Best Dual Dash Cam for Truckers

Trucking fleets are looking for the best dual dash cam for truckers, which shows both the driver’s view as well as in-cab, to help monitor risky driving behavior and exonerate drivers when they’re not at fault. Most truckers are aware of the benefits of having a dash cam, as it can protect them from points and claims, even job-loss, when they’re involved in an accident that wasn’t their fault. With a dual dash cam, truckers have even more protection, as it can prove they were attentive and quick to react in the case of an event.  Fleet safety managers like dual dash cams for truckers because they can get video of in-cab driver behavior when an event occurs, providing the ability to effectively coach drivers.

The best dual dash cam for truckers will trigger a recording of an event when it senses an impact or other g-force event, such as U-turns, swerving or hard-stopping. A great dual dash cam will also use computer vision (CV) and artificial intelligence (AI) to detect such driver behaviors as close following, speeding, speeding for conditions, distracted driving and drowsy driving. A comprehensive dash cam safety program will have extended recording capabilities, in which the recording is on a continuous cycle and video can be pulled in the event of a low-impact event.

There are 10 main considerations when choosing the best dual dash cam for: flexibility, sampling volume, driver coaching workflow and tools, truck camera options, leveraging truck data, data sources, video availability, management metrics and KPIs, managed services and reviews, dash cam recording options, open platform, and back-office systems integration.

1. Flexibility: Selecting the best dual dash cam for truckers shouldn’t be a one-size-fits-all

Because your fleet operates in a dynamic business environment, you need a dual dash cam that has the flexibility to meet your fleet’s changing needs. When selecting, look for a program that provides:

• Customization Options: Customization options that enable you to adjust the weighting for specific driving risks and determine what should be included in driver coaching. The ability to fit the program to your safety policy minimizes the impact of change on your managers and your drivers, accelerating adoption and results.
• Upgrade: The freedom to upgrade at any time with existing hardware, including adding truck cameras around the vehicle for a 360-degree view.

Choosing the best dual dash cam without the power and flexibility of configurability or upgrade locks you into a program that your fleet could quickly outgrow. A fully customizable video-based safety program drives maximum value by keeping pace with your business and unique operation characteristics.

2. Sampling Video-Event Volume Consistency: Know your fleet is safer

The best dual dash cam for truckers is one that delivers consistently reviewed events each month to provide accurate measurement of risk, which is critical to a safer fleet.

• Some dash cam programs quantify risk reduction based on the number of videos being triggered – meaning if you have fewer videos each month, your fleet is getting safer. However, this approach overestimates improvement and relies on the trigger as the primary measure of risk.
• Triggering video is only the first step in the process. Expert review of that video is a necessary step to verify and quantify risk.

The only way to know if your drivers are getting safer is to invest in a dual dash cam program that captures and reviews a consistent sample of videos each month across your site and measures the reduction in risk against that monthly sample. Fewer videos each month is not an accurate measure of risk reduction. If you select a system that follows this approach, the results will be misleading.

3. Intuitive Driver Coaching Workflow and Easy-to-Use Tools

Coaching drivers on risky driving behavior is a proven technique for better fleet safety, but you can’t coach if you don’t have time or the right tools to help you. The best dual dash cam will include a program that provides intuitive coaching workflows and easy-to-use tools.

Reviewing and coaching every video captured can be overwhelming. You need a system that can help you with a prioritized queue that focuses you in on the right drivers, right actions to take and makes it easy for you to coach with impact.

An easy-to-use workflow facilitates coaching preparation with the ability to add notes for review by colleagues, if necessary, or give “kudos” for outstanding driver performance. Look for the best dual dash cam program that provides skills-based or event-based coaching options, providing the flexibility to individualize sessions to the needs of the coach or driver.

Driver coaching is key to the success of any video-based safety program. An intuitive coaching workflow – combined with easy-to-use tools – helps ensure continual improvement and bottom-line results.

4. Truck Camera Options

The best dual dash cam for truckers will have different options for deploying truck cameras.

• Separated dual truck cameras: Many dual dash cams come as a combined unit, which limits visibility on the road or in-cab. The best dual dash cams have the ability to separate the cameras for the best possible view of both on the road and in-cab.
• Flexibility to add truck cameras: Having the flexibility to add additional truck cameras provides insight around the vehicle to some of the common and costly collision risks that aren’t visible from the front, such as side swipes and backing incidents. Side and back cameras can also reduce workers comp by ensuring compliance or policy-specific safety practices are followed.
• Quality of video: High-quality video images are paramount to understanding what happened in the cab and on the road – providing clear insight in nighttime driving, extreme weather, and so on. Ensuring the highest quality video from your dual dash cam eliminates questions and helps identify causes of risky driving.

A single-unit dual dash cam locks you into a one-size-fits-all deployment that may not fit your trucks. Flexible truck camera configurations deliver an optimal fit for your vehicles and drivers.

5. Leveraging Truck Data for Powerful Fleet Analytics

Discover hidden cost-saving opportunities with the power of a single, unified view of your fleet’s data. Dual dash cams can generate enormous amounts of data, especially when they’re combining driver, video, truck and operating environment data. Accessing and understanding this information improves a fleet’s ability to increase driver safety, manage costs and grow margins. However, with data located in several places, creating comprehensive, contextualized insight can be costly and often requires a team of BI experts. An open dash cam and data analytics platform combines data from multiple sources and delivers a unified view of safety and performance trends to the right person at the right time.

Built-in machine learning algorithms, predicative models and advanced analytics provide answers to the following types of questions: What actually happened? Where did it happen? And why? Did it matter? What was the driver’s role? What is the likelihood of it happening again?

The data captured by a dual dash cam offers significant opportunities for improvements only if it is integrated and actionable. An open platform with built-in management KPIs, reports and dashboards can be the answer to data access and insight delivery challenges.

