Transform Your Fleet Management with Accurate Intelligence

Today, optimizing commercial fleet management, efficiency, and driver safety has never been more important. The industry is under immense pressure to do more with less and keep up with the rapidly changing business needs, safety requirements, and customer expectations.

Imagine if you could provide your drivers with an added level of safety and security while on the road, improve fleet productivity, and lower your insurance premiums—all with one simple solution. Intelligent dash cams—featuring automated capabilities driven by artificial intelligence (AI)—can provide a wealth of benefits for commercial fleets, including greater safety, productivity, and other operational advantages.

Indeed, “advances in fleet and safety technology are transforming the industry at a foundational level,” as Forbes described in March 2022. “There are proven benefits to implementing an AI solution within fleets, such as improving the driver experience or intelligently anticipating customer needs to improve operational flexibility.”

What’s more, dash cameras with accurate intelligence exceed the capabilities of today’s other video devices. They provide not only better visibility, but proactive measures to protect fleet drivers and others.

How Does ‘Accurate Intelligence’ Work?

Accurate intelligence in dash cams ensures managers and owners can rely on those tools to increase safety and yield better performance results. Dash cams achieve accurate intelligence through rigorous design, production, and testing efforts, including:

• unrelenting algorithms that have been tested rigorously and are proven effective;
• elimination of driver confidence shattering erroneous events like false positives;
• hardware that is robust and tamper-proof;
• industry-recognized advantages over other intelligent solutions; and
• support from a manufacturer with a foundation of success in fleet technology.

Just over the horizon is a future where these dash cams are as common in fleet vehicles as seat belts—and for a good reason. This report explores the advantages that dash cams with accurate intelligence offer drivers and fleet managers. We also demonstrate how these dash cams can help improve driver behavior, reduce collisions and incidents, and keep track of your fleet’s movements in real-time. We discuss the future of automotive recording in fleet management, including the importance of recording cameras for autonomous vehicles. Finally, we provide recommendations as to how you can choose the right technology for your fleet.

The Evolution of Dash Cams

To start, let’s consider the basics of dash cam technology. Dash cams are video recording devices that capture footage around a vehicle, inside the vehicle, or both. In most cases, one or more cameras record both the front and interior views of the vehicle; they can be triggered to start recording when the ignition is turned on.

Intelligent dash cams are different. Once activated, they can use AI technology to identify and flag incidents as they happen. They use machine vision, which functions in a way similar to the way humans see. Machine vision cameras combined with AI software can identify dangerous driving behaviors and unsafe movements of the vehicle. This information is then used to provide real-time alerts to the driver and fleet manager, among other capabilities. The device can automatically save footage of an incident to the cloud so that it can be reviewed later as well.

Even so, many AI-driven cameras struggle with accuracy; a shortcoming that can negate all the benefits of AI capabilities, and even hurt driver experiences and even driver retention. Fleets must strive for not just intelligence, but accurate intelligence, so that their drivers appreciate their dash camera technology.

Recent Research Shows Positive Results

Already, industry studies are demonstrating the advantages of dash cams with accurate intelligence, and AI applications in general. A recent study of 5,000 different fleets found that active use of AI technology led to 22% fewer accidents and 56% fewer unsafe driving incidents, Venture Beat reports. Another fleet has achieved a 25% increase in fleet efficiency; decreased employee hours, gas, and mileage; and enhanced driver safety with the implementation of intelligent dash cams, Utility Products reports.

The technology is only getting better. The latest models detect distracted driving, support advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), provide drivers with collision avoidance alerts, and target where driver training is needed. Accurate, AI-driven dash cams provide fleet managers with real-time visibility of their vehicles on the road; they help fleet managers and drivers work together to maximize safety and productivity.

Intelligent dash cams are only becoming more prevalent as well. The market for dash cams will nearly double in size from USD 3.61 billion in 2021 to USD 8.47 billion in 2028, Grand View Research reports. As use cases for intelligent dash cams continue to emerge, it’s clear that the technology is more than a “nice to have” for fleets—intelligent dash cams are quickly becoming a necessity. 

