Smile, you're on dashcam

In their never-ending quest to boost safety and efficiency, trucking fleets have turned to a range of technologies, including automatic on-board recording devices (AOBRDs), electronic logging devices (ELDs), and—increasingly—digital dashcams.

Installing cameras on truckers' dashboards and windshields can help managers monitor their drivers after a trigger event, such as a sudden stop or Joséling movement. The cameras can be set to record video clips of those events, which can later be used to provide customized training to drivers, ultimately improving their driving skills, reducing the number of accidents, and cutting insurance-claims costs.

Refrigerated carrier C.R. England hopes to realize similar returns through the deployment of a video-based safety program from SmartDrive Systems. The Salt Lake City-based carrier plans to use the program to capture risky driving maneuvers such as U-turns, hard braking, and speeding among its 4,400 technology-enabled vehicles and 7,500 drivers.

"The industry has been moving in the direction of video safety, and we saw an opportunity to be competitive while continuing to provide the best possible service," C.R. England CEO Chad England said in a release. "Even though most incidents are minor—with many even occurring in parking lots—they still cost us time and money. Since these low-impact critical events are rarely triggered by other systems, we are able to see more and save more with SmartDrive."