A growing number of hauliers are fitting their trucks with cameras which can simultaneously capture video of the road ahead and the driver at the wheel. Can this be cost effective?
Costs
With rising costs from the insurance companies, hauliers are faced with fitting cameras to help settle claims for damage to their fleets. Accidents are always going to happen, but apportioning blame has always been difficult, with many disputes about who was at fault. As such, footage from a camera will make a huge difference, as this footage can be used in court, if necessary. While fitting a truck camera is not going to reduce insurance premiums, (although some companies do offer a discount), it can prevent those premiums going up in the case of a claim. With crash for cash incidents on the up, insurance has risen by 10%, so a forward facing camera could prove the innocence of your driver and reduce the occurrence of insurance fraud.
Safety
A truck camera is also a reliable safety feature. With its GPS technology, it is able to pinpoint the vehicle’s exact position, so in the case of hijacking or vehicle theft, valuable data is available for the police to track down the perpetrator.
Data
With some truck cameras available online from Backwatch, the valuable data recorded can be used in the future for creating the most cost-effective transport routes and it can also give information back to customers regarding any delays in the delivery schedule, due to roadworks, accidents or other issues.
Efficiency
While some drivers are not happy having their working day recorded on a camera, overall it is proving to make drivers work more efficiently and more safely. This will, in time, prove cost-effective with lower fuel and maintenance costs and lower wear and tear on tyres and clutches.
Accidents
Historically, 90% of crashes are caused by human error, so a driver-facing camera can correct the bad habits of even the most experienced driver.
Decision
Haulage companies have got a tough decision to make on whether this technology is worth getting, especially with a shortage of experienced drivers. It would be advantageous if all haulage fleets adopted the use of cameras. Drivers would then have to accept them and not be able to swap over to a fleet that does not use cameras.