5 Ways Intelligent Dash Cams Can Transform Commercial Fleets

“Technology and automation are the future of every industry, including commercial fleets,” according to one analysis. As we will demonstrate, fleet managers that invest in dash cams with accurate intelligence early can achieve a competitive advantage whereas fleets that wait might not. But “to maximize the benefits of integrating dash cams into your fleet, it is essential to invest in dash cams with maximum features,” the analysis continues.

The following six categories feature insights on how these dash cams can improve your fleet today and in the future. Consider these benefits as you imagine existing problem areas and use cases for more accurate AI-driven dash cams within your fleet.

1. Fleet Productivity:

There are dozens of elements that contribute to fleet productivity, including equipment quality, training, routing, and digital tools. One of the most important—and often overlooked—aspects of fleet productivity is driver behavior. Studies have shown that poor driver behavior, such as speeding, distracted driving, hard braking, and aggressive acceleration, is a leading cause of collisions and incidents. Not only do these behaviors put your drivers at risk; they lead to increased wear and tear on your vehicles, resulting in higher maintenance and repair costs.

A driver monitoring system with accurate intelligence can help. “By targeting these specific issues and correcting them… fleet managers can save time and money that would have gone to insurance rate increases and vehicle repairs,” Fleet Maintenance suggests. ”Instead, they can use those resources to drive efficiency and productivity which will increase the bottom line.” What’s more, dash cams that automatically flag incidents allow managers to quickly identify and address problem areas, such as a particular stretch of road where inefficiencies or poor driver behavior are more likely to occur.

Dash cams with accurate intelligence help fleet managers identify advantages as well. For example, it’s often difficult for fleet managers to identify their best drivers, understand their strengths, and optimize their experiences for both productivity and driver satisfaction. Fleet managers who can visualize these strengths in a comprehensive way can learn more and take active steps toward driver retention.

Finally, dash cams with accurate intelligence can help improve driver behavior: by providing real-time feedback to drivers on their performance, and by automatically flagging incidents for review. By giving a driver real-time feedback on their performance, they can correct unsafe behaviors immediately rather than to continue throughout their shift. Accurate, AI-driven dash cams can even help fleet managers monitor the results of driver training programs by providing a record of how they perform on the road. 

2. Fleet and Driver Safety: 

Improved driver safety—not just recording collisions and incidents but preventing them from happening at all—is perhaps one of the most important, proactive benefits these dash cams provide. These dash cams will function as an extra set of eyes on the road, helping to identify potential hazards and then notifying the driver before they cause an incident. 

If a collision or incident does occur, a dash cam with accurate intelligence will continue to protect the driver. Its functionality exceeds that of other AI-driven solutions, ensuring footage can be used to determine who was at fault—potentially shielding drivers from false claims. Even without an incident, dash cam footage could be used to defend drivers against false accusations of unsafe driving.

Increasingly, intelligent dash cams feature even more sophisticated, real-time technologies. An ADAS (advanced driver assistance system) uses data from onboard sensors to monitor a driver’s blind spots and notify them of potential hazards. This is especially beneficial for large commercial fleets, such as those in the construction or waste management industries, where vehicles often operate close to one another.

3. Collision and Incident Prevention

As suggested earlier, dash cams with accurate intelligence can help prevent collisions and incidents from happening in the first place. These dash cams can help identify hazards in real time and signal the driver immediately. For example, a dash cam can be equipped with features such as DMS to detect unsafe driving behaviors like the use of cell phones, distraction, and drowsiness. Accuracy is paramount so as not to lose driver confidence. Accurate algorithms mean accurate events. 

