On-board video cameras can help save a lot of grief when fleet managers get complaints about drivers supposedly acting badly. It’s a lot easier to back up your drivers when you have physical proof they were in the right.
Mark Garrow, transit/garage manager for the City of Bettendorf, Iowa, said on-board video technology has made a large difference in the safety of his fleet. He’s implemented Pro-Vision cameras. While video cameras aren’t new technology by any stretch, the higher definition and lower acquisition cost of newer models has made the decision to add them to his vehicles and equipment a no-brainer.
He’s now implemented video systems on the city’s sweepers, plow trucks, and sanitation trucks, and said it’s been instrumental in mitigating liability claims.
“You wouldn't believe how often somebody tries to say, ‘your truck was caught speeding.’ Now we can pull the video and prove that’s not the case. A lot of the time once we mention we have a recording, the person drops the accusation almost immediately,” he said.
While Garrow has seen a little bit of pushback on the surveillance aspect from drivers, many of the city’s in-vehicle cameras don’t face them. On city buses, cameras are passenger-facing.
“We haven't felt a desire or need to have cameras aimed at drivers at this point,” he explained.
