Vehicle Cameras for Fleet Management

Vehicle cameras are becoming more popular as a fleet management tool.

Vehicle cameras are becoming more popular as a fleet management tool.

As with any new tool, it takes time to understand the best ways to leverage camera use on your fleet vehicles. When selecting and setting up your vehicle camera system, managing consumption to avoid data overage needs to be considered. Ask yourself some questions when you begin.

What information will be most beneficial to you in video format?

How do you plan to use it?

Who will be responsible for reviewing it?

There are several different types of camera systems, designed for different purposes, and it is important to select the system that will record and deliver the specific type of video record you need. No longer are dashcams just a risk management measure to have a record in case of an accident. Forward-facing dashcams monitor the road and potential hazards in front of the vehicle. They can stand alone or be used with peripheral cameras.

Vehicle Cameras - CrewChief T2 Dashcam For Fleets

Some systems also have an interior view of the cab to record what the driver is doing. Adding side, rear, and cargo area cameras can provide valuable information as well as security. Full-featured camera systems integrate with the Geotab tracking platform for even more functionality.

 

Automatic Event Recording

Vehicle cameras designed to record events are primarily used to document the conditions an event occurs. Events may be predefined by the camera system or you can define them yourself when integrated with your vehicle tracking system. Being selective about how many of your rules generate email notifications helps to limit unnecessary email overload. In the same way, be selective about the rules you choose to trigger video downloads to avoid data overage.

Speeding is a common rule that you may want to trigger a video download, but if you have several speed rules, choose carefully the one that triggers the video. A rule like 5 mph over the posted speed limit can trigger often and use up your data plan in a hurry.

Cameras with AI

Some vehicle camera systems use artificial intelligence to identify events. They can identify speeding, lane drift, following too closely, even road obstructions. Combined with a smartphone app, these systems give feedback to the driver to avoid potential hazards. With an in-cab view, cameras with AI can also identify and record cell phone use and smoking events.

Dv6 Dashcam from Rosco - Advanced Dashcam Technology

You can see examples of video from a variety of cameras as well as installation tips on our YouTube channel.

Live Feed

Certain business models such as the Security Industry may benefit from live feed capability from vehicle cameras. Supervisors can view live video to consult with and advise the field employee. Managers can view job site progress and several jobs without leaving the office. Live feeds need to be used responsibly. If you forget to turn off the feed and leave for lunch, extreme data overage is the likely result.

Monitor your Data Consumption

If your system offers a feature to monitor how much data you have used, check weekly to see that you are within your data plan limits. Becoming familiar with how much data you are using will allow you to get the most out of your vehicle camera system without incurring costly overages.

 

data consumption

 

Support Cases Made Easy

Support Cases Just Got Easier!

The thought of opening a support case can be frustrating. We have all had a bad experience dealing with a support issue online at some point. Fleetistics is determined to simplify and streamline the support process.

Benefits Of Opening A Support Case

  • Avoid Hold. Don’t waste valuable time calling. We are glad to talk to you but we service many customers. Entering a case simply avoids hold time and phone tag.
  • Easy Access. The support system resides within MyFleetistics. It is connected to your database so you don’t have to look up serial numbers and device details. When a case is opened from the Device Status Table, vehicle information is automatically entered in the support ticket. Current and historical cases can be reviewed.
  • Fire and forget. The case allows you to walk away while we do our research. You can go about your day. No phone tag. No being on hold.
  • Accountability. Cases are time and date stamped. Both parties are held accountable for a timely response.
  • Communication. Information is shared and documented in one place for a single issue.
  • Notification. When a case is updated by Fleetistics or you, notification is provided to the other party.
  • Self Help. We are working to provide quick, easy to follow instructions for the most common issues so you can potentially address an issue immediately and move on with your day. View troubleshooting steps click here.
Opening a Support Case

Accessing the Device Support System

 

After logging into MyFleetistics, click Analytics, then Dashboard Device Status. A list of your devices populates, color coded to identify devices that may have issues. First, find the device that you want to open a case for, and click the flag to the right of the device information.

 

Opening a Support Case

Next, Complete the Brief Support Case Form

Not a vehicle or device issue?

If your support case is not about a device issue, simply click the cross icon in the top right corner of the window or navigate to Help Center > Support and select “Open Support Case” to open the form without specific device information.

Alternate path to open case

Select the category of the issue from the pre-populated list.

