Category: Blog

Wireless Car Tracker Devices in Popular Media

Posted on | by Jimmy Song

Wireless car tracker devices are multimedia! They are showing up in various media including TV shows, movies, and video games.

In this blog, we discuss two questions:

#1 – Why are wireless car tracker devices showing up in popular media?

#2 – What are some examples of tracking devices in popular media?

Why are wireless car tracker devices showing up in popular media?

One of the reasons is called product placement, which is a neat marketing trick! Product placement means that characters on a TV show, movie, or game use a product. It’s a clever marketing tactic to subtly teach consumers about a product.

In other words, rather than annoying people with commercials about wireless car tracker devices, marketers make people say, “Ah-ha! I remember those devices from that show!”

What are some examples of tracking devices in popular media?

“Breaking Bad”

Media: TV show

“Breaking Bad” is one of the highest rated TV shows in recent history. It features anti-hero Walter White.

Walter is a chemistry teacher who is suffering from a terminal illness. Walter only has 1 item on his bucket list, which is finding a way to provide for his family after he dies. He settles on cooking drugs, and with his chemistry skills, develops a popular drug.

During the episodes, Walter dives into the illegal drug trade. Throughout Walter’s journey, several people use GPS trackers. For example, a drug producer uses devices to track and manage his distributor network. In another example, a cop plants a tracker in a car and monitors a suspect.

“Batman”

Media: Comic books, movies, TV shows, and video games

“Batman” is one of the best known superheroes. He protects Gotham City from criminals with his vigilante brand of justice.

Batman is so popular that DC Comics published several series. Each series takes place in its own “multiverse”, which means each Batman has his own story.

However, across all of the multiverses, Batman uses similar gadgets. One of these gadgets is Batman’s tracking device. Batman uses either wireless car tracker devices or phone trackers to hunt down fleeing criminals.

“Pokemon GO”

Media: Video games

Pokemon is a popular kids show. The show features trainers who travel around the world and capture creatures called Pokemon. The trainers then bond with their Pokemon, and train them. After training their Pokemon, trainers compete with other trainers to see whose Pokemon is stronger.

Pokemon, just like Batman, is in many forms of media including video games. One recent video game is Pokemon GO. Pokemon GO is a mobile game that takes place in our everyday world. Users can download the game app and hunt for Pokemon that appear in real-life locations. Users would then capture the Pokemon by going to marked locations.

One of Pokemon GO’s features is a GPS tracker for other users. After reaching a certain user level, users can locate other users’ phones. Gamers can then meet up and work together (or battle to see who has the stronger Pokemon!).

Links
The Balance: The Delicate Art of Product Placement Advertising

Driver Safety Course: Common Driving Mistakes

Posted on | by Jimmy Song

What are some common driving mistakes? New or veteran drivers are all guilty of a few mistakes. However, as bad as some people think of their driving skills, most drivers have never had the misfortune of appearing on the “Canada’s Worst Driver” driver safety course.

Canada’s Worst Driver is a TV show based off the British show. Bad drivers are nominated by their family and friends to be rehabilitated on the “Canada’s Worst Driver’s” driver safety course.

To be fair, there are some truly challenging obstacles on that training course. Here is a clip from the show:

We’ll take a look at some of the most common driving mistakes, not just from Canada’s Worst Drivers, but from everyday drivers.

most common driving mistakes

1) Not following the speed limit.

Driving too fast (or too slow!) is a big one. In fact, speeding is heavily linked to causing accidents.

Here’s the most interesting stat. Almost everyone knows speeding is bad but they do it anyway! A few years ago, in an Alberta survey, 82% of people believed that speeding is bad but 52% of people still admit to speeding.

In other words, speeding is completely blamable on human error! Besides keeping an eye on their speed, some drivers use speed sensors to remind them to slow down.

2) Abrupt starts/stops

Harsh braking and acceleration is another common mistake. Not only can they cause accidents, but harsh driving is a fuel killer.

Going back to Canada’s Worst Drivers, the Water Bucket Challenge tests drivers on harsh driving and is an audience favourite. A large water bucket is mounted on top of the driver’s roofless car. Whenever the driver accelerates or brakes harshly, the water spills on everyone in the car.

