The Best Dash Cam Software for Fleets

Dash cams, or dashboard cameras, are proven to increase driver safety, reduce accident risk, and lower costs. In fact, a study from the Journal of Safety Research found a 60% reduction in the number of incidents and an 86% reduction in accident-related costs when dash cams were used in combination with driver coaching. 

But what makes a good fleet dash cam solution stand out from the rest? Comparing different types of dash cam hardware is a great place to start. But the software that comes with your dash cam solution is just as important—if not more critical—to compare and vet. 

Software is what you’ll use to review video footage, coach drivers, and analyze safety trends. Since it will become a day-to-day component of your safety team’s workflow, dash cam software is a key element of any fleet safety program’s success.

In this guide, learn what sets a good video-based fleet safety solution apart, including the most important dash cam software features for fleets.

What is fleet dash cam software?

If you Google "dash cams" or “dashboard cameras,” you're likely to find dash cams meant for consumers on websites like Amazon or Walmart. Some of the most popular consumer dash cam brands include Sony, Garmin, and Vantrue. While these consumer dash cameras can be helpful for people looking to install an inexpensive camera in their personal vehicle, they’re not meant for commercial fleets. Some have a memory card that must be manually retrieved to download footage, posing logistical challenges for fleets managing a much higher volume of vehicles and drivers. Plus, they often include only very basic media playback software, with no tools for reviewing incidents or coaching drivers at scale.

Dash cam solutions for commercial fleets are built for scale—both in terms of the hardware features they offer and the back-end software they provide for your safety team. Dash cams for commercial fleets, like Samsara AI dash cams, connect to telematics devices and can detect safety-related events like harsh braking, speeding, and collisions. That way, these dash cams can auto-upload video footage from safety-related events to an online dashboard, which your back-office staff can use to review safety-related events and coach drivers effectively. 

Overall, dash cam software for commercial fleets is more advanced because it offers tools for administrators to review incidents and coach drivers. The best fleet dash cam software allows you to:

• Organize and review dash cam footage for hundreds or thousands of vehicles

• Assign incidents to specific safety managers for review

• Coach drivers consistently and effectively

• Gamify driver safety scores to create friendly competition

• Customize harsh event detection settings for different types of vehicles

• Request additional footage for recent driving history

• Analyze and report on safety trends over time

• Get real-time alerts and view video footage from a mobile app

How does the best fleet dash cam software make this possible? Keep reading to learn about the most important dash cam software features to look for.

11 important fleet dash cam software features for fleets

Many fleet dash cam solutions come with an online dashboard with tools for reviewing dash cam video footage, coaching drivers, and more. Here are a few key software features to look for in a dash cam platform, plus why they are important for building an effective fleet safety program:

Why Samsara? A complete video-based safety solution for fleets

Samsara offers an advanced video-based safety solution that combines internet-connected AI dash cams and cloud-based safety and coaching software to help fleets of all sizes reduce accidents, prevent false claims, and lower costs. By providing visibility into vehicle locations, near-misses, and driver behavior, Samsara lets fleets take action on their data to improve safety. 

Samsara’s combination of cutting-edge hardware and user-friendly, scalable software makes it an ideal safety solution for fleets of all sizes. In fact, in a recent survey of more than 500 Samsara customers, 90% said Samsara has helped improve safety within their fleet. And more than 50% of our dash cam customers have used Samsara footage to exonerate drivers in the past year, saving $5,000 to $25,000 on average, with some customers saving over $100,000 a year. 

Below are a few of the hardware and software features that set Samsara’s video-based fleet safety solution apart.

Hardware highlights

Samsara AI dash cams analyze the road and driver behavior in real-time. By sending alerts to drivers and actionable insights to managers, our intelligent cameras are proven to improve driver safety and lower fleet costs.

• Different configurations: Front-facing or dual-facing (dual camera) options

• High quality footage: Full HD 1080p resolution (720p for in-cab camera) for crisp video quality

• Best-in-class camera lens: Ultra wide-angle lens for excellent field of view

• Night vision: Infrared LED for in-cab recording at night

• Image optimization: HDR (high dynamic range) to optimize for bright and low-light conditions

• Internet connectivity: Makes it possible to automatically upload footage the cloud

• Connected telematics: Provides additional sensor data, including g-force and real-time GPS

• On-demand video retrieval: Request non-incident footage for past driving time

• In-cab alerts: Built-in audio speaker for in-cab coaching

Software highlights

Samsara’s online dashboard makes it easy to review incident footage, coach drivers, and mitigate risk. With tools for standardizing incident review, coaching drivers consistently, and tracking improvements over time, Samsara’s software is built to help your team create a robust, effective fleet safety program.

• Auto-uploaded footage: Dash cam footage is automatically uploaded to the cloud and available for review in minutes

• Streamlined incident review: See footage and review incidents as they occur, plus assign events to specific safety managers for coaching

• Connected telematics data: Video recordings are annotated with g-sensor and GPS data

• Automatic and manual tags: Prioritize incidents that need coaching by tagging footage with event type, like harsh braking or rolling stop

• Filters: Segment your data based on event type or tags

• Coaching workflows: Driver coaching tools, including step-by-step coaching scripts, enable consistent driver feedback

• Safety scores: Customizable driver safety scores based on harsh events, speeding data, and more

• Driver App: Drivers can view their own safety score ranking to foster healthy competition

• Reporting tools: Trend graphs track safety improvements over time

• Real-time alerts: Customizable SMS and/or email alerts related to safety

• Customizable settings: Including harsh event sensitivity for different vehicle types

• Admin app: Review incidents on the go and communicate with drivers via two-way messaging

• Customizable incident detection: Choose whether or not to track certain events, like rolling stops

Want to learn more about the different types of fleet dash cams and their benefits? Check out our complete guide to selecting the best fleet dash cams, or read more about how a video-based fleet safety solution delivers ROI. If you’re curious to see how Samsara’s dash cam hardware and software solutions have helped other fleets achieve their safety goals, explore our five-step guide to building an effective fleet safety program.

See for yourself why Samsara is trusted by more than 10,000 fleets across the United States. Request a free trial to get started today—we’ll ship you AI dash cams to try free for 30 days, along with access to our online dashboard and expert support team.