Open a support case

Now, Add Your Case Comments

In the comments section tell us what you have done to identify or resolve the issue. Clearly, we must go through a series of troubleshooting steps. Knowing what you have already done moves us past those steps.

The basic troubleshooting steps for Geotab devices can be found at Frequently Asked Questions – Troubleshooting Geotab OBD Device (myfleetistics.com)

A screen shot or image of an unusual occurrence is always helpful. Don’t forget to attach the file.

Finally, be sure to verify your email address and add the best phone number best time to call if we need to speak with you.

Open a support case

You have successfully opened a support case.

Support Case is now open

Case Confirmation Email

Once a case has been opened you will receive an email confirmation as in the image below. The email contains a link to your case. Each time a case is updated, you will receive another email notification so you know it is time to view and respond.

Inside the case you can add additional details, upload images, and respond to questions the Support Reps ask through the linked form. Replying to the email will record your text reply in the case, but if it is not a simple text reply, it is best to use the link in the email to add your response directly to the case with any images or documents that may be helpful. All of the history is then recorded in the case. You can also check on the status of a case at any time by navigating to Help Center > Cases .

Case Acknowledgement Email

Example of the Support Case in MyFleetistics

Typical Support Case Documentation

In the example below, Support requests the client’s agreement to the RMA terms prior to returning the device for testing. The pdf RMA terms document link is in the email and in the case itself. It contains the details on where to send the device, what happens next, and has some helpful links to other documents as well. After reading the document it is time to acknowledge it in the Support Case system. Working from the email, it looks like this.

Support Case agreement

The Response to the Case is now logged and time/date stamped.

As more action is taken, everything is documented while the problem is being solved. Here is the case after a few more entries. There is no question about who is doing what, or if we are making progress.

Support case progress

Geotab Personal Mode

Geotab Personal Mode Adds Flexibility

 

Geotab has created a personal mode that allows drivers and fleet managers to temporarily hide their vehicle tracking in the Geotab application. When personal mode is used, location, speed, and engine data will not be visible. The driving data will still be collected while in personal mode, however, it will be stored as private.

The purpose of personal mode is for companies to temporarily not track drivers that use their personal vehicles for work, or in some cases take company vehicles home after working hours. This feature can be set to automatically turn on when work hours are finished (for example 5 pm to 8 am) or when a vehicle enters a specific zone.

This is a great feature for companies that will let their employees use company-owned vehicles for personal use. Geotab personal mode can also be used when operating in sensitive areas to hide vehicle movement.

 

Geotab Personal Mode

 

The personal mode feature is downloaded through the Marketplace inside of the Geotab application. Once it is downloaded, it can be configured so that privacy mode will turn on automatically or it can be left alone so that drivers can turn it on and off themselves.

For a driver to enable privacy mode, they need to install the Geotab Drive app on their phone or smart device. A member of the admin team will also need to create the driver in the database and set them up with a password so that they can log into the Drive app.

If your company is using E-Logs/HOS, you do not want to download the Geotab Personal Mode Add-In as it will affect your duty status logs and you may no longer be in compliance per the FMCSA.

Vehicle & Asset Telematics

Electronic Forms

Mobile Viewing

Routing

Vehicle & Asset Telematics

Electronic Forms

Mobile Viewing

Routing

Driver Facing Video Data Management

Controlling Costs With Driver Facing Video

When using driver facing video, understanding how camera settings impact your video quality and monthly cost will ensure you find a balance between the two. In general, the default settings have been found to be the best for the average customer. Changing these can increase your cost exponentially so be careful.

Full featured camera systems may also include AI (artificial intelligence) features focused on driver behaviors. They can identify and send alerts or auto download video clips for behaviors like talking on a cell phone, looking away from the road, yawning, or eyes closing.

These AI features may be a huge source of ROI. Early detection gives you the opportunity to coach drivers to lower risk. They may also vindicate a driver who has been falsely accused.

In-cab video (ICV) is all about data transfer cost. The smaller the video files and the fewer you transmit, the less chance there is for expensive overage fees. These variables also determine how much data can be stored on the SD card in a looping memory. If you normally get 300 hours of recordings, you would only get 150 if you double the size of the data files. Learn more

Data File Size

driver facing video
Be careful what you change to avoid expensive data overage fees

File Sizes

There are 3 primary variables that impact the data volume used from the monthly data plan. Testing should be done on 1 camera before making changes to all to avoid expensive overage fees.

