Dash cam footage not only provides evidence of what happens on the road, but it can also enable safety managers to identify at-risk drivers with poor driving habits. By combining road-facing dash cams with a feature-rich fleet management software, fleets can significantly improve their driver coaching programs.

Dashboard cameras provide numerous benefits for commercial fleets. They protect drivers from false claims when accidents occur. The video footage is also an effective teaching tool for you to use with drivers.

Here are 5 tips to help you facilitate more effective driver coaching programs with the help of dash cams.

1. Make training more effective with personalized coaching programs

Video footage allows you to identify at-risk drivers and their unsafe driving practices. With the help of dash cam footage and advanced safety features, you can easily pinpoint which drivers need to learn and customize their driver coaching programs accordingly.

Videos recorded by dash cams show you everything before, during, and after a safety event, allowing them a clear view of the specific factors that may have contributed to the driver’s decisions behind the wheel.

These factors can either be internal or external. An internal factor, for example, is the driver’s temperament or fatigue, whereas an external factor could be an unexpected road hazard. Regardless, you can teach drivers how to avoid them.

By personalizing driver coaching programs, you can make them more effective and productive. KeepTruckin customers can also use the Driver Coaching feature to easily manage all safety events and coaching statuses in one place.

2. Use accident videos as examples

Using video footage, you can pinpoint mistakes, explain the poor decision-making behind them, and instruct drivers on what should have been done instead.

Talking about this Smart Dashcam footage, KeepTruckin’s safety expert, Chris Hanie, said that although the driver did most of the things right, “they could have worked a little harder to give that truck space to move over.” Apart from the safety tip, this video perfectly captures the other driver’s fault. This Smart Dashcam footage can be used to exonerate the driver. Without a video evidence, it would have been their word against yours.

3. Cultivate a culture of safety by getting drivers on board

Remember to be transparent about the use of dash cams with your drivers. You need every member of your fleet to agree to any campaign involving dash cams for it to be successful.

Just like with accident videos, you can more clearly demonstrate positive driving habits with video footage. Ask your veteran drivers to install dash cams first and get their opinions.

Get your veteran drivers to share their experiences with fellow drivers who may not be as familiar with dash cams.

Norman Bright, a fleet and safety manager for Woodford Oil, recently oversaw the implementation of KeepTruckin Smart Dashcams in all 50 vehicles. He introduced the Smart Dashcam to a veteran driver first and asked him to share his experience with the rest of the team.

“Everyone was then accepting of the forward-facing cameras (in their truck),” Bright says.

Get your drivers’ buy-in by explaining that the dash cam is primarily for their safety and exoneration.

“The selling point we used with our drivers was ‘it’s going to be to their benefit’,” told Norman Bright. “Once our drivers realized the dash cam’s benefits, they accepted them.”

4. Work with drivers to set safety event triggers

Critical safety events, such as excessive acceleration, hard braking, and hard cornering, trigger dash cams to record video footage. When you work with drivers to set them up, they are more likely to respond to the driver training campaign, learn, and correct their mistakes.

To make sure everyone is on the same page, work with drivers to set thresholds for safety events. The KeepTruckin platform allows you to easily customize safety event triggers.

5. Set goals, monitor them, and provide regular feedback

Performance assessment is extremely important. After setting goals, you should regularly monitor driver performance and safety scores. Then you should provide feedback for continuous improvement.

You can use the Driver Scorecards, which ranks the worst- and best-performing drivers for you.

Use that data to optimize your safety program such as creating rewards and incentives for the safest drivers. Incentives and encouragement can motivate drivers and improve your business’ overall level of fleet safety and help with driver retention.

Conclusion

Paired with fleet management systems that assess driver behavior, dash cams can be instrumental in creating a culture of safety.