Dashcams: Selecting the right system
- To ensure that a camera system matches current and future operational needs, a carrier should consider the quality and features of multiple systems, along with the cost.
- In choosing a camera system, consideration must be given to whether the carrier can support internal screening of video clips or whether a system that provides third-party event monitoring is warranted.
- Video system integration with the carrier’s driver management system will avoid the need to piece together driver risk history and performance data from multiple sources.
The camera system must match a carrier’s current and future operational needs, so careful consideration should be given to the quality and features of at least two or three systems, along with the cost of each option.
The carrier must also decide whether it can support screening video clips internally or if a monitoring service will be used to verify unsafe, coachable events. A video system provider that offers third-party event monitoring should be seriously considered due to the time involved in the video-clip screening process. This is a high-payoff activity, but it still takes resources to properly assess the clips from triggered events.
Another consideration is video system integration with the driver management system, so drivers’ risk history and key factor performance data do not have to be pieced together from multiple sources.
Advantages and disadvantage of cameras
The following table of critical features lays out some advantages and disadvantages of cameras with a three-axis accelerometer:
| Feature | Advantages | Disadvantages |
|---|---|---|
| Camera Options | ||
| Road-facing only | Minimal driver privacy issues; measures speeding, hard-acceleration, hard-braking, hard cornering, following too close, lane drift, rolling stops. | Driver-facing behaviors not monitored, e.g., cell phone use while vehicle is in operation. |
| Dual-facing driver and road | Same as road-facing events plus more behaviors monitored, e.g., seat belt use, cell phone use. | Extra cost; more driver privacy issues with driver-facing capable cameras. (May be able to turn off the driver-facing camera.) |
| Auxiliary (external) | Covers prior blindspots with respect to side- or rear-impact collisions. Video can be used in non-preventable crash types added to the Crash Preventability Determination Program (CPDP) as of December 1, 2024. | May result in additional maintenance due to exposure to the elements. Once installed, these cameras should be kept operational to avoid missing unsafe behavior for coaching or exoneration opportunities. |
| Video Quality | ||
| HD quality video | Minimum resolution should be 720P or 1080P at 30 frames per second (FPS). 4K video is best in class which will capture critical details. | Cost increase over standard definition but benefits can outweigh incremental cost. |
| Night Recording | Critical details clearly captured at night. | None, if you have an HD camera with good night-vision capability. |
| Video Storage | ||
| Loop recording with cloud storage for triggered events | Won’t miss a critical event due to full memory. | “24 x 7” continuous monitoring not available. |
| Loop recording with SD card storage only | Lower cost. | Manual download required to review footage; lack of real-time notification and visibility. |
| Continuous recording | “24 x 7” monitoring of all activity. | Significant storage requirements; driver concerns of “always-on” cameras. Some states limit recording to "x" seconds before and after the triggered event. Example: California allows 30 seconds of footage before and 30 seconds after a triggered event to be stored. Continuous recording and storage of all footage is not allowed. |
| Event Monitoring & System Integration | ||
| Third-party | Company coaches do not have to review all events, rather, they review and train on relevant screened events. | The initial cost of the monitoring service — but this may be outweighed by the carrier cost to monitor. |
| Carrier-screened | Potentially lower cost than third-party monitoring. | Internal resources required to view all triggered events and categorize as coachable versus non-coachable. |
| Driver Managment System Integration | Maintain a complete record of driver performance. | No integration with a driver management system risks mismanagement of progressive discipline. |