Preventative care is one of the most important aspects of a well-run business, but you can’t prevent everything from happening. That’s why dash cams and telematics are important.
Pairing the visual information captured by AI-powered dash cams with the ELD data that telematics tools offer can save you time and energy. This combination can even save you money, so let’s take a closer look at how that’s possible.
How Do Telematics & Dash Cams Save Fleets Money?
Telematics by itself can help you recognize future problems with the vehicles in your fleet, while dash cams provide feedback on the go and for future training or coaching. When the two are paired together, dash cams and telematics can yield money-saving results.
With the combination of visual and numerical data, the right AI-powered dashcam and telematics system duo will be a lifesaver. Keep reading to learn all about some of the more specific ways telematics and dash cams can save your fleet money.
Improve Driver Habits
Dash cameras provide a myriad of benefits for fleet management and risk reduction. AI-powered dash cams and telematics can help you protect your drivers from fatigue and distraction, provide real-time data, and help you understand your drivers habits to enhance coaching.
Understanding their behaviors on the road is key to uncovering why certain vehicles may need more maintenance than others. For instance, a dash cam can give insight on drivers that are harsh braking, which can cause overheating over time, ultimately shortening the lifespan of the brakes. In turn, harsh acceleration can destroy the drivetrain of a semi-truck, especially when hauling a truckload.
Dash cams can also help reduce litigation costs by providing a clear source of truth if accidents occur. Armed with video recorded data, you have better content of what happens on the road.
Better Insurance Premiums
Many insurance companies provide incentives for businesses that don’t end up needing to use them. Good driving rebates and discounts are common for safe drivers, saving them 40% or more.
In the world of trucking, these benefits go a step further. While a general consumer may want to opt out of an insurance company that tracks their every move, truckers are required by law to log where they go and when they go there, so why not save money doing so?
With trucking insurances rising at a rate of 10% year over year, savings between 7% and 9% can offset rising costs.
Live Air Pressure Tracking
The main problem that continually drains the profit margins of fleets is tire inflation pressure. Also, tire pressure affects fuel economy and other undercarriage issues.
Only 15% of tire-related incidents are surprises, meaning the majority of them are preventable. With telematics, you can track your tire pressure instead of you having to check it manually. Since every dip of 1 psi in air pressure reduces gas mileage by 0.2%, a leaky tire is a loss of money.
Fuel Economy Reports
Though tire pressure can ruin your fuel economy over time, the effect is nominal compared to diesel exhaust fuel (DEF) levels. DEF levels can cause drivers to burn fuel faster, putting your fleet in violation of emission regulations and resulting in costly fines.
Outside of the fines that DEF violations can cause, DEF levels can cause even more costly engine damage if undetected. Damage caused by DEF levels, as well as the fines that it will incur, will cost you even more money.
Telematics can track your DEF levels, but dash cam systems can show you if your fleet is a victim of fuel theft. Though dash cams won’t stop fuel theft, a watchful digital eye can deter it and give you peace of mind in the process.
Electrical Issues & Battery Consumption
Electric big rigs are a problem that manufacturers are trying to solve. Batteries can account for upwards of 50% of the total cost of an electric vehicle, but Battery Management Systems (BMS) don’t store usage data when a vehicle is not running. However, telematics always does, which is yet another benefit.
Be Prepared in the Present By Learning From the Past
Telematics systems only work because of the data you accumulate and uncover from shortcomings and proficiencies over time, accidents aside. Dash cams work by capturing the full sequence of events as they happen.
When bundled together, the power of AI-dash cams, data from telematics and a robust fleet management tool make it possible for your fleet to learn from the past and improve driver training for the future. This results in a safer and better future for everyone on the road.
FAQ
Telematics is a monitoring process that uses GPS and OBD to geolocate and monitor a vehicle’s vitals remotely.
AI-dash cams, or smart dash cams, capture footage in real-time and store it in the cloud for easy analysis. The AI-platform makes it easy to locate and use recordings to help vindicate drivers.
ELDs are commonly found in telematics devices and AI-powered dash cams. ELD devices track engine control units, or ECUs, to provide real-time data accurately.