If you want to protect yourself from an accident, insurance fraud, or fraud attempts on your business, keep drivers accountable, and manage your fleet, then investing in a fleet dash cam is worthwhile. How does all that work with just a dash cam solution?
Fleets can be protected from fraud with irrefutable video evidence in an accident, as dash cams record high-quality video of what the trip looked like and all details leading to a hypothetical accident. Commercial vehicles are often intentionally targeted by fraudsters, but a dash cam provides clear evidence, which can be key in such situations.
Holding drivers accountable through tracking routes and driving behavior, as most high-quality dash cams come with built-in GPS system and more advanced ones with an AI component that can alert drivers in real-time or simply set up alerts to customize the driver experience. Besides the alerts and an AI assistant, there is also a possibility to have a quick two-way chat with drivers through a dash cam’s built-in communication function, reducing the need to text or pick up a phone to connect with drivers.
An additional advantage of a fleet dash cam is that it can help monitor trucks and cargo 24/7, and the camera's blinking light can even help deter some acts of vandalism and theft.
What makes dash cam solutions different from other devices in the market is that these cams have been specifically designed for the needs of drivers and fleets to offer protection for the vehicle, the driver, and the business. Dash cams are considered fixed assets installed inside a vehicle and meant to remain there at all times, there should be no need to replace them quickly, aside from the removable storage unit subsequently installed in the form of an SD card.
Dash cams power on alongside the vehicle, and while there are various ways to power them, having the solution hardwired to the fuse box of a vehicle offers a more robust and secure installation. Some cams have G-Sensors that bring the camera to life if there is a sudden shift in the movement of the vehicle, for example, if the vehicle has been hit while parked. Automatic recording is the standard feature of dash cams which takes out the need to remember to push a button out of the equation.
And finally, dash cams record non-stop, also known as loop recording, where the camera starts re-recording over previously recorded footage once the storage is filled up. This system has been built to avoid the “memory card full” tedious messages; however, it allows for some individual settings where some footage, like the one taken by the G-Sensors, is not to be recorded over.
Ultimately, dash cam solutions offering an integrated cloud-based platform could be ideal for fleet managers running large fleets. For smaller and mid-sized businesses buying single dash cam solutions and tracking their fleets by themselves could be an option, but having more than ten vehicles will require a dedicated fleet manager to ensure the full benefits of the dash cam solution.
This article was written in cooperation with firstly digital