Similarly to the water bucket challenge, instructors often tell new drivers to imagine a water glass in their car. The goal is to drive smoothly and prevent the glass from spilling.

3) Improper lane changes

Improper lane changes are next on our list. Lane changes are one of the most common ways for drivers to get in an accident. Many accidents happen because drivers forget to check their blind spot and crash into a neighbouring car.

How can drivers avoid this mistake? The biggest tip is to remember your driver safety course! A lot of instructors teach the acronym MSB, or at least some variation. MSB stands for Mirror, Signal, Blind spot check. Drivers should check of the 3 spots during every single lane change.

Another tip is to install blind spot sensors. Some drivers equip their cars with sensors that warn them of any unsafe lane changes.

4) Distracted driving

Distracted driving deserves its own spot on this list. Everyone knows that distracted driving is bad. Yet, drivers still do it all the time. Just the other day, I saw a driver texting because the traffic was moving slowly!

Speaking of texting and driving, that is one of the biggest forms of distracted driving. However, it is certainly not the only form of distracted driving!

Some other common distractions include talking to passengers, staring at the GPS navigator, or even pressing skip on an annoying music track.

5) Not paying attention in parking lots

Other than being careful on the road, drivers need to pay attention in parking lots. Parking lots have large accident rates because it is a busy environment with lots of distractions.

Here are some statistics. In parking lots, 63% of drivers plan their trip on their navigators, 60% of drivers talk on the phone, and 53% of drivers groom themselves. There are a lot of distractions!

pay attention in parking lots

Needless to mention, drivers need to pay more attention in parking lots. Drivers need to put away all distractions after starting the vehicle.

6) Overconfidence

Finally, overconfidence is a common driving mistake. A lot of drivers, even veteran drivers, put themselves at risk.

According to studies, 8 out 10 people believe that they are above average drivers. However, 90% of accidents are caused by human errors. Based on those numbers, above average drivers still make errors! As a result, veteran drivers should remember that they too can get in accidents from carelessness.

Links
EHS Today: Black Friday Alert: Driving Through a Parking Lot Is Still Driving!
Business Insider: Americans are dangerously overconfident in their driving skills —but they’re about to get a harsh reality check
CBC: Speeding is bad but we do it anyway, Alberta drivers tell AMA

5 ZenScore Widgets You Have to Use

Posted on | by Wisam Abou-diab

The ZenScore Dashboard 

 

When you’re managing a fleet, you are always looking for ways to improve your drivers driving habits, and look for savings in fuel costs and maintenance. ZenScore is very effective in doing that, and we’ll talk about how the dashboard will allow you to meet your goals with your fleet.

 

The dashboard is a feature within ZenScore that gives you a live display of your fleets driving performance, by showing the data in charts and graphics. The charts are fully customizable to your liking and can range from pie charts, line charts, and heat maps. These charts are referred to as widgets, and can be arranged on the screen as you prefer.

 

The dashboard can be displayed on a screen in your office, for drivers to see when they come in, and see how their fleets performing, or how they compare to other drivers. This will incentivize your drivers to drive better, and rank higher, especially if you run a contest.

 

Let’s review the top 5 widgets we think you need to be showing:

 

 

1. Incidents

 

Incidents

In the incidents widget, you are able to choose which rules you’d like “incidents” to represent, such as speeding or harsh braking. You are able to select up to 8 rules and decide what type of chart you’d like to use.

 

 

2. Top 10 Drivers

 

Top 10 Drivers

You can decide what 8 or fewer rules you want to select which will decide who the top drivers are. You may select idle time, harsh braking, speeding & hard acceleration, or any other rules you want to include.

 

 

3. Heat Map

 

Heat Map

The heat map will show darker colored areas where the most rules are broken. The map is fully interactive, and the data will refresh frequently. This is a great way for you or your drivers to see where the problem areas are.

 

 

4. Driver Contest Top 10

 

Driver Contest

When you decide to run a contest, explained in our blog here, you can create a widget that shows the current standings of the top drivers, from 1 – 10. This is a great way to motivate drivers to win by improving their safe driving practices while saving you lots of money in the long run!

