The importance of cameras for trucking fleets in 2020

One aspect of trucking that is always placed at the forefront is safety, as it is the most important part of running a trucking operation.

Prioritizing fleet safety ultimately has a positive effect on your bottom line. By avoiding accidents and other safety issues, you’re saving thousands, if not millions, of unwanted costs.

One way to effectively secure your fleet is through integrating cameras throughout your fleet, making sure they’re protected at all times. By adding cameras to your trucks, you’ll be able to store footage and be notified of a variety of events that involve your assets.

Cameras can also be an X-factor when it comes to dealing with potential liabilities. In the case of an accident, footage and alerts provided by AI-enhanced cameras can be crucial in saving your fleet millions every year.

Additionally, some insurance providers will also lower monthly payments when cameras are installed.

Nevertheless, when one looks at the dollar amounts behind various liabilities throughout the industry, they’ll see why investing in safety is so important.

In the past six or seven years, “nuclear verdicts,” which are verdicts in excess of $10 million, have started to become commonplace in the trucking industry. In the past few years alone, there have been at least seven verdicts that reached over $100 million.

Verdicts such as these have had a major effect on insurance rates as well, as they’ve continued to skyrocket throughout the last couple of years. 

Overall, being involved in a nuclear verdict can decimate a company of any size, making safety a must to invest in, especially as the amount of nuclear verdicts seems to only grow every year.

While some may feel that avoiding such a verdict can be simple, it’s important to remember how unpredictable things like this can be. In 2017, 363,000 total crashes were recorded, which cost trucking companies upwards of $134 billion combined.

The cost of the average accident recently was as little as $91,000, but depending on the accident, can range up to even $1 million. 

When you’re able to avoid potential liabilities with cameras, however, you won’t have to worry about hefty losses that come along with accidents. 

Additionally, one should also account for the effects that cargo loss has on the industry. In 2018 alone, the average worth of trailers lost was $142,342 with the total loss between the U.S. and Canada being $13.9 million.

Needless to say, securing assets through any means possible, should be at the top of the list for decision-makers throughout the industry. Not only can they save money through limiting potential liabilities, but they also have additional features that can help define whether or not your drivers are being safe while on the road.

Some additional features that can be found on AI cameras include road event notifications. With these notifications, you can be alerted right away when a driver is in an accident, or even when they’re driving recklessly. 

This feature will allow decision-makers to analyze their fleet and make decisions that will ultimately improve fleet-wide safety and save money in the long run.

So, how does one go about finding a camera provider that is right for you?

First, you should be looking for a provider that offers the most bang for your buck, meaning that they should have as many features that will save you as much money as possible.

For example, when you look at KeepTruckin or Samsara, you’ll find that while their prices may look fairly reasonable, they offer limited functionality. While they offer road and driver-facing cameras, they do not have side or rear-facing cameras, as well as driver assistance and unlimited live view.

However, UTECH’s GPSTab offers all of the above features. Additionally, GPSTab Cameras also offer a wide range of additional features such as live video streaming, cloud & internal storage, and instant road event recording.

With Full 1080p HD video, an adjustable wide angles lens, auto-uploading, and push notifications for road events, GPSTab Cameras cover everything necessary to secure your fleet.

Improve safety scores and limit liabilities throughout your fleet with the most accurate and flexible camera system on the market. To learn more about our cameras, visit our website or contact our sales department at (888) 228-4460 or through email at [email protected].