Many drivers are leery about having dash mounted cameras installed in their trucks. But let’s take another look at how cameras function and why. Assuming you are feeling good about your drivers, and you don’t want to ruffle their feathers, why should you consider putting cameras in their vehicles? Let them know it’s not rubbing a puppy’s nose in dung for punishment.
The reality in the business world of transportation is that accidents occur every day. And when it happens to one of your drivers, you need to know what actually happened. A forward-facing camera can record and replay the event and prove who is at fault and how much damage exists to any and all vehicles involved. The events that transpired to cause the collision will be revealed to let you and your insurance company know that your driver was or was not at fault. They also provide critical views for police investigations of a crash. If your driver was at fault, you will know that it’s decision time for you and that driver.
But cameras can provide a fleet with advantages that will improve its business. Consider two-way cameras that capture not just the road but also the driver. Capturing video of your driver enables you to examine that driver’s habits, good or bad. If a driver’s techniques are great, commend her or him. But if they’re not the best, the video gives you a very important opportunity to coach them which will result in a much better driver that will know how to save on fuel, be less likely to be hard on equipment and avoid accidents. Drivers want to be the best they can be. Help them to get there through what you learn on video.
Transport trucks are eighty-thousand-pound vehicles competing for space on highways occupied by millions of smaller vehicles. Something’s got to give, and it does every day. Crashes occur daily and it is up to fleet managers to cover their assets by using cameras to their advantage both in coaching drivers on defensive driving and recording the events leading up to an incident. Trucks and their drivers spend many more hours and days on the highways than most car drivers.
Your drivers spend long days and nights with too much time to think about what dispatch has in store for them. They just want to carry out their duties the way they know how and without anyone’s interference. But all drivers can improve their skills and become more professional operators. Over time, unfavorable habits may develop as drivers get comfortable at the wheel. They may be small things, nevertheless they need to be addressed through counseling.
Before you experience opposition from drivers about adding cameras to their trucks, explain to them how the cameras will provide feedback on their techniques and how that will make them more valuable drivers and in high demand to the fleet. Let them know you’re building the best fleet in the business and that you need their help. Show them the video replay whether good or bad so they see what they are doing well or subpar.
Cameras in trucks are not a driver’s adversary. They are necessary in building a great fleet and cutting costs in order to make the fleet more profitable. And when a fleet makes a profit, their drivers get rewarded.
Camera systems for trucks range from basic to sophisticated so look at the different features before purchasing. Make sure you choose a unit that works in both daylight and dark. Remember, you are doing this for the betterment of your fleet.
If you need help considering what kind of camera is right for you, reach out to us and a member of our BrightOrder team and we would be happy to use our industry expertise to point you in the right direction!
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