The benefits of dash cams for fleets
Before diving into the different types of dash cams, it’s important to take a step back and understand why commercial fleets are investing in this technology. Below, check out the four major benefits of dash cams.
Avoid false claims
In car-truck accidents, trucks are only at fault about 26% of the time—but they get blamed far more often. Internet-connected dash cams can auto-upload incident footage to the cloud within minutes, making it easy to exonerate innocent drivers on the spot, bypass lengthy claims processes, and eliminate unnecessary payouts.
Lower insurance costs
When it comes to insurance premiums, safety is a big factor. Because dash cams are proven to improve safety and mitigate risk, your insurance company may offer a premium discount, credit, or subsidy for installing Samsara AI Dash Cams and sharing safe driving data.
Minimize labor costs
It might be surprising, but dash cams can reduce labor costs in a few different ways. With digital driver safety scorecards and video-based coaching tools, your back office team can coach drivers more efficiently. Plus, dash cams make it possible to create a robust rewards program, which is proven to increase engagement and retention, leading to lower turnover and hiring costs.
The most advanced dash cam systems include built-in artificial intelligence (AI), so they can detect safety issues without a g-force trigger—like distracted driving and drowsiness. AI makes it possible to coach drivers on risky behavior and near misses.
Most dash cam systems have a micro SD card or memory card that stores footage locally, but more advanced dash cam systems can connect to the internet via high-speed cellular connections that let you send footage to the cloud, providing nearly instant access to footage.
The best dash cam systems connect to a telematics device with a built-in gyroscope and accelerometer to automatically detect harsh driving events—like harsh braking or a collision—and auto-upload footage to the cloud.
Some dash cam systems include built-in speakers that can play verbal and/or audio alerts when unsafe driving behavior is detected, like mobile phone use, speeding, and drowsiness. You may also be able to turn on recording to capture audio during safety events.
Field of view is how much of the road (or inside of the cab) the dash cam system can see. To ensure your dash cam system captures a broad field of view, look for a wide angle or semi-wide angle lens.
Resolution (or image quality) depends on how many pixels the dash cam system records. High quality forward-facing dash cam systems should record video in high-resolution 1080p full HD. 1080p dash cams make it possible for you to see the road ahead clearly and make out numbers on license plates.
The two most popular ways to install dash cam systems are via a suction cup (or suction mount) or via adhesive. Some dash cam systems may also attach to your rear view mirror. Adhesive attachments are generally a more secure option that still offer quick and easy installation.
Some dash cam systems are optimized for capturing footage at night or in low-light conditions. If your drivers often operate at night, look for a dash cam system with infrared LED, which is particularly important for capturing video footage of unlit cabs.
Advanced Incident Detection
Built-in AI features
Artificial intelligence (AI) is the cutting-edge of dash cam technology. Samsara AI Dash Cams use computer vision to analyze the road and driver behavior in real-time—making it possible to detect risky behaviors like drowsiness and even warn drivers of an impending collision, helping prevent accidents before they happen.
Internet Connectivity
If your dash cam isn’t internet-connected, you will have to manually retrieve it from the vehicle to review or use any footage. Not only is this inconvenient—it also poses a security risk, since the footage is stored locally. Internet-connected dash cams are more secure and can automatically upload safety-related event footage to the cloud, making it possible to coach and exonerate drivers in real-time.
Harsh Event Detection
Make sure to choose a dash cam solution that connects to a telematics device with gyroscope and accelerometer data. This way, the system can detect harsh braking, harsh turning, harsh acceleration and collisions.
In-Cab Alerts
The best dash cams have a built-in audio speaker that can alert drivers to potential unsafe behavior in real-time. Immediate feedback from in-cab voice coaching is proven to improve driver behavior and help reduce preventable accidents.
Streamlined Coaching Tools
When it comes to choosing the best dash cam, software is just as important as hardware. Look for a solution that helps you make sense of your raw data and footage—with tools that aggregate coachable events, make it easy to coach drivers with suggested scripts, and track safety trends and improvements over time.
HD Video Quality
Crisp video quality is critical when reviewing video footage. For optimal quality, look for a dash cam with a wide-angle lens or high dynamic range (HDR) that offers full HD video. Consider FHD or HD 1080p video if you want resolution strong enough to read license plates and detect whether drivers’ eyes are open or closed.
Low-Light or Night Vision
If your drivers often operate at night, choosing a dash cam with low-light or night vision capabilities is extremely important. Look for a dash cam with HDR and infrared LED to ensure nighttime footage is still crisp and clear.
Plug-and-Play Installation
Deploying dash cams in dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of vehicles is no easy feat—which is why choosing hardware that’s easy to install is so important. The best dash cams include an adhesive strip and adjustable viewing angle for easy installation on your windshield, as well as no hard-wiring into your vehicle.
Protect drivers in the moments that matter with Samsara AI Dash Cams, which empower fleet drivers to build safe habits with real-time coaching. Samsara’s robust coaching and reporting tools make it easy to optimize driver performance and maximize coaching effectiveness.
