Why Dashcams are Vital to the Trucking Industry

In 2019 the global dashcam market was valued at $2.8 billion, with over 36 million dashcam units sold. 

As highlighted in the above linked Grand View Research report, these numbers are predicted to climb in the coming years as the demand for new and higher-tech dashcams in commercial vehicles increases.  

This demand will be driven by older fleet vehicles being replaced with newer, tech-advanced vehicles, increasing fleet safety concerns, and by new government standards.  

Years ago, commercial dashcams were primarily used by buses and police vehicles. Today, however, the trucking and other fleet industries are increasingly integrating this technology as well. 

Here are some of the main dashcam benefits explaining why they’re vital assets to the trucking industry. 

Elimination of Fraudulent Claims and Driver Exoneration

Research shows that in almost 80% of accidents between trucks and passenger vehicles, passenger vehicles are at fault. That doesn’t mean that commercial drivers can’t take the fall, however.  

With dashcams, fleet managers can see the road just as the driver does and capture real-time footage as evidence. 

If your driver is not responsible for a given incident, the video evidence from your dashcam is a valuable tool in exonerating them and ensuring their CDL is protected.

Rewarding Safe Driving 

Since fleet managers have access to safety data, they can incentivize safe driving by running rewards programs and giving recognition to drivers who adhere to safety. 

Incentivizing safer driving has many added benefits - from lower vehicle wear and tear to reduced fuel use. Insurance premiums can also be positively affected. Many insurance companies today will give discounts if driver monitoring technologies, such as video recording, are implemented.

Enhance Driver Training

Fleet managers can improve their driver coaching programs by using dashcams. If crucial safety events occur, managers can use the captured  video to give feedback to drivers.  

Some dashcams, along with video replays, also offer audio feedback. These two features enable drivers to keep themselves in check. They enable the driver to review all trips in an app to monitor their improvements. 

Dashcam apps also come with additional features like Leaderboard and Score Cards to enhance driver training.  

Ensure Fleet Security 

Most dashcams use standby or parked mode technology that’s activated immediately when motion is detected while the vehicle is parked. This feature is useful in catching break-in suspects, hit-and-run drivers, and vandals. 

They can even catch the license plate number of the other vehicle. The video captured by the dashcam is valuable for insurance purposes as insurance firms will accept dashcam footage in disputed claims.

Streamline Insurance Claims and Reduce Rates

Dashcams can radically improve the insurance claims process. With clear video evidence, you can give insurance providers more context, which leads to quicker claim resolutions.  

Plus, integrating dashcams in your fleet tells insurance firms that you take fleet safety seriously. Most insurance businesses offer discounts if you install dashcams, as dashcams help to improve driver behavior and the fleet's general safety level. 

Why Dashcam Fleets Dominate

Dashcam technology is radically changing the fleet industry for the better by ensuring vehicle and driver security and safety, saving money, and improving driver coaching programs. 

Fleet Complete's Vision dashcam and mobile application, for one, automatically starts and stops recording at the beginning and end of each trip and then uploads captured videos to the cloud for access via the centralized web platform and app. 

The Vision solution integrates seamlessly with Fleet Complete tracking features and gives your fleet managers an in-depth view of all trips, allowing them to review events in real-time. 

If you’d like to find out how Fleet Complete can empower your fleet, learn more by requesting our Fleet Complete demo.  

If you have any questions about Fleet Complete’s dashcam solution contact us here.