Many fleets now use vehicle cameras and vehicle tracking to help improve road safety and efficiency.

Vehicle cameras are proven to reduce road risk, protect businesses from “crash for cash” fraudsters, and help fleets to lower their insurance premiums. Conversely, telematics has moved beyond vehicle tracking to now include safety and productivity features such as driver behaviour scoring, vehicle health alerts and help with HMRC compliance.

In many cases, vehicle cameras and telematics are used as completely separate systems. In others, data from the devices can be integrated into one platform. However, the latest generation of telematics cameras take fleet management to a new level.

The Trakm8 RH600 telematics camera combines all the benefits of a leading-edge telematics device with live video streaming over the 4G network. Packing all of this technology into one device means that fleet managers benefit from reduced downtime for installation and removal of the camera and vehicle tracking unit, compared to installing separate systems.

Designed and manufactured at our headquarters in the West Midlands, the RH600 has won two fleet industry awards for innovation and is used by major fleets such as Iceland Foods and Calor Gas.

The RH600 can have two cameras – one facing the road, and one facing into the cab. Together they provide hard evidence to defend fleets against false insurance claims. It enabled one of our customers with 1,500 vehicles to ascertain that 50% of insurance claims made against the company were fabricated. Instances where footage was able to support a disputed claim in favour of the company also increased by 260%, compared to the previous dash cams installed in the fleet.

Unlike most other telematics cameras, the RH600 doesn’t just transmit GPS location data. It provides full telematics functionality, including driver behaviour analytics – and can also be integrated with Trakm8’s route optimisation software.

Another major selling point is the RH600’s ability to predict vehicle failures before they happen, thanks to Trakm8 Connectedcare. Through CAN bus connectivity, the device can read diagnostic trouble codes and monitor battery health, helping to minimise the risk of a vehicle breakdown. It can even alert fleet managers to dashboard warning lights, fuel theft, tyre pressure and more.

In 2019, Trakm8 is updating the RH600 with advanced driver assistance (ADAS) features including facial recognition software that can alert both drivers and fleet managers to driver distraction events such as micro-sleeping. Other ADAS features for improving road safety include collision and tailgating warnings.

In the same way as basic vehicle tracking has evolved into telematics systems with enhanced return on investment, vehicle cameras are evolving into telematics cameras. If you want to take your fleet management to the next level, isn’t it time you tried telematics cameras?

If you would like to find out more about our fleet management solutions, fill out the short form below and one of our team will be in touch. Alternatively, call us on 0330 311 5157 or email us at info@trakm8.com.