 

 

5. HOS Violations

 

HOS Violations

We know that tracking driver’s hours is very crucial to your business. Create the HOS Violations widget to see how many incidents there were per day. Tracking this is important for the safety of your drivers, and for protecting you from fines that can be up to $16,000 per violation.

 

Now that you know the top 5 widgets, start using them today to run a safer and more efficient fleet!

How to Develop and Write a Fleet Management Business Plan

Posted on | by Jimmy Song

A fleet management business plan is the blueprint for a fleet’s success – literally! Similarly to a blueprint, a business plan designs the fleet’s future success by looking at current conditions, discussing projects, and predicting future success outcomes.

In this post, we will answer:

1 – Why should fleets develop a fleet management business plan?

2 – What makes a good fleet management business plan?

1 – Why should fleets develop a fleet management business plan?

Humans need plans to stay on target. A great example is my writing style.

In elementary school, I was an average to a below-average writer. I had a good foundation because I read a lot and liked writing. However, I wrote without planning and often had disorganized content.

What changed my writing style? One of my high school English teachers inspired me to start using writing outlines. Then, I transformed from an average writer to an above average writer. Because I started creating outlines, I planned content before writing and focused on wordsmithing while writing! As a result, my work became well-organized.

Similarly, fleet management plans help fleets identify priorities and plan projects. It then allows the fleet to create key performance indicators to monitor yearly goals.

2 – What makes a good fleet management business plan?

A “good” plan doesn’t have an exact formula. However, it should discuss a fleet’s current situation, plan projects to improve its situation, and explain expected results.

I want to thank the team at the City of Edmonton who produced an excellent business plan and allowed us to reshare their plan. We will illustrate a good business plan by going through standard business plan elements, with examples from the City of Edmonton’s plan.

Introduction

The business plan should explain the plan’s purpose and help readers identify the fleet’s overarching objectives.

Edmonton

The City of Edmonton has a great introduction. Steve Rapanos, the Branch Manager, describes that their Fleet team oversees purchase, maintenance, and safety, while aligning with the city’s The Way Ahead initiative. The introduction is short yet informative, and even better, has a personal message from the Director!

Situational Analysis

Next, the business plan should provide an overview of the fleet’s current situation. There are a few ways to do this. For example, some plans include a SWOT analysis. A SWOT stands for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats, and is an excellent way to paint a picture of the current situation.

Edmonton

overview of the fleet’s current situation

Edmonton’s business plan discussed its situation by identifying and assessing its risks. This is a great framework because the plan pinpoints the most critical business areas. For instance, Occupational Health and Safety is marked as a likely and serious risk. As a result, Edmonton prioritized safety projects in its plan.

Objective Setting & Projects

Here is the meaty part of the business plan! After determining priorities, it’s now time to set up objectives. Fleet plans should outline measurable objectives and outline ideas or projects that support meeting these targets.

Edmonton

plan preventative maintenance

Edmonton’s business plan effectively linked needs with projects. For instance, since Edmonton’s situation analysis concluded that safety is a high priority risk, a lot of the planned projects are focused on safety and maintenance.

Measuring Success

Finally, the business plan should indicate how to measure success. One of the most effective ways to do this is to set up financial measures or key performance indicators.

Edmonton

measure success

Metrics support the Edmonton’s plans. For example, in order to measure safety success, 85% or more of City drivers should have zero demerit points. This metric is effective because it directly links with the City’s safety goals and projects.

Links:
Faster: Sample Business Plan for Fleet XYZ
City of Edmonton: 2016-2018 Business Plan

Managing Driving Fatigue Around Daylight Savings Time

Posted on | by Jimmy Song

Recently, the clocks sprang forward for Daylight Savings Time. Although people enjoy more sunlight in the evening, fleet safety managers are concerned about managing driver fatigue. According to studies, people are 17% more likely to get in an accident on the Monday after the time change.

Of course, that doesn’t Daylight Savings Time is an awful idea! Let’s explore the history of daylight savings time and discuss managing driver fatigue.

