crashes, according to the Lawsuit Info Center, settlements exceeded the minimum insurance.Â
A truck dash cam is the best way to protect your drivers from unfair claims and penalties, as well as reduce insurance rates, speed up claims, and incentivize safe driving. A truck dash cam is different than a video dash cam that was created for non-commercial passenger vehicles. A truck dash cam offers a wide-angle lens that records in high definition and offers complete views from a truck cab.
Following an accident, a video dash cam will automatically upload footage of the incident to a secure cloud server. Within five minutes of a mishap, a fleet manager or owner can download and send video files to law enforcement and insurance companies.
Video dash cam evidence tells the whole story of what took place on the road, making it a tool that can lower the cost of insurance claims and lead to an improvement in driver safety. Many of TrackNet’s customers report a 30-50 percent reduction in accidents and reduces the cost of claims by roughly half.Â
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Footage as Evidence
When you are looking for a truck dash cam system for your fleet, it can be challenging to make a decision about which one will work best for your business. Before making a decision, ask yourself these questions:
The video dash cam is generally mounted inside the vehicle, usually on the front windshield. Video and audio recordings can take place while the vehicle is being driven or when it’s parked. Data can be connected to a smartphone app so the video can be viewed in real-time or archived in the cloud for later review.
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It is forecasted that across the next five years there will be millions of professional video dash cam systems active on highways. Aside from regulations, it is the benefit of having cameras that is the driving force behind the rapid adoption. Commercial drivers and fleet operators of all sizes and scopes are realizing major benefits and ROI.
The TrackNet camera system connects to the ELD, which is wired into the engine controller. Video transmissions match an incident’s time and the system keeps track of how much time remains on the 14-hour driving day allowed by federal hours-of-service rules.
The U.S. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), an agency of the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), regulates the number of hours a truck driver can drive per day as well as the total number of hours that can be driven per week.Â
There are federal hours of service regulations in place for different types of drivers — those who are property-carrying drivers can drive more hours than passenger-carrying drivers. All drivers also must take a mandatory 30-minute break by their eighth hour of coming on duty.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, the TrackNet Marketplace offers fleet cameras and video solutions for all types of commercial vehicles, including heavy-duty, medium-duty, and light-duty trucks, vans, and passenger vehicles.
You can live stream driver footage of the road and in-cab as well as capture footage in real-time for immediate download.
Dash cams should be mounted within 5 inches from the top of the vehicle’s windshield as not to obstruct the driver’s view of the road. The driver’s body should also be in full view of the commercial truck camera systems so distractions and Face ID can be accurately scanned.
Yes, most of our Dash Cameras come ready to mount out of the box!
Yes, our commercial truck camera systems come with traditional GPS location tracking that includes a full suite of reports and alerts including: hard braking, hard turns, speeding, and more.
While dash cams themselves are not illegal, certain states have prohibited windshield obstructions altogether. If a device like a dash cam blocks either a 5-in perimeter on the driver’s side or a 7-in perimeter, an officer could pull you over.
The following states have laws against windshield obstructions: Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Maine, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Oregon, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wyoming, and Ohio.
Yes, our proprietary commercial truck camera system has been designed with video in mind so you can always be just a few clicks aware from your driver footage. We recommend scheduling a quick 30 minute demo to cover the features and functionality our tracking application provides so you can see for yourself how intuitive and easy it is to use.
No, all you need is the latest version of Chrome (preferred browser) and an internet connection. Phone apps are also available for both Android and iPhone devices.
In our experience there will always be SOME resistance to dash cams. By establishing trust upfront with your drivers, you can defuse pushback and keep your drivers motivated while they are on the road.
It’s important to explain how the fleet dash cams work and how they will not be monitored each and every second they are on the road. Most of the time footage will only be reviewed if there is a safety-triggered event. Doing trial runs with a select few drivers before the dash cams are installed across your entire fleet can also help set a positive precedent. They can relay their experiences with the other drivers and let them know what to expect going forward.
Finally, it’s imperative to let your drivers know about corrective actions that will take place if safety protocols are broken. Having guidelines that distinguish between verbal / written warning vs employee termination is important so your drivers are not blindsided when coaching opportunities arise.
Information superimposed onto the vehicle video includes date, speed traveled, and latitude / longitude coordinates.
You can be notified of a driving event instantly, and video retrieval usually take 2-5 minutes to process. All footage files are compressed into small file sizes (on average no larger than 2mb).
While insurance companies do not officially offer discounts with commercial truck camera system like they do regular GPS, certain providers are willing to negotiate reduced premiums if a dash cam system features location reporting and other vehicle alerts.
Since our commercial truck camera system features traditional GPS with hard braking and speeding alerts on top of driver footage, there is a good possibility you could qualify for a discount with our tracking system in place. If you would like us to talk to your insurance provider and tell them all the features we provide, contact us directly at (866) 654-2226 and we would be more than happy to set up a meeting.
Yes, our commercial truck camera system can record audio inside the vehicle cab. Audio recordings can be turned ON or OFF in the dash cam settings. It is best to consult with your TrackNet representative to find out which states allow audio recording inside the vehicle.
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Interested in learning more about what fleet video camera systems can do for your business? Call TrackNet today for a free demonstration. We have plans to fit all budgets, including month-to-month subscriptions and longer lease options without having to make a commitment with a contract. In fact, we don’t use longterm contracts at all. Call TrackNet for more information at (866) 654-2226.
