Business Fleet, September/October 2019

Youre at fault Youre getting a ticket So it paid for itself right there Waccamaw has also seen a 10 reduction in insurance rates since installing the technology Any time it keeps you from being blamed for an accident theres monetary value there Mason says Video based safety systems not only capture whats happening on the road they also help fleets identify risky behaviors and foster accountability in ways camera less telematics cannot With video technology You can exonerate drivers from false claims and you can use the video footage to coach them toward less risky behavior on the roads says Ryan Driscoll of GPS Insight a telematics service provider TSP It also helps to prove who is actually liable in an accident all of which telematics cant do In June GPS Insight launched the Driveri fleet camera to fleet customers Driveri uses edge computing and artificial intelligence AI to record and process every minute the fleet vehicle is on the road The telematics provider has also partnered with an insurance company Amerisure which offers a discount to fleets that use the technology Several fleets involved with various safety video system providers share their stories on the ways that video technology has saved money and headaches for their companies and potentially averted disaster on the road REDUCING UNSAFE EVENTS Wakefield Mass based Total Temperature Control a provider of HVAC services installed the Integrated Video system from Verizon Connect on its fleet of 19 mostly Ford and GMC pickups around April of this year Vice president Amele Ambrosino likes that unsafe events trigger the dashcam system If theyre going fast if theyre accelerating if they stop short If they go through a red light she says But early on after Total Temperature Control installed the system the alerts kept coming And coming At the beginning I was getting alerts alerts alerts Ambrosino says That high number of alerts has decreased by about 85 So I know my drivers are doing better she says adding that she thinks the system has paid for itself Safer driving has also had a positive effect on the fleets maintenance expense With fewer alerts the trucks suffer less wear and tear Youre not slamming on the brakes Youre not speeding up she says If youre a lead foot especially with these trucks they would be in the shop more often But theyre not The Verizon Connect system begins recording when the vehicles engine is turned on Harsh driving events are identified using artificial intelligence and the system can send fleet owners the video clip within minutes At Total Temperature Control the system showed two of Ambrosinos drivers going through red lights She then asked those offending drivers if they were texting or engaging in other distracting driving behavior Knock it off she told them I cant get over how well theyre driving because theyre afraid Im going to call them and show them the evidence she says SPOTTING ODD CLAIMS Derstine Trucking in Harrisburg Ore operates a fleet of mostly 2014 and 2015 model year Peterbilts The company experienced three low impact accidents that Jeremy Christman general manager describes as odd claims in which cars pulled in front of Derstine fleet drivers who then rear ended the vehicles My safety manager came to me and said We really need to investigate these cameras and see whats going on Christman says The company decided on video telematics technology from Lytx The day after the systems installation a driver on the highway passed a Derstine driver on the right pulled in front of the Derstine truck and slammed on the brakes That caused the Derstine driver to accidentally tap the other vehicle lightly from behind The irate driver called the police As he approached the truck cab the Derstine driver told him the incident was captured on video Christman says By the time police arrived on the scene the Derstine fleet office had already sent video of the incident to its driver After seeing the video Christman says the police officer told the Derstine driver We dont have a problem here Youre fine Well take care of this guy Three days after that incident a tanker truck merged into the lane of one of Derstines more seasoned drivers causing a collision The tanker driver claimed the WWW BUSINESSFLEET COM 14 BUSINESS FLEET September October 2019 TELEMATICS Camera based safety systems such as the Integrated Video system from Verizon Connect can deliver real time video alerts to fleet managers desktops smartphones or tablets PHOTOS COURTESY OF VERIZON CONNECT