History of Daylight Savings Time

Who thought of Daylight Savings Time? Daylight Savings Time has hundreds of years of history.

Benjamin Franklin

Benjamin Franklin was one of the thought leaders for Daylight Savings Time – he strongly believed that people should rely on sunlight rather than candles. Franklin then published an essay where he summarized that the economy could save millions of dollars with sunlight.

William Willett

While Franklin thought about maximizing sunlight, Willett was the one who suggested an actual time change. One day, Willett realized that people can get more sunlight by advancing clocks by an hour between spring and fall.Year after year, the British parliament mulled over Willett’s idea.

Wartime & Afterwards

Daylights Savings did not take place until the First World War, where countries needed to save energy. It was actually Germany who first used Daylight Savings. England and the Allies soon followed suit.

After the war, some cities continued using Daylight Savings Time. Eventually, governments realized that it made more sense for everyone to have Daylight Savings Time and passed a law to do so. Today, about 40% of places use Daylight Savings Time!

Daylight Savings & Road Safety

Road safety was perhaps something Franklin and Willett didn’t consider. Cars, after all, were not popularized until the 1900s!

Daylight Savings Time affects road safety because:

Driver fatigue. Losing an hour is bad news for sleep lovers! In addition to the lost hour, most people find it hard to force themselves to sleep earlier. Of course, by losing sleep, people have reduced physical and mental ability in the morning.

Visibility. While Daylight Savings mean longer evenings, it also means darker morning drives. Early March is always a tease; before Daylight Savings Time, people get a preview of bright mornings but are then treated to a dark morning after Daylight Savings Time kicks in!

Managing Driver Fatigue

Drivers and fleets both have a role in managing driver fatigue.

Drivers

People can reduce fatigue by managing their sleeping schedules. Some of the top tips include:

7 Day Adjustment

The National Sleep Foundation recommends using an entire week to prepare for Daylight Savings. Each day, people should sleep 10 minutes earlier than the day before. As a result, an entire hour is made up by the week’s end.

Bedtime Ritual

Another tip is to work on a bedtime ritual. Some rituals such as avoiding electronics or food before sleep should be universal. Other rituals depend on the person. For example, I sometimes play light instrumental music to help me fall asleep.

Fleets

Driver supervisors are also taking charge of managing driver fatigue.

Case Study: Driver Fatigue Detection

Some fleets use driver fatigue detection sensors. Fatigue detection sensors scan a driver’s facial structure to measure their fatigue. During the Daylight Savings Time switch, some managers took a positive spin by using fatigue sensors to identify and reward alert drivers!

Click here to learn more about the Dangers of Driver Fatigue!

Links
History: 8 Things You May Not Know About Daylight Saving Time
Telegram: Deadly car crashes spike after changing clocks for Daylight Saving Time

How much does fleet tracking cost?

Posted on | by Jimmy Song

Here is a FAQ. How much does fleet tracking cost?

Fleet tracking consists of both hardware and software. In this post, we will explore each of the two areas to determine how much does fleet tracking cost.

Hardware & Installation

Hardware is the first part of the total fleet tracking cost. There are usually three hardware alternatives:

Mobile tracking

Mobile tracking is the first hardware alternative. In other words, the fleet tracks its vehicles through their drivers’ phones. A lot of mobile apps are good enough to provide location updates and even location reports.

Of course, since mobile tracking uses a driver’s smartphone, there are no hardware costs and no installation costs.

Plug-in device

Device tracking is the second hardware alternative. In this scenario, plug-in devices are connected to vehicles. Compared to mobile tracking, a plug-in device provides additional data such as advanced driving habits and vehicle diagnostics.

Device costs vary based on the model. For example, some online products can go for less than $100. However, business-level devices can cost up to $200 – $500.

What about installation? Customers usually self-install plug-in devices and save on installation charges. Simple plug-ins can be done in a few seconds. Secure discrete plug-ins, on the other hand, might take the average person 10-15 minutes to install.

Hardwired solution

Hardwiring is the third hardware alternative. Typically, hardwiring is required when vehicles are too old to have plug-in models.

