How to Choose a Vehicle Camera System for Your Fleet

A Vehicle camera system is a combination of hardware and software that commercial fleets use to improve driver safety and minimize risk. A Vehicle Camera system can consist of just one camera or multiple cameras installed inside or outside each vehicle-including dashboard cameras, backup cameras, or even interior cameras for monitoring cargo holds. These cameras are used in tandem with connected software, like an online dashboard, to review incident footage, coach drivers, and track safety improvements over time.
Vehicle Camera Systems are proven to increase driver safety, reduce accidents, and lower costs for commercial fleets. In this buying guide, learn what to look for in a vehicle camera system-including features like night vision, HD video, and real-time distracted driving detection.

Why are fleets adopting vehicle camera systems?
With rising accident rates, increased in-cab distractions, and skyrocketing legal settlements, 36% of fleet managers say that safety is their number one priority. As a result, many fleets are adopting vehicle camera systems because they are proven to increase safety and reduce associated costs. In fact, a recent Frost & Sullivan report found that vehicle camera systems are a new safety [norm" for commercial fleets. The report specifies that vehicle camera systems have been found to:

Lower driver distraction by 80%

Reduce speeding by 65%

Reduce collisions by 60%

Reduce claims by 25%

Increase seat belt usage by 70%

For government fleets dash cams not only provide improved community and employee safety by creating more accountability for safer driving habits but they also help public agencies provide better citizen services, more transparency of their services, and faster response times. Dash cams allow public agencies to instantly provide proof of service or reason for lack of service. Dash cams also can help alert teams to potholes, misplaced waste bins, or road conditions with camera footage. See how Athens Clarke County uses dash cams to provide better services to their community. For student transportation, dash cams help provide school districts with best in class student safety measures.

What are the different types of vehicle camera systems?
If you Google "vehicle camera system," you're likely to find Car Camera systems meant for consumers. Often found on websites like Amazon, some of the most popular car video systems include Sony, Thinkware, and Garmin. While these in-Car Cameras can be helpful for people looking to install an inexpensive camera in their personal vehicle, they`re not meant for commercial fleets. They usually have a memory card that must be manually retrieved to download footage, posing logistical challenges for fleets managing multiple vehicles and drivers.

Vehicle camera systems for commercial fleets are more robust-both in terms of the features they offer and the value they can provide. Cameras that are purpose-built for commercial fleets, like Samsara AI Dash Cams, connect to a telematics device that provides WiFi and can detect safety-related events like harsh braking, speeding, and collisions. That way, these cameras can auto-upload video footage from safety-related events to the cloud, making it easy for your back-office staff to review safety-related events and coach drivers effectively.

There are many different types of vehicle camera systems for commercial fleets. Below is an overview of the different types of cameras and their benefits.

Forward-facing dash cameras
Designed to capture collisions, forward-facing dash cameras are mounted on your windshield and have one lens that faces the road ahead.

Dual-facing dash cameras
Dual-facing dash cameras are also mounted on your windshield. But in addition to a camera that faces the road ahead, these dash cameras also have a second lens that faces inward to capture in-cab activity. Because dual-facing cameras record driver behavior (like distracted driving), they can be a helpful way to coach drivers. You can also use dual-facing dash cameras to exonerate drivers from complicated incidents, since in-cab footage can be used in the case of an accident to show that a driver was attentive and driving responsibly. Dual-facing dash cameras are ideal for fleets looking to create a robust, video-based driver safety program.

Exterior cameras
Exterior cameras can be mounted outside your vehicle to capture a 360° view of the surroundings. Many fleets choose to deploy exterior cameras after experiencing one too many sideswiping incidents, since video footage from exterior cameras can be extremely helpful for exonerating drivers from sideswiping damage caused by other vehicles.

Backup cameras
Backup cameras are a specific type of exterior camera. Backup cameras (often called rearview cameras) are mounted on the outside rear of your vehicle and have a rear-facing camera that records the road behind you. Paired with an in-cab monitor, they can be particularly helpful for seeing potential objects or dangers when driving in reverse. Nearly 50% of two-vehicle crashes are rear-end collisions, causing over 1,700 deaths and 500,000 injuries per year. Backup cameras can be helpful for providing footage in case of a fender bender or rear-end accident.

Interior cameras

Interior cameras can be mounted in various places inside your vehicle or trailer to keep passengers safe or boost cargo security. Passenger transit fleets often deploy interior cameras to ensure passengers are safely seated, whereas tractor-trailer fleets use them to reduce cargo theft by continuously monitoring in-trailer activity. Some less-than-truckload carriers also deploy interior cameras to gain real-time visibility into how full their trailers are.