Here you will find a gathering of fleet best practices for gaining and maintaining driver acceptance and engagement for dash cameras and corresponding coaching programs.
BE TRANSPARENT
Overcome feelings of discomfort by being transparent, explain why you are installing cameras. Share your company’s mission and goals, and how the safety program fits within. Whether it’s improving CSA scores, lowering insurance premiums, or protecting drivers from false claims, loop the staff in on your vision.
EXPLAIN HOW IT WORKS
Communicate how the technology works and what the drivers can expect. Explain how events are predicted and detected, who has access to footage, how long videos are stored, and how the analysis is conducted. Will videos be analyzed by humans or AI? Will they be able to view and contest how an event is categorized? What are the company thresholds for specific events?
ASK FOR INPUT
Be collaborative. Ask for driver feedback via survey, online forum, or one-on-one conversation. Consider starting with a small trial group and collecting their feedback before rolling out the technology to the entire fleet.
GIVE THEM A REASON TO CARE
What’s in it for them? In addition to fewer accidents and exoneration in the case of a non-fault accident, driving for a safer fleet will ultimately help their career. Lower insurance premiums may enable some fleets to offer better compensation. Connect the dots between company success and driver success. Additionally, driver scores associated with smart cameras may eventually become an industry standard, like a FICO score for credit, to prove their value and skill level.
RECOGNIZE GOOD DRIVING
Many drivers are used to legacy cameras that focus on hard brake or G-force triggered events, which means managers only see the “bad” driving. Advanced cameras that capture the entire drive enable managers to confidently recognize all the good driving, generally about 85 percent. A performance report based on both positive driving behavior and constructive feedback will encourage drivers to perform better. Even without data from a smart camera, managers could start coaching conversations with positive feedback.
GAMIFY
We all have a competitive streak. Companies that use gamification see an average of 60 percent increase in employee engagement, and 72 percent of people say competition makes them work harder. Post a leaderboard or enable drivers to see their score compared to the fleet average. By applying healthy competition to fleet safety, you reward positive behavior, motivate teams, celebrate success, and give drivers control, resulting in happier drivers.
EMPATHIZE
Reinforce that you know your drivers are great, and that the camera is primarily to protect the driver from a lawsuit or unfair blame. Like a trusty wingman always riding shotgun, there to help with an extra set of eyes on the road.
SHOW THEM WHAT YOU SEE
Self-awareness is the first step for any personal shift. Enable drivers to watch their own videos. Often, they don’t recognize their own driving and seeing it for themselves can be a catalyst for behavior change. Watch their videos together in-person, email them event videos, or enable automated coaching that does it for you.
EMPOWER THEM
Give drivers visibility to their own performance metrics so they can self-manage. Not only will this save managers time, but it provides a sense of autonomy and control of their careers. Happy drivers are good for a fleet’s bottom line. Offer a driver app where they can access their stats at any time. If an app wouldn’t work for your fleet, email, or print their weekly scorecard.
ONE STEP AT A TIME
Roll the program out slowly. Do a trial, give people two weeks to get used to the cameras, and then reassess. You may choose one group of drivers to start with, such as those who have had consecutive incidents. Or one feature at a time, start with exterior cameras only, then move to inward cameras, then implement driver self-coaching. Choose one or two driving goals to focus on at a time. Pick your top area of concern and work on it until you reach the set goal.
INCENTIVIZE
Especially in the case of owner-operators or unions, the drivers may have the final say on what goes in their cab. Make a big deal out of the camera and driver app installation. Hold a “safety week” and give out cash and prizes for participation. Offer bonuses for those that agree to use the cameras and/or the app.
REWARD IMPROVEMENT
Reward those who show the most improvement over a specific time or most improved for a particular alert, even if they are not meeting the goal score. Attach incentives to the scores, rewarding drivers with bonuses, swag, gift cards, and paid time off. Most fleets find that even a nominal reward works wonders.
SHARE SUCCESSES
Fleet drivers are not at fault in 80 percent of collisions, and cameras provide that proof. Share exoneration videos and stories in group meetings, via email, online forums, on the TV in the driver’s lounge, or wherever you communicate with your team.
GIVE THEM PRIVACY
Emphasize that the inward-facing camera is not there to police them but to protect them. The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) found that between 94 and 96 percent of accidents are caused by human error. In-cab audio alerts for drowsy or distracted driving help to avoid collisions.
Also, various privacy approaches are possible with an advanced camera system:
- Baby steps. Begin with only road-facing cameras, using a physical cap on the device. As drivers become accustomed to cameras, remove the cap, and utilize the inward features.
- Advanced cameras may have a mode that can analyze and process alerts without recording.
- Choose machine review for videos instead of human review.
- Blur background and passenger areas to provide additional comfort to non-drivers.
- Remind drivers that your office also has cameras, and that ignition off means camera off.
AIM FOR CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
What about performance plateaus? It’s a valid concern that one might become complacent once they are in the “comfort zone.” While the most dramatic shifts tend to happen in the first 12 months, there’s always room to improve. Studying data trends provides insights into areas to improve. Shifting the focus from one alert to another or tightening a threshold can keep people on their toes. Re-explore steps 1-14.
FINAL THOUGHTS
There is discomfort with any change, especially when it involves a perceived invasion of privacy. Careful planning and thoughtful communication can make all the difference. Advanced technology can automate recognition and empower drivers to take charge of their own success. Driver scores and gamification can become the foundation for a positive safety culture, more profit, better driver retention, and ultimately a safer fleet.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Netradyne’s vision-based Driver•i is an advanced fleet safety camera platform, with AI and edge computing embedded in the device to capture and analyze data immediately, helping to avoid risky situations. The platform includes automated positive recognition, to build trust and job satisfaction with your drivers. Do you work with union drivers, or want more ideas for gaining driver acceptance for dash cameras? To learn more, visit go.netradyne.com/unions.
