Fleet Management News & Business Info | Commercial Carrier Journal
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/510235
44 COMMERCIAL CARRIER JOURNAL | MAY 2015 technology S martDrive Systems said virtu- ally all of its fleet customers are using both forward-facing and in-cab cameras in their trucks. Most custom- ers initially are resistant to the in-cab cameras because drivers typically resent the intrusion, but once the value is explained and in some cases a small group of drivers vol- unteers to test an in-cab camera, 99 percent of SmartDrive's customers see its value, said Steve Mitgang, the company's chief executive officer. A lot of that value comes with the realization that about 80 percent of heavy-truck collisions with four-wheelers are not the fault of the truck driver, Mitgang said. That means that in about 80 percent of accident cases with video evidence, the trucker is exonerated. The driver accep- tance works best when leadership communicates well, he said. Even in a case where a forward-facing camera clearly shows a four-wheeler being at fault, an aggressive plaintiff 's attorney can threaten to obtain a trucker's cell phone records in the hope of finding evidence of distracted driving. A complementary in-cab recording can help verify the trucker's defense and head off an unwarranted settlement, Mitgang said. About half of SmartDrive's customers choose to have the cameras running whenever the truck is in motion, while the other half has cameras triggered only by an event such as harsh braking or a lane departure, he said. With those that run on an "extended recording" mode, fleets do not use the extra material to troll for improper driver behavior but rather to help reconstruct an incident beyond the trig- gering event's parameters, Mitgang said. – Max Heine D ossier Systems, a provider of fleet maintenance management software, released Dossier v6.4, the latest version of its flagship software that also is available on the company's Dos- sier On-Demand hosted environment. New features and options include a communications platform called Dossier Cloud Services or DCloud, Dossier Lite mobile tools for nonmaintenance personnel available online and on IOS and Android, Work Pending requests and workflow, integration with Zonar Systems, enhancements to Audit Trail and Reporting, and several updates designed to make Dossier more enterprise- and finance-friendly. DCloud manages all communications in and out of Dossier with a new cloud-based set of services designed to make it easier for the pro- vider to manage data flow to its customers from its telematics and parts partners. Work Pending workflow is designed to allow work to be requested by drivers, technicians and managers depending on their role and associated security/authority; the request can be approved automatically or require review. The tool is suited for drivers who normally wouldn't have or need a Dossier user license. – Aaron Huff Acceptance of dash-mounted cameras growing, SmartDrive says t 4NBSU%SJWF4ZTUFNT, a provider of video-based driv- ing performance systems, raised $50 million in funding from Oak Investment Partners, New Enterprise Associates and Wabco to fuel the company's global expansion, further pro - pel product innovation and support its growing patent portfolio. Wabco invested $20 million and will integrate next- generation video-based ana - lytics solutions for commercial vehicle fleets worldwide. t GreenRoad, a driver behavior and fleet performance service provider, raised $26 million in growth capital led by Israel Growth Partners, whose general partner, Haim Shani, joined the GreenRoad board of directors. The company plans to invest heavily in ex - panding its sales and market- ing resources and to enhance its driver behavior technology to capture opportunities arising from next-generation mobility models and con - nected fleet technologies. t Comdata launched FleetAd- vance Mobile, an application for Apple and Android devices designed to help transporta- tion companies increase fuel savings by giving drivers a tool to make more informed pur- chasing decisions. The mobile app allows a driver to search by current location or city and state to find the lowest prices in the area. The initial release also includes the ability to rate locations and view ratings from others. t &#&5FDIOPMPHJFT a pro - vider of automated decision support applications for transportation and logistics, and DAT Solutions announced that load brokers and shippers now can retrieve DAT Carrier - Watch motor carrier insurance data and verify insurance limits from within the EBE car- rier qualification application, helping mutual clients bring Continued on page 46 INBRIEF Dossier's fleet maintenance software goes mobile SmartDrive Systems said virtually all of its fleet customers are using both forward-facing and in-cab cameras in their trucks. Dossier 6.4 contains features that all current Dossier and Dossier On-Demand customers can begin using immediately, the company said.