Hardwiring usually has the highest cost of the three alternatives. Since hardwiring requires professional installation, the start-up fee could cost more than $1000. Another cost is lost business time. The business loses revenue-generating time when the vehicles are in the shop rather than on the road.

Software Service

The software is the second part of the fleet tracking system price. Why is there a monthly charge? There are two big reasons:

Cell/satellite service. Here’s a role reversal – how much does fleet tracking cost to a provider? Providers need to pay for SIM cards, cell service, or even satellite service to provide vehicle tracking. This cost is reflected in the monthly fee.

Software and service. Fleet tracking doesn’t mean looking at a map all day! Fleet tracking systems are similar to office programs like Microsoft Office. The program collects data and generates reports. It is also supported by success teams that train customers, solves technical problems, and suggest data-driven business solutions!

So how much does fleet tracking cost monthly? There are usually two ways to charge monthly – on tier plans or on customized pricing.

Tier Plans

Tier plans are similar to cell phone plans. Just like cell plans, there are different levels of service and pricing – all with their own features! In that case, one customer might pay $25/month whereas another pays $80/month!

Customized Pricing

Customized pricing, conversely, is more like an à la carte service at a restaurant. You only pay for what you use! “Some customers only need fleet tracking for 2 or 3 reasons,” said a sales manager. “Customers sometimes are locked into bundles where they don’t need the other 5 features and are being overcharged. Instead, a better way to retain customers is balancing functionality with pricing.”

Contact our consulting team to discuss pricing an estimate!

Why Use ZenScore? What it is, How to Use it, & Benefits!

Posted on | by Wisam Abou-diab

 

 

What is ZenScore? 

 

ZenScore is an add-in found within MyGeotab and it’s completely free. Simply scroll to the bottom of the sidebar, and you will see the ZenScore add-in. But what is it? Let’s dive right in.

First off, ZenScore summarizes specific key performance indicators that you can customize based on your business goals, including a view of historical data in order to observe pain areas that need improvements, for example, speeding or harsh acceleration. When you open ZenScore, your data will already be loaded automatically for your review! You can run reports based on different time periods, and see how your fleet is performing. Drivers will see the settings you created, contests you made, and they will see their performance all on their phone or tablet! All they need to do is download the ZenScore Mobile App.

Fleet Report

Once you know where you need improvements, you may create contests and view your driver’s scores based on the KPI’s you set. For example, if your fleet is speeding too much, you can create a contest within ZenScore based on speeding, then rank your drivers based on this KPI. The drivers will see the final results of the contest, which will help incentivize improvements. You may also decide to give a reward to the winners for extra motivation!

As an added feature, built in training videos are available to drivers that are continually struggling with areas such as hard acceleration, harsh braking, and harsh cornering, etc. These training videos may also be used for new drivers that just came on board. You may also easily add your own videos that you find are effective.

As a new feature, you have the capability to create your own dashboards where you can add widgets such as heat maps, incidents summaries, idling line charts, HOS violations, Driver Scores, and much more! Use the Dashboards to display in your office to see how your fleet is performing in real-time!

ZenScore Dashboard

 

 

How Do You Use ZenScore?

Once you click into ZenScore, the data is already synced for you! This data came from your Geotab devices installed in your fleet.

First, you will need to set the KPIs that you want to optimize in your fleet. To do this, simply go into the settings, and select which rules you would to see! You will notice that if you had any customized rules, they will already be synced. Just check them off to make them visible! Done. Now you can see your KPI’s, it’s that easy. You will notice that you can track improvements even from here since it shows you the data from different time periods.

Now, go ahead and set your customized reports to be emailed to you automatically, either daily, weekly, or monthly. Go to settings, and select email reports. Customize the time period and other settings, and you’re all set! Adding training videos is very easy as well. In the settings, select add video, and enter the video URL!

ZenScore Email Reports

You may add contests by going to the contests tab. Add a relevant title such as “Lowest Speeders Contest – April, 2018”. You can choose the rule that you want to measure, your fleet’s goal, as well as the reward description. You can get creative with this!

