Fleet Driver Risk Management

Over the last 21 years in the mobile digital market, we receive hundreds of requests each year and occasionally we get a question that

really defines their concerns or their specific needs for a system. The best of those questions have been rephrased and are listed below in the hope it can also assist your district, department or company to learn the most about these systems and technologies and make a truly educated decision to provide the best value for your investment.

1 – Can We Reduce Fleet Fuel Costs Dramatically?

Yes, International studies have demonstrated that proper eco-driver training programs in Europe and Canada have documented reductions in fuel consumption ranging from 16% to 25% for individual drivers. This means a possible reduction in fuel costs fleet wide of up to 25% with Eco-Driver,  Driver Training Devices (DTD).

2 – Are these Driver Training Devices expensive?

in a word...No.
There are a few devices to choose from, with specific application targeted development in the works for a few more in the future.
Some of these systems have a return on Investment  (ROI) in as little as 1 month depending on application and use parameters.

3 – Can This Actually Reduce Our Drivers Accidents?

Yes when used properly the active device can significantly reduce dangerous driving behaviors and actively remind the driver when they are exhibiting potentially dangerous driving behaviors that can cause an accident so they can adjust their driving habits and become a safer driver, as long as the driver is willing to learn to become a safe driver and as long as management performs their necessary oversight with the documented data and handles it accordingly.

4 – Would you like Free GPS w/On Screen Mapping?

The  competition, charge a high cost for GPS, the Driver Training Devices we offer provides GPS for Free!
Free GPS and On Screen Mapping, no use fees, no service contract, as it is “passive GPS”.

With this feature you can document, verify or disprove claims that;

• The delivery was too early and the customer missed it.
• The pickup was too late, and the customer missed it.
• The vehicle did not stop at the customer location.
• The driver was speeding in a school zone.

These claims can now be verified or proven false with On Screen Mapping and its GPS mapping on screen display.

Document, verify or disprove driver related concerns;

• Did the driver stop at the 4 way stop signs,
• Did the driver stay on route or wander all over the place?,
• Does the driver speed on certain roads?
• Does the driver stop at a railroad crossing?
• Was the vehicle used on weekends for unauthorized trips?

These driver concerns can now be verified or proven false with On Screen Mapping. This system option requires no service connection or monthly fees from GPS satellite or cellular service provider. All that is required is a IVMS to be played back on a PC that has access to high speed Internet

5 - Can This Device Be Used In Accident Analysis?

Driver Training Devices (DTD) designed to enhance driver safety and actively remind drivers when they operate the vehicle in an unsafe manor, while at the same time creating a video document of the entire driven journey. Systems with dual cameras: one documenting what occurs inside the vehicle and one documenting what the driver sees out the front windshield can provide important information on driver safety during the journey.

Part of that design goal was to document in detail what may have caused an accident, what happens during the accident as well as what happens after the accident in a complete driving video record from start of the vehicle to key off. High technologies like passive GPS, On Screen Mapping 2 and 3-Axis “G” sensors combine to assist in accident recreation data that may permit accurate determination of the cause and effects of the accident.

Playback video provides graphic representation plus “G” forces and speeds to assist in professional accident analysis, time stamped video to comply with courtroom evidence requirements.

 6 – Can You Move This From Vehicle To Vehicle?

Driver training Devices like IVMS are Driver Risk Management Solutions that require dedicated vehicle installations as they offer several cameras. However those with large fleets who wish to move a smaller number of recording devices from vehicle to vehicle and install what is commonly known as "1/2 Live" systems. The "1/2 Live" system includes all components of the actual system less the MDVR as that is the most expensive part of the system.

The system in its hard-wired configuration takes as little as 60 minutes to install a dual camera system under ideal conditions. The “MDVRt” can be moved form vehicle to another vehicle with the "1/2 Live" components  and permits installations in as little as 5 minutes if you just want a quick swap of vehicles.

7 - Do You Want To Use This Video In Case of Bad Accidents?

Car Airbags deploy in accidents at about 3 "G"s of impact, or as slow as hitting an object while your car is moving about 10 miles per hour. Often the airbag replacement costs several times the damage to the vehicle. A conventional hard drive in a vehicle video system can survive about 3 "G"s, which explains why so many of them crash the hard drive when the vehicle hits a large bump, big pothole, storm curb or other object even at slow speeds. Some salesmen will assure you their hard drive based DVR is “Buffer protected, shock isolated by isometric elastic polymer”. This might be the cynic in me, but I would not let a potential $20,000,000.00 lawsuit defense rest on 20 cents worth of synthetic rubber bushings or washers likely made in China where they have a hard time making dog food that does not kill the dogs eating it!

When you are purchasing a video system to protect your district, department or company from liability and act as an expert witness in the worst case scenarios, it seems a wise idea to make sure the one you invest district, department or company budget dollars into, will not fail you when you need it most, such as in the case of a bad accident.

This is the type of decision that separates those of vision; job security and career advancement from those who might look back in hindsight after losing the lawsuit due to a failed hard drive system that was damaged in the crash. While most other systems only concentrate on what happens during the accident Driver training Devices  aka IVMS also helps your drivers learn what they may be doing that could cause and accident, and active versions offers a proactive solution before potentially dangerous driving behavior causes vehicle damages, bodily injury or loss of life. 

8 - How Long Do You Want Your Vehicle Video System To Last?

The obvious response should be "As long as the vehicle lasts". The problem is; I do not know of a single conventional hard drive capable of surviving 15 years sitting still at a desk in an air-conditioned or heated environment. Now put this same fragile hard drive in a vehicle riding on steel springs, bouncing along on rough roads, in summer heat, in winter cold, high moisture, really rotten vehicle electrical charging systems and it is a wonder they survive their warranty period. In reality many of them do not survive their warranty. The only digital system I am aware of with any chance of exceeding the life of the average vehicle is the 100% Solid State Drive memory card based DVR.

