Dash cam video can help fleets improve driver safety, reduce liability, enhance efficiency, and gain insights into fleet performance. Yet fleet managers relying on this essential tool often settle for the minimum recording time. Learn the benefits instead of having access to longer fleet dash cam videos to support operational success.
Why longer fleet dash cam videos matter
Often installed on a vehicle’s dashboard or windshield, dash cams are road-facing, driver-facing, and/or dual-facing that record the road and the driver. And many dash cams, regardless of which way they face, default to short recording times.
However, there are many advantages gained when you have access to Motive’s default of 15 seconds of video rather than a shorter recording (e.g., seven seconds or less). Fleets have comprehensive evidence and better insights with longer clips, which can help enhance safety and improve driver behavior.
Comprehensive evidence
With dash cams for trucks offering longer clips, you don’t just see the few seconds of an event. You can also see what happened immediately before and after the event. When you have only a short, seven-second video, you might see the driver swerve on the road. By doubling that to show 15 seconds of driver behavior, you can also see they were getting out of the way of an obstacle on the road.
This kind of contextualization can provide a clearer picture of what happened, which can be helpful in exonerating drivers and avoiding nuclear verdicts. Plus, this bigger picture can help managers make more informed decisions about how to coach and train drivers.
Better insights
Having more data for analysis from a longer video can give managers insight into unsafe driving behaviors such as hard braking, hard cornering, rapid acceleration, or speeding. With the enhanced visibility, you can take corrective action to improve driver safety and reduce the likelihood of accidents, which can save your company money and potentially even lives.
A longer video might also help fleet managers identify areas on a route that consistently causes delays or increased fuel consumption. With the added information to identify a trend, fleets can make changes to optimize performance.
Enhanced safety
The more you know, the easier it is to identify potential safety hazards. With longer dash cam videos at your disposal, without having to request them from the manufacturer, you not only can see what led to a behavior but also how the driver reacts. You’ll also have more time to observe road conditions or other factors that could be addressed in driver coaching.
For example, with longer dash cam videos you’ll be able to hear the audio coaching alert telling the driver to buckle up. Plus, you’ll have enough footage available to see if the driver actually does.
Alex Amort, VP of Compliance at Cascade Environmental, found many new opportunities for fleet improvement after installing Motive’s dash cams. “I quickly learned that you can’t fix what you don’t see,” he said. With Motive’s Smart Dashcam detecting high-risk behaviors, and Motive’s proprietary, predictive DRIVE risk model objectively identifying higher risk drivers, the field services contractor was able to target its coaching efforts and help make drivers safer.
Improved driver behavior
A shorter video may not provide sufficient evidence to convince a driver to change their behaviors. The longer videos give you the data you need to identify patterns in driver behavior, such as speeding or aggressive driving.
Kentuckiana Trucking’s Dispatcher/Driver Safety Manager Wayne Milby credited AI Dashcams with a 30% to 40% drop in accidents in an interview with Fleet News Daily. He also said, “The AI Dashcam has inspired one of our most aggressive drivers to completely change his style of driving. When we first implemented dash cams, the driver’s habits triggered four or five unsafe driving alerts a day. Now, that driver may get one alert every few weeks. It’s been an amazing improvement.”
The information gained from analysis of longer videos can also help you target driver training to particular fleet behaviors, or individual driver habits, to improve behavior and reduce the risk of accidents.
Longer dash cam videos can be used to promote self-awareness among drivers. By reviewing their own footage, drivers can see how they are performing and identify areas where they may need to improve. This can help drivers become more aware of distracted driving and other unsafe behaviors and take more responsibility.
Other factors to consider in fleet dash cam video
The popularity of fleet dash cams has grown, driven in part by the increasing availability of affordable, high-quality cameras. As more companies adopt the technology and see the benefits of this vehicle safety technology, it’s likely that dash cams will become even more common in fleets of all types and sizes.
Fleet managers and operators have many options to select from. Today’s fleet dash cams are often equipped with features like GPS tracking, motion detection, and live streaming capabilities, making them even more valuable tools. They can also provide real-time updates on driver behavior, vehicle location, even weather conditions, allowing fleet managers to make more informed decisions about operations.
Research video quality and storage capacity when choosing the best dash cam for your unique business needs. You’ll want to clearly see what is happening on the road or in the driver’s cab. Truck dash cams with a wide dynamic range (WDR) and wide-angle lens offering HD resolutions can help you see more important details. Plus, you’ll want to investigate how the dash cam footage is stored and for how long. Typically, you’ll be choosing between cloud storage and memory card (or micro SD card). Cloud storage can generally hold a higher volume of footage than memory cards.
Ease of installation and use are also important factors. You can configure an internet-connected truck dash cam to back up on a consistent schedule. But it’s useful also to make it easy for drivers to send important videos when needed.
Read: Introducing the AI camera that will help you see more.
Integrating your dash cam with fleet management software
Effectively integrating dash cam video with your fleet management solution can enable you to streamline operations and track and manage your fleet in a single platform. Accessing dash cam footage, driver data, and vehicle performance information all in one place, can improve your efficiency and save you time and money while also improving overall fleet performance. You can also enhance and simplify reporting, which allows you to make more informed decisions about fleet management.
Motive is a top-rated fleet dash cam provider
In one 2022 research study, Motive’s dash cam detected unsafe driving behavior 89% of the time, higher than Lytx (61%) and Samsara (15%). Motive’s high success rate detecting phone calls made while driving, driving with phone in lap, failure to use a seatbelt, texting and driving, and close following, earned it Strategy Analytics’ “Best performing AI dash cam,” “Most accurate AI dash cam,” and “Fastest AI dash cam.” Motive’s excellent dash cam options are also backed by 24/7 customer service. Contact Motive for a demo or to get a quote on fleet dash cams today.