4. Real-Time Vehicle Visibility

Fleet managers can keep track of their vehicles in real time. Many of these dash cams come equipped with sophisticated GPS tracking capabilities that not only allow fleet managers to see the location of their vehicles but track important metrics about vehicle context and mobility. This is particularly useful for large fleets that need to keep track of multiple vehicles spread out over great distances. Live streaming features as part of a driver monitoring system may allow fleet managers to see what is happening inside a vehicle at any time of their choosing as well.

5. Reduced Insurance Premiums

Investing in these dash cams for a whole fleet can help lower insurance premiums for fleet owners. Dash cams with accurate intelligence can do more to prove drivers are behaving safely and responsibly, and even help fleets defend their drivers against false accusations of unsafe driving. Dash cams can also help protect your fleet from uninsured motorists; the footage is more likely to help identify the at-fault driver in an accident, which can help fleet managers recover damages from their insurance company.

6 Things to Consider Before Adopting Dash Cams with Accurate Intelligence

Ultimately, your decision to adopt these dash cams as a fleet management solution depends on your specific needs and objectives. But no matter the case, it’s certain these dash cams can help improve some degrees of safety, productivity, and efficiency in your fleet. 

Begin by strategically evaluating your need for the technology. Here are some steps to help you determine if accurate, AI-driven dash cams are the right choice for your commercial fleet:

1. Assess your specific needs and objectives. Before even considering these dash cams, determine what are your greatest pain points and objectives within your fleet today. List these items with brief descriptions of what you hope to accomplish in those areas.
2. Consider the benefits of dash cams. Identify where in that list these dash cams can help, based on the benefits outlined above. For example, you may have listed “reduce operational costs” or “improve driver behavior,” areas in which AI with greater accuracy can help.
3. Determine if you need integration capabilities to other solutions. Most fleets have a number of different technologies and solutions for productivity and safety. Before making a decision, be sure to pinpoint any possible integrations you may need between existing equipment and the new dash camera. 
4. Speak to experts. “Sanity check” your assumptions about how these dash cams can help you achieve these objectives. Speak to colleagues or other fleet operators who have used dash cams with accurate intelligence or connect with a provider like Rosco Vision with questions specific to your unique operations.
5. Evaluate the costs. To the best of your ability, conduct a cost-benefit analysis based on an estimate from a leading provider and the real business value you anticipate enjoying as a result of your investment. 
6. Make a decision. Discuss your assessment with your internal stakeholders and team leaders to ensure technology adoption will be mutually agreed upon and successful. Once you have an answer, you can be confident in whatever decision you make.

Keep in mind that intelligent dash cams are quickly becoming a staple in commercial fleets. They continue to grow in their sophistication as they become more accurate and incorporate the latest advances in AI technology as well. 

Fleet Transformation and the Future of Automotive Recording

In many ways, AI-driven recording systems are just one element within a broader spectrum of next-generation fleet technologies. For example, electric, autonomous, and connected vehicles are poised to majorly impact how fleets operate in the future. All these technologies are converging to create a more intelligent, sustainable, accurate, and efficient fleet management ecosystem:

• Electric vehicles are becoming increasingly popular among commercial fleets due to their low operating costs and reduced environmental impact.
• Autonomous vehicles are also beginning to enter the market, and while they are not yet ready for widespread adoption, they hold great promise for reducing collisions and increasing efficiency.
• Connected vehicles have new implications for the fleet management landscape as well. These vehicles are equipped with sensors and other technology that allows them to communicate with each other and with infrastructure, such as traffic lights. This data can be used to improve traffic flow and increase safety, among other benefits. Both electric and autonomous vehicles could be connected in these ways.

Dash cams with accurate intelligence are just one piece of this puzzle, but they are essential no matter the makeup of your future fleet. No matter your decision today, continue to evaluate how these dash cams will play a role in your ongoing approach to fleet management.

Rosco Vision is a leading provider of accurate, AI-driven dash cam solutions. With over 115 years of knowledge and experience in the automotive industry, we’re continuing our legacy of innovation with the best in both AI fleet technology and ongoing customer support.