 

 

So in the End, How Does ZenScore Benefit Your Company?

ZenScore will have many measurable benefits for your company. Firstly, you will see savings on your fuel costs. When your drivers start driving more efficiently, and less aggressive, the vehicles will use less gas. Aggressive driving can lower your gas mileage by 10% – 40%! 1

By encouraging safe driving, this will lower the risk of incidents, and in the long run, save you money for costly repairs and downtime. Also, wear and tear will be decreased on the vehicles, reducing repairs and maintenance.

With ZenScore, measuring your fleet’s performance has never been so easy. Measure performance, encourage improvements and start saving money now with ZenScore, a consolidated and convenient fleet management system.

 

 

 

 

Sources: 1 Driving More Efficiently, https://www.ornl.gov/news/sensible-driving-saves-more-gas-drivers-think

 

Telematics Benefits | The 2018 Edition

Posted on | by Jimmy Song

Telematics, or the art of monitoring vehicles and making data-driven decisions, is several decades old. Telematics benefits include improving productivity, safety, and maintenance.

What is telematics?

Whenever I teach telematics to newbies, I begin by comparing it to a stock market. People try to predict the future when they invest. They might look at anything from industry news to financial stats. In other words, people use data to make their decisions.

Telematics fleet management has the same idea. One of the biggest telematics benefits is being able to collect data and make decisions, just like investing.

Evolving role of telematics

evolution of telematics

Before 1996, telematics was only used in the military. After the technology was publicly released, people and businesses quickly adopted telematics.

Private users bought devices to protect their vehicles, and yes, even spy on family members! Businesses, on the other hand, use it to revamp their processes.

Today, a lot of people use and accept telematics. The question is no longer “what’s a telematics device” but rather “what else can devices be used for”?

Here are three new ways in 2018 to realize telematics benefits.

 

Consumers and insurance

In 2018, telematics and insurance go hand-in-hand. Many car makers are partnering with insurance providers to install and use telematics. Insurance companies realize that telematics is a great tool to acquire and keep customers.

Customer pricing

For a long time, insurance companies relied on trends such as age, gender, and location to determine their pricing plans. A lot of consumers felt that was unfair – after all, shouldn’t good drivers get better rates?

Enter telematics! Insurance companies can collect driver data and identify a driver’s risk level. As a result, insurance companies were able to offer competitive rates to keep good drivers.

Customer engagement

telematics increase customer engagement

Additionally, insurance companies realized that pricing is not the only way to engage customers. Ted Gramer, CEO of a driving app company, argues that consumers care equally about customer experience and pricing when deciding whether or not to stay with a company.

Some insurance companies use telematics to personalize customer experience. For instance, if the company notices that a driver struggles with speeding, it shares feedback with the driver. As a result, the driver is more likely to improve their driving habits and decrease their insurance rates.

Other business functions

In the past, only a few business functions used telematics. In 2018, other business departments started to realize telematics benefits. For instance, take a look at the following marketing and customer service ideas.

Marketing

telematics with social media

In some companies, marketing gurus combined telematics with social media to engage customers. A good example is Itty Bitty Donuts, a food truck company.

Marketers at Itty Bitty Donuts collected location data from its telematics system. Whenever the truck arrives in a city, the marketers published a targeted post for followers from that city. As a result, fans knew that yummy donuts are in town again!

Customer service

Customer service departments also started using telematics. For instance, a common problem is inaccurate bills. Inaccurate bills can occur for many reasons, including inaccurate data entry on invoices and illegible handwriting on service reports.

What’s a better way to manage this process? Some companies are using telematics for field service. For instance, the ZenduWork program uses vehicle history data to update and send forms. As a result, human error and inaccurate bills are reduced.

Video integration

If a picture is worth 1000 words, how many words are a video worth? A lot of companies are adding videos to their telematics system.

Smart Rules

camera systems with telematics

The most effective camera systems are the ones that integrate with telematics. Without telematics integration, the camera simply saves hours and hours of footage. Obviously, most of that footage is not important.