 

  1. Frame-rate-per second (fps) – The number of images that are captured per second. 7 fps is about what the eye can see. Moving this to 14 fps will double the data being transmitted and consume more of your data plan.
  2. Resolution – The quality of the images captured can make a big difference in the file size. This impacts the data transmitted as well. A standard resolution image is often good enough and produces a file of 2 megs. Going to HD might make the same file 8 megs or 400% more data.
  3. Exception settings – Video exceptions should be for the most important exceptions only. Exceptions such as accident detection or movement after-hours should produce video clips. Creating video exceptions for speeding events could create an excessive amount of exception videos that have no real value. Each driver facing video deducts from your data bucket so choose wisely. If you opted for the live streaming service, leave some data available to stream a few times per month without going over your data plan.

Live Video

Live video is an option for some driver facing video systems. This enables a user online to “see” through the camera and view in the cab or outside the vehicle. This can be handy in specific applications but it consumes a lot of data. Live streaming should be limited to special situations or spot checking. Live streaming cannot be run continuously due to the cost so most cameras timeout after 60 seconds. You can then enable it over and over if needed.

SD Cards

The driver facing video cameras contain an SD card to store video continuously. The number of hours that can be recorded depends on the above variables as well as the size of the SD card itself. 64 gig cards hold a lot of data. If you use a slow or smaller SD card you can run into issues. If an event is not captured as an exception video clip, the SD card can be inserted into a computer and the looping video reviewed to find a particular date and time.

Learn More

Gridlock – Successfully Beating Congested Road Conditions

Gridlock is Slowing Us Down

Road conditions and traffic congestion or gridlock are a major factor that affects punctuality, productivity, and safety. Unfortunately, driving in less than ideal road conditions, and stopping to wait in gridlock is something we must live with. In any case, awareness helps us to avoid some of the worst situations and better cope with the rest.

Can We Eliminate Gridlock?

We all encounter it and we all hate it, but can anything be done about it? Texas A&M recently released its annual Urban Mobility Report. It explains some of the WHY and offers a long list of potential remedies to avoid gridlock. It is clear there is no one solution, but many small things that can be done to impact this problem plaguing metropolitan commuters and fleets.

What are some things a business can do? Both small and large businesses can use remote workers where practical. Another idea is to schedule services for off-peak travel hours by offering incentives to customers for scheduling their service in those off-peak hours. These simple measures are just starting points. The Big Data that is available through the efforts of companies like Geotab, can be used to better understand and prevent the ongoing gridlock in the US.

Gridlock

 

 

Road conditions - pothole

Road Condition in the US

According to The Reason Foundation’s Annual Highway Report, pavement condition in the US has continued to decline over the years. Some states do better than others when it comes to filling potholes and repairing deficient bridges. It is interesting that the dollars we spend on construction projects to improve road conditions do not always correlate to the percentages of improvement achieved.

Heavy Duty Trucking, commenting on the report, posted, â??The percentage of urban interstate mileage in poor condition increased in 29 states with one-third of the nation’s urban interstate mileage in poor condition being concentrated in just five states: California, Delaware, Hawaii, Louisiana, and New York.â? â??Massachusetts ranks low in the overall rankings but shows the nation’s lowest traffic fatality rate, while South Carolina reports the highest.â?

 

Highway Safety

Safety awareness and training are key to every driver coming back safe every day.

There is a wealth of information available on highway safety in the US. This information is provided by safety experts, insurance organizations, and fleet technology providers. Understanding the safest and most dangerous places along your routes can save lives. Here are a few resources you may find helpful.

Bad Weather = Poor driving conditions creating gridlock.

Snow and ice create a dangerous combination. They cause accidents and endless gridlock. Knowing when to avoid dangerous weather saves time, lives, and expensive commercial vehicles. You can add forecast weather service to your GPS tracking easily. MyFleetView allows you a 30 day trial of our weather services. The map displays where your vehicles are in relation to the weather conditions and weather related roadway threats you select. See how below.

Weather - Watches and Warnings

Weather – Watches and Warnings

Northeast Roadway Threats Overlaid on Watches and Warnings

Northeast Roadway Threats Overlaid on Watches and Warnings

Adding current and forecast weather to your MyFleetView map is easy! Start your 30 day trial today! Here’s how.

4 Steps to Adding Services

4 Steps to Adding Services

Adding Services step 1

Adding Services step 1

Adding Services Step 2

Adding Services Step 2