Both dashboard cameras and GPS solutions are becoming critical systems for fleets. But recently, cellular networks have become fast and affordable enough to make effective use of these technologies. Fleets now combine GPS fleet tracking and dash cam video in increasingly innovative ways. Specifically, analyzing video with data from GPS and other vehicle sensors has helped fleets detect and deter risky driving, flag incidents for fleet managers, and gather evidence to exonerate drivers in a collision.
It’s no secret that combining data from multiple sources is an important part of modern GPS fleet tracking. But combining fleet tracking with video to provide detailed and sophisticated insights can take your fleet management to the next level.
5 reasons to combine video dash cam with GPS fleet tracking
The best dash cam with GPS combo systems are much more than “dots on a map” and some grainy video footage. Advanced systems combine data from GPS, accelerometers, the vehicle's engine computer, and one or more video sources. This package of data (aka video telematics) provides real-time information about what is happening in and around the vehicle.
This information is difficult to access when you’re using disparate systems and programs, but with an all-in-one fleet tracking and video solution, fleets benefit in five major ways:
1. Optimize productivity
With GPS, fleet managers can see where all their vehicles are—they know who is on route and on schedule, and who isn’t. From there, they can tap into video to know why a driver is late or veering off their route.
Fleet managers can use video to get more context on the GPS data and determine what’s going on with a specific vehicle in real time, helping the driver solve problems on the go. Or, they can easily locate video and telematics details from any point along a driver’s completed route to verify service, pinpoint an incident, track compliance, and more.
Other insights on operational efficiency come from geofencing features that use GPS navigation for fleets to track when drivers enter or exit specific areas. For example, geofencing data helps fleets understand how much time is spent in traffic on the highway or at a job site.
2. Enhance customer service
There are also positive impacts on customer service when fleet managers have real-time access to the status of each vehicle. Fleets using GPS with dash cam footage can respond to service calls on short notice and reroute not just the closest truck, but the one with the most flexible route and schedule.
Plus, the combination of video with GPS can provide rock-solid proof of delivery or service. GPS confirms vehicles and drivers are where should be when servicing a customer, and video shows what’s happening in and around the vehicle during an interaction with a customer. This helps fleets reduce callbacks and refine communication, as well as identify how they can improve the customer experience.
3. Get robust reporting
All information collected by your GPS solution is analyzed and transformed into comprehensive, customizable reports. Endless data points are now actionable insights on your fleet’s safety, risk, and productivity levels, which can then be compared to both internal metrics. You can see the ROI on your technology investments, prove their effectiveness, and make smart decision about your fleet’s future.
In some instances, you can also access detailed industry data on operations and risk. For example, Lytx captured more than 10 million risky driving incidents among trucking fleets in 2020 and found that Allentown, PA, on Interstate 78, East of W. Emaus Avenue, had the highest concentration of risk. Fleet managers can factor this data into their risk assessments and operational plans.
4. Reduce fraudulent claims and exonerate drivers
Legal battles are expensive, frustrating, and damaging to reputations. One of the biggest benefits of GPS vehicle tracking for fleets with video is because it provides evidence to verify facts about incidents and reduce fraudulent claims. An all-in-one fleet management system that includes GPS with dash cam video can prove, without a doubt, what really happened.
Additional video telematics data from other sensors can substantiate what the driver was doing—and where—during an incident. Whether it’s a collision, near-miss, or just a complaint, fleet managers will have the information they need to get the facts.
5. Proactively manage risky driving behavior
Video telematics provides both detailed information about the driving behavior of each person, as well as advanced insights about overall fleet driving trends. In short, video with GPS fleet tracking is a powerful solution to help you coach out bad driving habits and reward high performance on the individual level, as well as, detect risk at the organizational level.
For example, a driver-facing camera can provide information about any risky behavior happening inside the vehicle (distracted driving: eating, drinking, texting, etc.) and how it relates to what is occurring on the road (traffic, pedestrians, rolling stops, speeding, etc.). This gives context to the GPS data, offering a richer understanding of what is happening, where, and why. Fleets can then determine:
- Driving behavior patterns (both risky and responsible)
- Who is at fault in a collision
- Whether certain geographical locations correlate with certain driver behaviors
Having the data and visibility provided by a video with GPS helps fleets recognize and understand risk, while also developing a better understanding of the driver’s point of view. This ultimately results is better coaching, safer driving, fewer collisions, and much lower risk.
Beyond a fleet dash cam: An all-in-one fleet management solution
The Lytx Fleet Tracking Service takes GPS fleet tracking a step further by adding video from the Lytx DriveCam® event recorder and combining it all into a single powerful system. It’s a complete, all-in-one solution that can be customized to your fleet management needs.
Video telematics—combining information from vehicle sensors and GPS with dash cam footage—provides data that can be analyzed by machine vision (MV) and artificial intelligence (AI). Large data sets from billions of miles of real-world drivers are used to train systems to recognize driver behaviors and determine which behaviors correlate with risk.
Video telematics with MV+AI is not just about pairing video from a simple dash cam with location data. This technology reveals deep insights and is smart enough to provide situational context and notify a fleet manager if help is needed.
Talk to your Lytx representative to see how Lytx can help your fleet identify and reduce risk while improving customer service and operational efficiency.