However, with telematics, the camera can save critical clips. For instance, a moving company wanted to record all instances when workers load and unload the truck. As a result, they set a “doors opened” rule on their telematics system and programmed the camera to start recording when that rule is triggered.

Links
Insurance Journal: Telematics CEO: 5 Trends to Watch in 2018 in Auto Insurance
Automotive Fleet: 12 Telematics Trends and Technologies
ASA Shop: Telematics: Past, Present, and Future

Why Some Commercial Vehicle Dashcams Fail

Posted on | by Jimmy Song

It’s no secret – having commercial vehicle dashcams is the industry norm. Frequently, there are stories about how dashcams reduce liability, simplify insurance claims, and train employees.

However, what about some of the other stories? Some companies experienced challenges on their first commercial vehicle dashcams. From faulty hardware to internal politics, their projects failed because of multiple roadblocks.

In this post, let’s review why some commercial vehicle dashcams fail and how companies can avoid these roadblocks.

Hardware issues

The #1 concern for all dashcams is if it works. “The cameras worked well for the first few months,” wrote an online reviewer. “Then, after a few months, we got in an accident. We only learned that the camera stopped recording footage after the accident!”

Unfortunately, the reviewer experienced the worst-case scenario – the camera was useless when it was most needed! Some common hardware issues include broken SD cards and ports.

How to avoid this issue?

Camera reputation. Purchasers must “screen” dashcams. Screening involves reviewing the camera vendor’s history or looking for references. Typically, the best hardware comes from vendors with multiple years of experience and with positive user reviews.

Trial program. Of course, the best way to evaluate cameras is to try them! Many vendors have a trial program on dashcams for commercial vehicles. As a result, purchasers can test cameras on a portion of their fleet before rolling out the entire product line.

Software support

In addition to hardware, the software makes up the second half of dashcam systems. As such, buggy software and poor support often lead to unsuccessful dashcam rollouts.

“Customer support is important,” said a purchasing manager. “Technology will always have bugs and glitches. However, the key question if we will receive good support when these issues arise.”

How to avoid this issue?

Onboarding. Although many dashcams are user-friendly, it is highly recommended to go through a vendor’s onboarding process. Most vendors offer free training to ensure that the database is correctly set up and to teach administrators on how to use the program.

Communication. Also, after installation and onboarding, many companies offer continuous support. For example, camera support teams work with their clients to retrieve certain footages and solve technical glitches. Therefore, successful camera rollouts often involve good communication between the customer and the camera provider.

Tampering

As strange as it sounds, sabotage is another reason for why camera projects fail.

Unfortunately, some companies experienced cases where drivers tampered with the camera. For instance, one company caught drivers who taped over camera lenses. In another company, managers discovered that some drivers removed and threw away SD cards.

How to avoid this issue?

Tamper-proof hardware. One of the best ways to eliminate tampering is to install tamper-proof hardware. For instance, some cameras are hard mounted and have SD card locks.

Cybersecurity. On the software side, there should be strong cybersecurity. “Cybersecurity was an important purchasing factor,” a purchasing manager said. “We wanted to leave no room for error so we only looked at secured cloud systems that had backup systems.”

Internal politics

Similar to sabotage, office politics can destroy a camera project from the inside. Commercial vehicle dashcams might not enjoy universal support. For instance, in one company, some drivers were concerned that cameras were “Big Brother” and threatened to quit. As a result, their managers decided not to invest in dashcams in fear of upsetting their drivers.

How to avoid this issue?

Education. Despite backlash from some drivers, a lot of drivers embrace dashcams after installation. “I think dashcams are great,” said a driver. “We’ve got some bad drivers on the road and unfortunately people always seem to point fingers at company drivers. I feel more comfortable knowing that I have a device that records what really happened.” Thus, managers are more successful when they educate drivers on how dashcams protect good drivers.

Commercial vehicle dashcams does not meet business needs

The last reason is that the system does not meet business needs. Consider the following trucking company.

The truck company’s biggest challenge was that their trucks traveled on the road for several weeks. They invested in dashcams but it was a poor fit. Since the dashcams did not wirelessly upload clips, the company needed to wait until the trucks returned to the yard in order to get the clips.

How to avoid this issue?

