Fleet businesses should use all the tools and resources at their disposal to create and maintain a safe environment for their drivers and employees. Especially with the trucking shortage, it is critical to ensure that drivers feel safe behind the wheel. Retaining drivers is more important now than ever. So much technology is available today to help make this possible, and one of these solutions is dash cameras for trucks. Dash cams have become more popular since the turn of the century for their wide array of benefits for drivers and fleet businesses. Let’s discuss the benefits of dash cams for trucks in case your fleet is missing out.
Artificial Intelligence Dash Cams
In this article, we will be discussing the most advanced dash cams on the market. These are artificial intelligence dash cams, like Azuga’s AI SafetyCam. This may sound highly complicated, but they are actually relatively easy to use. Installation takes seconds; you just adhere the camera using a sticky pad or the included hardware. These dash cams, of course, record the road in front of the driver. They partner with the telematics system to catch road incidents like hard braking, excessive lane changes, hard cornering, and rapid acceleration. When your drivers make these mistakes, they’ll receive an alert to correct the behavior, and if they continue, you’ll receive an alert to take corrective action.
However, these dash cams don’t only record what’s happening on the road. They also record the driver, so you can catch distracted driving before it causes an accident. Artificial intelligence is programmed to look for instances of:
- Eating/drinking
- Using phone
- Smoking
- Yawning/fatigue
- Face not visible
- Not focused
- Obstructed camera
When the dash cam sees these behaviors, it utilizes the same alert system as when it detects behaviors on the road.
The Benefits of Dash Cams
No 1: Exonerating Drivers
The most common reason fleets use dash cams is because they serve as witnesses when accidents occur. 70% of accidents are not the fault of fleet drivers, and dash cam can prove it. Nobody wants their business to face wrongful consequences for an accident that isn’t their driver’s fault, so having tangible proof of their innocence is a valuable asset. This is especially true in cases where insurance fraudsters target fleet drivers for hefty payouts.
No. 2: Insurance Discounts
Insurance providers want to cover fleets that are low risk. When you are trying to keep your fleet safe, they will often offer discounts on your premiums. This means that equipping your fleet with dash cams can be a significant benefit to your business. Insurance companies especially appreciate that dash cams often exonerate drivers in the event of an accident, saving them from payouts. Either way, insurers benefit from dash cams and often work with businesses that employ them.
No. 3: Training and Coaching Tools
AI dash cams allow you to perform in-cab coaching for your drivers. As mentioned, when drivers exhibit unsafe driving behaviors, you will receive real-time alerts. This gives you a chance to deliver coaching as soon as a problem occurs, while it is fresh in the driver’s mind.
Furthermore, you can use the footage from recorded incidents to train drivers on safety. Putting training concepts in a real-life context is better for drivers to learn than simply hearing about them or using simulations. With dash cams, you’ll have all the footage you need.
No. 4: Save Money and Downtime
Nobody needs to tell you that accidents cost fleets thousands of dollars. Accident costs start at $16,500, and that’s without any injuries. Adding on the cost of employee and vehicle downtime and how it affects the business’s productivity, the costs are practically incomprehensible. That, along with safety reasons, is why avoiding accidents is critical for fleet businesses, and dash cams help make it possible to do so.
The Industry’s Leading Dash Cam
Of course, there are many dash cam solutions on the market, but when it comes to arming your fleet for safety and savings, nothing compares to Azuga’s AI SafetyCam. It has all the features mentioned in this article and many more. Meet with one of our experts for a demo and see what our dash cam can do.
