According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), there were 415,000 crashes involving large trucks in the United States in 2020. Out of these, more than 100,000 resulted in injuries and 4,444 were fatal. As a manager of a semi truck fleet, it's crucial to ensure that your drivers are safe and protected from false claims in the event of an accident. One way to achieve this is by implementing dash cameras in your fleet.
Truck dash cams have become an essential tool for commercial fleets, and for good reason. They provide a wealth of benefits to fleet managers, including improved driver safety, reduced liability and exonerating drivers in the event of a collision. However, implementing and installing dash cameras into your fleet requires careful planning and execution. Here are some steps you'll need to take:
1. Identify your needs: Begin by determining what type of camera system will work best for your fleet. Will you need forward-facing dash cameras, rear-facing dash cameras, or both? Will you require cloud-based storage for the footage, or do you prefer on-board storage? These are just a few questions to consider. However, we know that very few fleet managers want to be stuck reviewing hours of footage or track down lost SD cards. Fleet managers save time and resources with a dash camera system that-at minimum-is capable of AI footage review, automatic uploads, and cloud based storage.
2. Choose the right cameras: Once you've identified your needs, it's time to choose the right cameras for your fleet. Look for high-quality cameras with features like night vision and weather resistance, which can help capture footage in a variety of conditions. You'll also want to choose dash cameras that can very easily integrate into you current workflow.
3. Install the cameras: Installation should be done by a professional installer who has experience working with commercial vehicles. The cameras should be placed in a location that will capture the best footage, such as high on the windshield and in the path of the windshield wiper. TruckSpy AI dash cameras are easy to install and we have partnered installers nationwide making it easier than ever to implement the best dash cam for trucks into your fleet.
4. Educate your drivers: Once the cameras are installed, it's important to educate your drivers about the new system. Let them know how the cameras work, what types of footage they capture, and how the footage can be used. This can help ease any concerns they may have and make them more receptive to the new technology. For your dash camera program to be successful, your drivers must be the frontrunners. We recommend rolling out an incentive schedule along with your dash camera program. We've gathered some common AI dash camera questions from drivers below:
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5. Review: A critical step in ensuring that your drivers are safe is reviewing the dash camera footage. We've seen fleets implement dash cameras but never log in or review driver behaviors. Implementing dash cameras is a great step, but to reap the full benefits (saving time and money in legal fees from an accident or insurance claims) fleet managers must review incidents that occur on the road.
Implementing technology fleet-wide can sometimes seem like an impossible task. Whether it's fleet management software, telematics, GPS hardware or AI dash cameras it's important to take the time to plan and execute the implementation carefully. By following these dash camera steps, you can ensure that your fleet is safe, efficient and well-protected.
Don't forget to check out our comprehensive guide to learn everything you need to know about implementing driver facing cameras in your fleet.
Check out our dash camera install video and documentation here.