9 - How Reliable Do You Want Your System To Be?
Hard drive based DVRs have the highest failure rates and are poorly suited for mobile vehicle applications due to their fragile design.
How often do they fail from "ideal" office environments?

• About 560,000 hard drives crash every month (*Mozy.com).
• "Disk drive failures 15 times what vendors say, study says, drive vendors declined to be interviewed" (Computerworld)
• The Carnegie Mellon study found hard drive failure "up to 13% observed on some systems", (this is from a stationary office environment)
• Put these in a mobile vehicle environment and I expect to see a 4 fold increase in their failure rates 

The future is unwritten; circumstance and misfortune can combine without warning creating unanticipated problems in the best-laid plans. Prudence suggests it is better to have a device that works as reliability as possible when protecting the district, department or company from liability concerns.

10– How Can We Prevent Driver Abuse & Assault?

This needs to be broken down into 2 categories: rude / obnoxious and criminal.

The rude / obnoxious passengers in a vehicle or outside a vehicle that may engage or annoy the driver are usually restrained to a degree once they realize or it is pointed out to them that they are being recorded.

A degree of deterrence is provided by the presence of the camera and many threats or verbal abuses can be quieted by the knowledge that an administrator or law enforcement officer can later review this entire matter. An additional sticker in their view can reinforce the fact they are being recorded.

Criminals, like predators in the animal world, select their victims based on opportunity and risk. They prefer “soft targets” meaning those who will offer little resistance to them and low risk of being caught.

A degree of deterrence is provided by the presence of the camera, as this is something they will realize can greatly elevate their level of risk in getting caught. Few criminals want their image on the nightly news for all to see, so in most case the mere presence of a video camera might get them to abandon their efforts or criminal intent on your driver.

The best insurance for this type of problem might be a driver “panic button”/Active GPS vehicle Tracking system in a remote location that the driver can trigger if they feel they are under assault and with a silent alert to administration help can be summoned to their exact location hopefully before anything bad happens.

11- How Much Future Funding Could You Waste On Memory Repairs?

How often over the long service life of the vehicle do you want to replace the hard drives when they fail through normal wear and tear or from crashes due to bumps or impacts?

Lets take the manufacturers at their warranty, the average is 1 year, but lets go with a 3 year warranty. Average life of a vehicle is about 15 years, so it is possible the district, department or company could need to replace the hard drives in each vehicle 5 times.

Who pays for 4 additional hard drives per vehicle after they are out of warranty?

Non-Propriety Hard Drive Cost of $40-$100

Your district, department or company could be expected to pay an additional $160.00 per vehicle in parts alone; of future budget dollars just to keep existing hard drives working until the vehicle is retired. This does not include the labor to troubleshoot the problem, the labor to replace them, the shipping costs, or the possible loss of video evidence when you need it most. Possible future expense of additional parts $160.00 -$400.00 per vehicle

Propriety Hard Drive Cost of  $150-$600

Your district, department or company could be expected to pay an additional $150.00-$600.00 per vehicle in parts alone; of future budget dollars just to keep existing propriety hard drives working until the vehicle is retired. This does not include the labor to troubleshoot the problem, the labor to replace them, the shipping costs, or the possible loss of video evidence when you need it most. Possible future expense of additional parts $600.00-$2,400.00 per vehicle

100% Solid State CF  & SD Card

Your district, department or company could have no expected costs in parts, of future budget dollars as 100% Solid State CF & SD Memory cards come with a Limited Lifetime Warranty when purchased with the system. Possible future expense of additional parts $0.00

12-How Does One View or Download From a SD Card?

Remote Live View via 3G Cellular (3G service and CMS required)

Login to CMS network via the provided "CMS- Host" or the "CMS- Client" software loaded on your PC or laptop, enter user ID and password. Select the vehicle number from the list on the left of the screen. View files via 3G or live view Live View.

In office download to PC via Wi-Fi Wireless (Wi-Fi network & CMS required)

Login to CMS network server, enter user ID and password. Select the vehicle number from the list on the left of the screen. View files or download specific files as needed.

In bus playback to monitor

Simply plug a video cable to the rear of the DVR for instant video and audio playback as long as you have the administrator password and a small LCD monitor.

In bus SD playback to laptop

Remove the SD card and insert into a laptop SD card reader and view or download the video on your laptop to play it back as long as you have the administrator password and SD door key.

In office playback to TV

Bring the DVR into the office or lounge area; add a 12v DC/AC power adaptor, plug to rear of the DVR for power, add a video cable to the TV/DVR video ports and view the video to play back as long as you have the administrator password and SD door key.

In office playback or download to PC

Remove the SD card and insert into a SD card reader plugged to your office PC and view or download the video to play it back as long as you have the administrator password and SD door key.

13- Live View 3G Cellular

There is no substitute to Live View in real time of your drivers actions from your corporate offices when they are hundreds or thousands of miles away.

This is by far without equal as a Fleet Driver Risk Management Tool.

The choice of viewing and download will quickly eliminate many of the products on the market, as once the decision is made to incorporate wireless data download via Wi-Fi networks, or the leading edge management tool of Live View, via 3G cellular (service required) where the management is able to look in on the operator of the vehicle and see what the driver is doing at any time while the vehicle is within a cellular service area.

Nothing instills the immediate awareness in a fleet driver like their management watching their actions, from their office thousands of mile away and being able to communicate with the driver when necessary. The advent of Live View via 3G cellular service can for the first time put the manager in the vehicle with the driver without leaving their office.

This is an extremely powerful Fleet Driver Risk Management tool as now there is real time oversight, real time management from afar.