Monitoring driver, while they are out on the road to complete their task, is very essential. After all, it is they who are incharge of the way they decide to drive. But lack of concentration and harsh driving can lead to accidents and losses for the fleet business, both monetary and resourceful. This is why vide telematics system helps mitigate issues related to distracted driving.

Before we get into the video telematics system of fleet management software, let us first understand why the fleet needs to monitor their drivers in the first place. Read the following section to know why.

Why is Monitoring Driver Behaviour Important?

Drivers have a huge responsibility to play when running a fleet with several vehicles. But for fleet managers, it is impossible to track the activities of each driver under the businesses manually. So how can businesses mitigate this problem? With the help of a fleet management system! 

Before we look at ways fleet management systems can help fleet businesses track their drivers, let us learn why it is important to track driver behaviour in the first place:

• Accidents: When drivers are distracted while they are on the roads, the chances of getting in an accident are very high. This can jeopardise not the vehicle’s safety, but also the safety of the driver. Ultimately, this can severely damage a fleet business’ budget. 
• High Maintenance: A vehicle that is getting into several accidents means it will also require several repairs. This can be an added cost for the fleet business.
• Lower Reputation: A business that is infamous for its poor quality task execution will not be able to expand its clientele. 

Why is Video Telematics a Good Choice for Fleet Businesses?

Telematics in simple terms is the long-distance communication of information. When we talk about fleet management systems, we usually think of textual information transmission. But video telematics, as the name suggests dwells in transmitting visual data to support the textual data. But how is this done? 

To execute this, businesses integrate dashcams into their vehicles. Every time the system detects an activity that can be considered distracted driving, they send managers an alert. This alert is supported by a visual picture/clip of the driver. This data is then saved in the cloud connected to the system as well. This data collection helps managers make decisions based on a study of their fleet’s operations. 

So how does video telematics work? To begin with, this system is divided into two parts. These include DMS and ADAS. Both these systems coming together help managers maintain an eye on just the driver, but also their on-road activities. Ensuring safety is very easy with this process. Let us learn about both these systems individually. 

Driver Monitoring System (DMS)

When we talk about distracted driving, judging if an accident was caused due to the driver’s lack of attention is difficult. This is why video telematics integrates driver facing cameras with the system and helps them keep an eye on their drivers in real time. It uses advanced AI to study drivers’ body language to ensure their concentration is on the road.  

Some of the events that this system operates on are:

• Smoking: This act can pull their attention from the road. Smoking can also cause them to lose their sense of the road and might lead to accidents. 
• Yawning: Yawning driver is a sign of exhaustion. This means they are not fit to drive at that very moment. Thus, drivers should take care of their hours of service on the road to eliminating chances of collision due to a tired driver. 
• Distracted Driving: Acts like talking on the mobile phone while driving is very harmful. It can not only put the vehicle in harm’s way but can also lead to fatalities. 
• Drowsy: Just like yawning, drowsy drivers or somebody falling asleep behind wheels is an accident waiting to happen. This is why when detected, managers should immediately instruct the driver to take a rest. 
• Camera Blocking: Using some object to obstruct the view of the camera defeats the purpose of DMS. This is why it is important that the dashcam can see the drivers at all times and keep them safe. 
• Driver Absence: The system registers the designated driver for every trip. In case the person behind wheels is not designated, the system generates an alert. This is because driving heavy-duty vehicles is very tough and requires special licences. Therefore, the vehicle should be in the hands of someone verified to eliminate the chances of accidents. 

Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS) 

While mostly used to help drivers navigate their vehicles better, this system can also help monitor drivers’ activities. There are no set events for this system but some commonly integrated are: 

• Traffic Signal Violation: Every time a driver decides to ignore the traffic signal, it leaves the vehicle vulnerable to mishappenings. This is why the system detects these acts and reports to managers. They can further educate the driver to avoid any hazards. 
• Lane Change: This is a very common practice on the road and very necessary as well. But there is a slow procedure leading up to lane change. Abruptly changing lanes does not prepare other vehicles for the movement and can thus cause accidents.

Is Video Telematics the Only Way to Track Driver Behaviour? 

While video telematics is very advanced in its purpose and operations. There are also other views managers can supervise their drivers. This is in the form of driver behaviour monitoring solutions offered by fleet management systems. These solutions include alerts that allow managers to detect if their drivers are driving badly. Events that trigger these alerts are:

• Over Speeding
• Harsh Cornering
• Abrupt Braking
• Unnecessary Acceleration
• Idling 

All these acts not only cause accidents but also lead to vehicle depreciation. This means they have to be repaired and maintained harder than normal. Thus, increasing the downtime of vehicles and loss of productivity. Alerts we mentioned above help drivers stop the chances of accidents right at their roots and thus, keep vehicles healthy and profitable. 

Conclusion

Driver monitoring is very essential to help maintain the vehicle fleet’s safety. It helps managers be more involved in the fleet business’ operations and increases the safety between drivers and managers. When drivers who work hard are able to stand out due to their insights, incentivising them becomes very easy. This encourages others to make an effort as well.

TrackoBit, a leading fleet management system in the market, has the best driver monitoring system to offer. Along with this, there are all the solutions that optimise individual operations of the fleet business. When combined, these solutions provide a more holistic approach to fleet management systems. Request a demo and see what the rage is all about.

Author:-

Currently creating SaaSy Content Strategies at InsightGeeks!

My professional gig started as a copywriter with a leading ad agency. It’s been a fun ride ever since. I have come so far from writing ad copies and creating campaigns to building brands. Yet, there’s a long way to go! The brands I am nurturing these days are TrackoBit and TrackoField. 

Other than playing with words and spilling SaaS, I love traveling to the mountains and sipping on adrak wali chai.