The Different Types of Dash Cams for Trucks

What are truck dash cams and why do you need one?

Dash cams, or dash cameras, offer truck drivers and fleet managers more control over their fleet safety with features designed to increase visibility, reduce accidents, and lower collision costs. A car camera serves as an indisputable eyewitness to accidents and other driving hazards, providing video evidence to ensure that fleets stay safe and not-at-fault drivers are exonerated.

Discover the most reliable dash cam options for smooth roads ahead.

What are the best dash cams and multi-cam systems?

There are a lot of options when it comes to dash cams. Which type is right for you and your fleet? Whatever you choose, it's important to ensure that your cameras record high quality footage that's available when you need it.

Below are some important features to consider before choosing the best dash cam for your fleet.

• Storage: Fancy dash cam features will be all for naught if the recorded footage is not available for future access. There are two popular storage options: micro SD cards or memory cards that allot for a certain amount of video to be saved or internet-connected dash cams that automatically upload footage to the cloud, eliminating the need for manual retrieval.

• Internet connectivity: Wifi or car embedded internet connections allow dash cam footage to seamlessly upload to the cloud for future access.

• Mounting: There are different ways to install dash cams on your vehicle via a suction cup or adhesive. Adhesive attachments are a good quality option that offers quick, easy, and secure installs.

• Image resolution: Crisp video quality is critical when reviewing video footage. For optimal quality, take a look at dash cams with a wide-angle lens or wide dynamic range (WDR) that offer full HD videos. Consider FHD or HD 1080p video if you want best-in-class resolution strong enough to read license plates and detect whether eyes are open or closed.

Front-facing dash cams

Designed to increase visibility for safety-conscious fleet managers, front-facing dash cameras capture superior-quality video via g-sensor of the road ahead. The black box camera can be mounted to the windshield in less time than it takes to fill up a tank of gas, immediately providing truck drivers and fleet managers more visibility into their operations. Front-facing dash cams, including Samsara AI dash cams, use sensors to automatically detect incidents and upload footage to the Samsara dashboard, which can integrate with Google maps to give fleet managers both video and location data.

Dual-facing dash cams

Dual-facing dash cams capture inward- and outward-facing video for a comprehensive look at both the road ahead and the cab. Designed to improve driver behavior, this dash cam’s wide-angle lenses offer clear views of in-cab activity and outdoor surroundings. This enables fleet managers to quickly detect distracted or dangerous driving. Circulate or share video footage with employees later as a jumping off point for driver coaching. Worried about nighttime driving? Rest easy. Certain dual-facing dash cams, like Samsara's, provide infrared LED for low-light hours or unlit roads.

Beyond dash cameras: multi-camera system

Multi-camera dash cams provide a 360° view into every vehicle to help protect drivers and their cdls. This gives drivers the ability to see the full picture of what’s behind and beside them, decreasing blind-spot collisions and visibility into vehicle interiors.

Exterior cameras

Exterior cameras can be mounted to the outside of the vehicle to capture a 360° view of the vehicle and surrounding road. This is particularly useful when drivers are confronted with blind spots and need to make tight turns or simply change lanes.

It can be challenging for a driver to get the full picture, especially while operating a larger vehicle such as a semi-truck or tractor-trailer. Exterior cameras capture what drivers might miss, alleviating any uncertainty in the event of an accident or property damage. Rear cameras capture other vehicles or objects behind the vehicle that might go undetected in the rearview mirror, while side cameras record an ultra-crisp view of objects beside the vehicle. License plates are easily captured by either camera to easily identify other vehicles in case of an accident.

Interior cameras

Interior cameras capture activity inside a vehicle to keep passengers safe and boost cargo security. Footage is recorded and stored to decrease instances of vandalism or bullying in passenger transit vehicles. Trucks and trailers can use interior cameras to reduce or resolve cargo theft by continuously monitoring all in-cabin activity.

Why Samsara dash cams?

Samsara dash cameras capture driving events and automatically upload high-quality video footage to the cloud, documenting everything from sudden braking to full-fledged collisions. An AI-powered platform detects dangerous driving, automatically alerting fleet managers to take action -- whether that’s navigating a driver to the nearest maintenance shop or providing one-on-one coaching. Dash cams can also exonerate innocent drivers with footage of an accident, expediting insurance company processes and payouts.

Samsara's suite of high-quality dash cams provide crystal-clear insights into a fleet's performance and safety. Highlights of Samsara dash cam technology include:

• AI-powered platform that detects distracted driving

• High-quality video recording, even in poor lighting conditions

• Internet-connected cameras that automatically upload footage of harsh events

• Plug-and-play configuration that gets you up and running in minutes, with a power cable that connects directly to Samsara's vehicle gateway

• On-demand video retrieval for a max of 60 hours of drive time