Business analysis. Business analysis is the process of identifying business needs and finding solutions. In the case of the trucking company, they should have identified their lengthy road schedule and matched it with a wirelessly uploading camera system.

Double checking on product specifications? Click here to get answers to FAQS on ZenduCAM!

Driver Risk Management | Driver Training & Management

Posted on | by Jimmy Song

“Hey boss, what do you think of the new driver?” Uh oh. Although most safety managers prepare great selection and training processes, it is often hard to measure a driver’s risk. That risk is called driver risk management.

Driver Risk Management

First, let’s discuss what is risk management. Risk management means identifying what can go wrong and then planning ahead to minimize those risks.

Here’s an example. Let’s say an NBA general manager is prospecting draft picks. The GM can have the perfect prospect – say a 7-foot center who can make a real impact on both sides of the court.

However, without proper risk management such as looking at health history, the pick can be disastrous. That’s what happened with Greg Oden, a super talented college star who never made an NBA impact because of multiple knee injuries.

Of course, the same concept applies to fleet management. Driver risk management is the process of figuring who are the riskiest drivers. Ideally, managers would want a crystal ball that would tell them which drivers will get in an accident.

Unfortunately, those crystal balls don’t exist. Without crystal balls, what are some good ways to have driver risk management?

Traditional management

For a long time, managers only looked at their drivers’ accident history. If a driver was in an accident, it’s more likely that they will be involved in another one. For that reason, these drivers are labeled as the riskiest.

Although this idea has reason, it shouldn’t be the only way to classify drivers. Some shortfalls include:

Reactive, not proactive

Perhaps the biggest shortfall is that traditional driver risk management is reactive. Managers would only classify a driver as risky after they get in an accident. That defeats the purpose of risk management, which is meant to prevent accidents from happening in the first place!

One-sided

Accident histories might not be the most reliable source of data. Since reports do not contain the entire story, managers still have to ask a few questions. How long ago was the accident? What caused the accident? Who was at fault? Accidents do not necessarily reflect a driver’s skills and it would be shortsighted to label a driver from a single incident.

Proactive management

The best practice in modern driver risk management is to proactively look at data. “Big data improves safety,” wrote Jorge Gonzales, a Geotab Solutions Engineer. “The quantity and quality of data is possible to process with the right tools.

Here are a few examples on how big data improved driver risk management.

Speeding data

Take a look at the graphs above. Clearly, the biggest change is the blue part. Blue represents speeding. When drivers speed, they are involved in more serious accidents.

Here is another graph. This graph shows that speeding is the most common GPS event when vehicles are involved in a collision.

It’s no secret that monitoring speeding directly correlates to driver risk. It’s like the movie Moneyball, where a baseball GM selects his players based on their On Base Percentage stat; many safety managers use speeding stats to gauge a driver’s accident risk.

Distracted driving

Distracted driving is another big area in risk management. According to a tort law called “negligent entrustment”, businesses can pay the price for distracted drivers.

Negligent entrustment is a fancy way of saying that a person is responsible when they let someone use a risky tool – a car, for example. Businesses must take reasonable steps to prevent distracted driving or they can be fined.

As a result, businesses started collecting data on distracted driving. For instance, some businesses use live streaming cameras to check if a driver is distracted. Other businesses use eye detectors to create distraction reports.

Online testing

Some managers use a framework called “ABC” to assess driver risk. ABC stands for Attitude, Behaviour, and Competence.

One of the coolest new ways to identify risky drivers is to use online testing. Online tests help managers complete a full picture on a driver. It assesses anything from their road knowledge to their concentration.

For example, E-Training World has online exercises to test driver concentration. In a test, a driver is shown a traffic picture for 12 seconds. After the 12 seconds, there is a multiple choice question about the picture.

Online testing, as a result, helps managers identify risky drivers who have not yet shown risky behaviours on the road.

Links
FleetNews: Driver training: Steps to a successful driver training strategy
automotiveFleet: A Paradigm Shift to Driver Risk Management
Geotab: Using Big Data for Road Safety: A Safety Analysis Based on Geotab Telematics Data