Artificial intelligence (AI) uses computers and machines “to mimic the problem-solving and decision-making capabilities of the human mind,” according to IBM. AI can create art, compose music, even detect signs of cancer. In the world of commercial transportation, AI is changing the way fleets operate by enhancing safety, boosting productivity, and reducing costs. AI dash cams, in particular, help fleets cut costs and become more profitable. Here are three ways they’re doing it.
How fleets improve profitability using dash cams
1. AI dash cams help reduce collision costs.
Speeding, fatigue, driving under the influence. They’re all major causes of collisions on U.S. roadways. But one cause routinely tops the list: distracted driving.
The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration estimates that distracted driving claims more than 3,000 lives per year. And according to the most recent data from the Centers for Disease Control, a collision at work involving distraction costs an employer $100,310 on average. That’s without a non-fatal injury. When a serious injury or fatality takes place, costs soar well above that. By using AI dash cams, commercial fleets can prevent accidents and their associated costs, including the ultimate cost of human life.
We’ve seen it before. Drivers texting, talking on the phone, reaching for lunch in the passenger seat. Everyday distractions like these are dangerous enough in a car. And when they occur in heavy vehicles like a bulldozer or semi, the risks are several times greater.
AI dash cams use artificial intelligence to identify and stop distracted driving in its tracks. The Motive AI Dashcam, for example, captures texting, close following, and other high-risk habits on video. It then alerts the driver to these behaviors instantly. In this way, AI puts the operator’s focus where it belongs — on the road.
In Three Technologies Creating Safer Roads, Forbes explains why AI dash cams like Motive’s are so adept at recognizing and preventing unsafe driving patterns. “The use of predictive AI coaches the driver in real time, delivering in-cab alerts when unsafe behaviors or road conditions are detected, then coaching the driver to self-correct.”
While safeguarding lives is the main objective of an AI dash cam, tools like these also minimize collision costs and help fleets avoid costly litigation.
2. AI dash cams help improve employee retention.
Industries like construction, distribution, and trucking have faced labor shortages in recent years, and hiring skilled talent has been a challenge for all of them. Construction lost more than 1 million jobs during the pandemic shutdown, and frontline workers chose early retirement over the supply chain crisis. Through it all, AI dash cams solidified their place among the best driver retention tools.
Employee retention is the bedrock of profitability. With so little young talent to draw from, fleets can hardly afford to let operators go. Consider the costs involved in recruiting, onboarding, and training new drivers, and it’s easy to see why retention is the more profitable choice. AI dash cams, like the one from Motive, capture video clips of unsafe driving events, creating a golden opportunity for video-based coaching. With a Motive AI Dashcam in your toolbox, you won’t have to go looking for qualified drivers because you’ll better cultivate the ones you have.
When firms incorporate AI into their video coaching, “the learning journey can be unique to each participant,” writes Training Industry Magazine. “The chance to practice skills and processes in a safe space helps set workers up for success, which can increase efficiency and decrease turnover.”
Sometimes, an unsafe event requires more education than automated coaching can provide. That’s when safety managers can arrange for an in-person video coaching session between a driver and driving coach. The coach and driver can review the dash cam video clip together and discuss why the event happened. Coaching sessions like these allow coaches to build rapport with their people. They also let drivers grow into their jobs.
3. AI dash cams help protect against fraudulent claims.
“If you want to have a recording to show that you weren’t at fault after getting into a vehicular accident, adding a dash cam to your vehicle is a great idea.”
So writes Forbes in the article The best dash cams will give you an extra set of eyes on the road. The magazine goes on to say, “It’s also better to have [a dash cam] in operation before it’s actually needed. Most people wait until after they’re involved in an incident to get one, often wishing they had purchased one sooner.”
That’s certainly true for the many fleets that have been victimized by hit-and-runs or swoop-and-squat scams, where perpetrators, hoping for lucrative insurance payouts, intentionally cause accidents. With the Motive AI Dashcam, all the proof that fleets need to exonerate innocent drivers and avoid expensive payouts comes in the form of high-definition video. HD video verifies, in the clearest image possible, if an incident occurred, and if so, who’s responsible. The Motive AI Dashcam calls up HD video from anytime in the last 68 to 104 hours, so fleet managers can learn what happened.
The best fleet dash cams
“The best dash cams record video at a high resolution, capture clear footage during the day or at night, record what’s happening in front of and behind your [vehicle], plus offer local and cloud-based storage of recorded content,” Forbes writes. The best fleet dash cams also show what’s happening inside the vehicle when a collision occurs. Was the driver alert and focused on the road? A dual-facing fleet dash cam can show that, potentially shielding your driver and business from liability.
In this litigious age, having HD video in your corner can make the difference between paying out millions and not paying a cent. If another motorist claims your driver sideswiped their vehicle, the Motive AI Dashcam can quash that claim in a matter of seconds with a single video clip. Fleet dash cams rooted in AI also capture time, speed, and location data to contest fraudulent claims in every aspect.
Liability from accidents involving large commercial vehicles can be especially costly, so it’s imperative to have dash cams working in your defense.
“Because severe injuries are so common, settlement amounts for accidents involving [large commercial vehicles] are generally far higher than for normal motor vehicle or car accidents,” Shouse Law Group explains. It’s all the more reason to have dash cam video evidence that can prove your drivers’ innocence.
The Motive AI Dashcam
If you think you can’t afford to invest in AI dash cams, it may actually prove more costly to go without them. Learn how the Motive AI Dashcam can improve profitability for your business. Request a demo today.
