3 Reasons to Equip Your Fleet Vehicles with Dash Cams

The Fleet Operator’s Nightmare Scenario

Imagine one of your company’s drivers gets into a collision with another truck while on his way to a job site. The other driver claims your employee caused the crash by changing lanes without warning. The driver sues your business for vehicle repairs, medical bills, and other damages – totalling more than $150,000. A nightmare, right?

Now, let’s fast-forward to the great news. A judge throws out the case, noting in the dismissal document that “there is certainly no evidence [your employee] operated his vehicle negligently” and that the plaintiff is not entitled to a single dollar from your company.

The deciding factor in the case? A road-facing dash cam installed in your company’s truck, which captured footage showing clearly that it was the other driver who illegally swerved into your employee’s lane. In the dismissal filing, the judge states that “the video proves without doubt that [your employee] was driving in his lane and did not leave it.”

That’s actually the true story of a Tennessee trucking company whose attorney used the vehicle’s dash cam footage to turn a potential $150,000 loss into a total victory: a “take-nothing” dismissal. (You can read the court’s summary judgment here)

3 More Ways Dash Cams Can Benefit Your Business

Without that video footage, of course, the case might have turned out completely differently, with the trucking company unjustly forced to pay the at-fault driver’s damages claim. And that’s just one reason smart businesses are equipping their fleets with dash cams. Here are a few more reasons to add dash cams to your fleet.

1. They can reduce collisions.

A study in the Journey of Safety Research found that trucking companies that installed dash cams in their vehicles—both road-facing and driver-facing cameras—experienced 60% fewer crashes over time.

The researchers attributed the reduction to several factors. For example, supervisors were able to review the footage for unsafe behaviors (such as texting while driving or following too closely) and use that footage for training and coaching. Also, the study’s authors believed that the employees tended to drive more responsibly in part because they knew they were being recorded.

Whatever the reason (or combination of reasons), equipping your fleet with dash cams can reduce the number of collisions, near-misses, and other dangerous incidents with your vehicles on the road.

2. They can increase your vehicles’ ROI.

Although the trucking company we discussed in the intro avoided a costly judgment thanks to its dash cam footage, there is one cost the business might have still had to deal with (other than attorney fees): the vehicle’s downtime.

We don’t know the severity of the crash or how long it took the company to get its truck back on the road. Those details aren’t covered in the publicly available court documents. But according to ABI Research, an out-of-service commercial vehicle can cost a business $760 per day.

So, to the extent dash cams can help reduce your company’s collisions, it can also reduce the number of days your vehicles are out of commission getting repaired. And the more days your vehicles are on the road, the more money they can earn your business – and the greater their overall ROI will be.

3. They can lower your fuel costs.

According to research cited by First Citizens Bank, fuel costs can represent 60% of a fleet’s overall operating budget. With that in mind, even small steps to monitor your drivers’ road habits and behaviors can help you reduce one of your fleet’s biggest expenses.

There are actually a couple of ways that dash cams can help reduce your overall fuel costs. First, as we noted above, research shows that when your employees know you’re recording their drives, they tend to behave more responsibly on the road. And research in Automotive Fleets has determined that reducing unsafe driving behaviors, such as speeding and harsh braking, can help reduce your fleet’s fuel usage up to 30%.

Second, if you select dash cams that are part of a larger telematics solution, your business can receive proactive alerts to these unsafe driving behaviors. A comprehensive GPS tracking solution can include both video footage and other real-time telematics data, such as automatic real-time alerts when one of your drivers exceeds the speed limit, accelerates rapidly, or – and here’s another big fuel waster – lets your truck’s engine idle for too long.

Reducing these behaviors can help you significantly lower your fleet’s fuel bill.

Learn more about BrickHouse Security’s dash cam solutions.

Or contact a telematics specialist: 800-654-7966.