6. Multiple Data Sources to Trigger Dual Dash Cams

The best dual dash cam for truckers will have real-time video event triggering from multiple data sources to get a full picture of your fleet’s risky driving behaviors.

Accelerometers are the traditional technology used to trigger dash cam videos. They rely on g-force events and algorithms to identify risky driving. Accelerometer-based algorithms have limitations regardless of “training” or “tuning,” especially when it is limited or no g-force. To truly capture risky driving, you need a system that connects to the vehicle engine, triggered in real-time when that vehicle is under stress, exceeds the posted speed limit, or when an on-board safety system has engaged. Today’s intelligent vehicles have volumes of rich information, including collision avoidance and lane departure warning systems, ABS and roll-stability control, maneuver-based triggers (aggressive swerves, U-Turns, etc.) and more that identify risky driving specific to that vehicle. Leveraging this rich data, in combination with accelerometer data, captures the broadest spectrum of risk and is the fastest method to accurately identify your high-risk areas.

Systems that rely on accelerometers alone take longer to identify high-risk areas. Your fleet has valuable safety data available directly from the engine and ADAS, and smart dual dash cams utilize those data points so you can identify risk and eliminate it from your fleet.

7. Video Availability for the Best Dual Dash Cams

Every second counts when it comes to safety, that’s why the best dual dash cams for truckers will automatically offload within minutes, not days.

• Automatic Offload: Some on-board systems take hours to send video event data, offloading only once per day at off-peak hours, or they may require you to pay more to offload video more often. Automatic offload within minutes of an incident should be included as a standard offering for a dual dash cam and your monthly investment.
• Keypad and Manual Event Recording Options: Components, like keypads, offer manual event recording options. Another option to consider is wireless key fobs, which provide drivers with the ability to initiate a manual recording, both inside the cab and outside the truck, providing added security for the driver.

Having dash cam video offloaded within minutes of an incident can mean the difference between protecting your drivers and your company, and putting them at risk. You shouldn’t have to pay extra to get that level of protection.

8. Management Metrics & Key Performance Indicators

The old saying goes, “You can’t manage what you can’t measure,” and that’s true with fleet safety. The best dual dash cam for truckers includes a program that  measures safety and fuel efficiency, with operational analytics and benchmarks. Look for a dual dash cam that has:

• Key Performance Indicators (KPIs): A robust set of KPIs and analytics help you understand how your fleet is performing and answer key questions not just about safety performance, but also driving and coaching performance, fuel consumption, idling, vehicle use and much more.
• Custom Reporting: Reports can be tailored to each level of your organization, from executive to driver, ensuring that they have the right information to make decisions and improve performance. Rich data and purpose-built analytics can also be used to support other strategic business needs such as Driver Incentive Programs, Fuel Tax Reporting, Accident Reconstruction and more.
• Predictive Metrics: Built-in leading performance indicators and predictive metrics help you determine which behaviors are contributing the most risk to your organization at the driver, site or company levels.
• Benchmark Reports: Benchmark reports enable Executives, Regional Vice Presidents and Directors to compare their organization’s performance against industry peers so they can determine how to improve performance in key risk areas.

Selecting the best dual dash cam should include a program that delivers actionable insights through easy-to-use management reporting and KPIs is critical to understanding whether your investment is paying off.

9. Managed Services with Video Review

Adding the best dual dash cams alone does not make your fleet safer. How will you know which drivers or operators need help and what skills to coach them on? Using third-party experts, rather than fleet managers, to review videos ensures each driver and event is evaluated consistently.

A managed service provides a real-time stream of analyzed data that accurately measures a driver’s exposure to risk based on the triggering event, observed behaviors, risk exposure metrics based on predictive algorithms, and correlations to prior collision data. With a managed service, fleet managers can quickly identify which drivers are more likely to be involved in an incident and can allocate time for coaching appropriately.

Dual dash cam video provides valuable insight that traditional tabular “critical event” reports cannot. But, eliminating risk requires an integrated program that includes a standardized and consistent process for identifying and coaching risky drivers. Lowering risk requires more than just a camera. You need an integrated managed services program that combines expert review with an easy-to-use coaching process, resulting in ongoing and continuous driver improvement.

10. Recording Options for the Best Dual Dash Cams

The best dual dash cams will have the flexibility to capture what you want. Here are some recording options your dual dash cam should have:

• Duration: Dual dash cams with a variety of options for recording duration provide the most flexibility.
• Types of Recording Events: There are many types of safety events, some of which are “under the radar”, such as low or no g-force events, that aren’t captured by an accelerometer.
• Extended Recording: Sometimes you need an extended recording option to get more information around incidents that exceed the typical 20-second video clip length.
• Continuous Recording: Continuous recording can be particularly helpful in capturing “mystery damage,” understanding worker’s compensation claims, identifying compliance-related issues and more.

Flexible recording options offer more value for your investment. Continuous recording provides deeper insight around a broad range of safety and compliance-related incidents.

About SmartDrive, The Best Dual Dash Cam and Safety Solution
SmartDrive Systems gives fleets and drivers unprecedented driving performance insight and analysis, helping save fuel, expenses and lives. Its video safety, predictive analytics, telematics, compliance and personalized performance program help fleets improve driving skills, lower operating costs and deliver significant ROI. With an easy-to-use managed service, fleets and drivers can access and self-manage driving performance anytime, anywhere. The company, which has been ranked as one of the fastest growing companies by Deloitte’s Technology Fast 500™ for six consecutive years, has recorded over 24 billion miles and compiled the world’s largest storehouse of more than 300 million analyzed risky-driving events. Request more information and view the SmartDrive dual dash cam solution in action!

• Posted by shannon.mcnamara
• On 16 December 2020