Reports Show Lack Of Fleet Safety Compliance
August 15, 2018
Why Professional Commercial Drivers Should Insist On Vehicle Camera Systems
August 22, 2018
One of the many questions fleet operators ask us here at ProVision is where cameras can be placed on their tipper trucks. There are many options, which are based on 4 key considerations: Recording of journey footage, load monitoring, driver safety and public safety.
Let’s review these options:
Recording Journey Footage
After having an accident, you’ll need footage to help you defend against claims. This is the primary purpose of vehicle cameras. The most efficient camera set-up for tipper trucks is a forward-facing camera (fitted just at the top of the windscreen, just behind the rear-view mirror), two side cameras, and a rear camera on the rear bumper.
Many fleet managers think that a single forward ‘dashcam’ type camera will suffice for a flatbed, but there are many reasons why this just isn’t the case. Have a read of these two articles and you’ll understand why:
Throw Your Dashcam Away Article
Why You Need A Connected Plan Article
In summary, if your primary purpose for fitting camera to your truck is protecting your fleet and managing risk, then you need at least front, two sides and rear cameras.
Load Monitoring
Tipper trucks tend to carry large, loose loads that can spill out over the sides of the tipper. To ensure the load remains secure and safe, the addition of a camera on top of the cab facing back over the tipper means that the driver can always see the load on the monitor in the cab while driving.
Driver Safety
Tipper truck drivers can be subject to abuse, road rage and physical attacks. In this case, all the cameras around the vehicle will not help if the driver is attacked in the cab. If this is a concern for you, a dome camera installed inside the cab can record anything untoward that happens.
As well as this, in the event of an accident, the driver will have evidence to show that they were paying attention to the road and were not on the phone or distracted in some other way. Installing dome cameras has been shown to reduce the number of accidents caused by distraction and mobile use.
Public Safety
Tipper trucks can have two main blind spots, the near side of the truck and the rear. In cities and congested areas these can cause difficulties for drivers. The use of side-scan technologies and turn alerts can help the driver to know that cyclists and other road users are in the blind-spot, as well as letting those road users know that the vehicle is going to turn. But frankly, nothing can beat actually seeing the area for yourself.
In this case, the rear camera with the addition of a blind-spot camera (placed on the near side, just at the top of the cab, facing down), along with an in-cab monitor (that automatically switches to the required view when reversing or indicating), will instantly give the driver peace-of-mind that the area is clear and they can complete the manoeuvre with confidence.
