Multi-Camera Systems Cover All Angles of Commercial Transit Vehicles

As a trucking fleet manager or owner, setting your fleet apart from the rest of your industry can be done in a multitude of ways. Having the most up to date and advanced hardware is one sure-fire path to reach that next level. While one dash cam in a vehicle can do a good job, installing multiple cameras in your fleet vehicles is industry-changing. With Vestige’s 360º multi-angle vehicle cameras, there are no limiting factors. Vestige supports up to eight different cameras placed throughout every fleet vehicle on your roster. The cameras are ready to record and report anything that is important to your business vehicle in any industry, at any time.

Semi Trucks

Semitruck driving on highway with Vestige dash camera solution

A semi-truck is the perfect example of a vehicle that could take advantage of all eight cameras in the 360 multi-angle dash cam system. The typical installation location for cameras in a semi – truck set-up would include:

– 1 dash camera facing the road

– 1 dash camera facing the driver

– 2 heavy-duty cameras, one on each side of the semi-rig

– 1 rear camera, facing the road behind the semi-trailer

Each camera set-up can have various uses, and you can even customize what you want each camera to focus on. For example, a dual dash cam system with the dash cam facing the road is perfect for analyzing any accidents that happen or to maintain proper routes. The driver-facing camera is best used to combat distracted driving and implement proper training for drivers.

According to the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety, “Large trucks were involved in 11 percent of all motor vehicle crash deaths and 22 percent of passenger vehicle occupant deaths in multiple-vehicle crashes.” Operating large trucks can be extremely dangerous for everyone involved, which is why safety and proper training have to be at the forefront of every business’s agenda.“In 2018, 4,862 large trucks were involved in fatal crashes. According to MCMIS, 59,933 large trucks were involved in injury crashes, and 111,291 were involved in tow-away crashes”(Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration).

An unforeseen consequence of an accident with larger vehicles is the extra costs. There is a lot of money you must spend beyond the cost to repair your truck. If the truck has a load on it and must be towed away, you must pay to move the trailer. If the trailer is damaged, you will be spending money on getting that cargo reloaded to another trailer and properly transported.

Based on the latest data available, the estimated cost of police-reported crashes involving trucks with a gross weight rating of more than 10,000 pounds averaged $91,112 (in 2005 dollars). – 2007 Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Study

– Crashes in which truck-tractors with two or three trailers were involved were the rarest but their cost was the highest among all crashes—$289,549 per crash.  

– Crashes in which straight trucks with no trailers were involved had the lowest cost— $56,296 per crash.  

– The average cost of property-damage-only crashes was $15,114. 

– The costs per non-fatal injury crash averaged $195,258. 

– As expected, fatal crashes cost more than any other crashes. The average cost of fatal crashes was $3,604,518 per crash. 

2007 Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Study

In most cases, the semi – truck camera system would be most advantageous for shipping and transport industries, but customization allows all that to be decided by the company.

Tow Trucks

The towing industry is a great candidate for a 360º multi-angle dash cam system because of all the moving parts on and off the tow-trucks. Not only do you have to operate a tow-truck, but it has to safely load and unload other heavy vehicles and transport them without any hiccups.

A tow-truck operator works in a dangerous environment, with all the moving parts he has to be aware of. “On-the-job fatality risks of the tow truck industry is nearly 15x greater than other industries” (Commercial Fleet Financing Inc.). Similar to first responders, the road can be the most dangerous place for tow-truck drivers. “Motor vehicle incidents were the leading cause of towing industry worker deaths, accounting for 64%. Contact with objects and equipment was second at 17%” (Commercial Fleet Financing Inc.).

Working near or on an active roadway is life-threatening every time a tow-truck operator works a scene. According to Motor Vehicle Towing, “Thirty-seven percent of those deaths involved the tow truck operator being struck by roadway traffic (hereafter referred to as pedestrian struck-by incidents), 16% were struck-by incidents involving objects or equipment, and 14% were acts of violence. There were 32 injuries for every death over that same time period.”

A potential tow-truck dedicated camera setup example would include:

1 dual dash cam setup with 1 camera facing toward the road and the other cam facing the driver

1 heavy-duty weatherproof camera attached to the truck cab facing the back of the tow rig

2 cameras on the sides of the truck for sideswipe coverage

The cameras facing the road forward and the driver are installed for the same reasons as the semi-truck example, night or day recordings to analyze accidents or cab driver monitors, respectively. The notable differences between the tow-truck setup and the semi-truck setup are focused on the outward-facing cab camera and the two cameras on the back of the truck that face the road. The cab cameras help maintain safety with the tow rig at all times and can spot any potential malfunctions of operator error when carrying a load. More important than a backup camera, the road-facing adjustable cameras on the back allow for a great view of loading and unloading procedures.

Non-Emergency Medical Transit (NEMT)

With the 360 multi-angle dash cam system installed in a non-emergency medical transport (NEMT) fleet, both the passengers and drivers feel a great deal more safe and secure. This is especially helpful due to the fragile nature of some patients that ride the transport.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), “between 1991 and 1995, 19% of wheelchair users were injured or killed due to a wheelchair lift malfunction, and 15% were injured or killed while being transferred to and from a vehicle.”

An example of a camera system in an NEMT vehicle would include:

1 dual dash cam system with default cameras (2) facing the road and the driver

1 rear-facing camera to monitor passengers

1 interior camera facing the lift to ensure proper loading

The main variation on this system is the handicap access camera. There might be a situation where injuries are sustained from the elevator system. Placing a camera there allows the truth to always come out. It also allows the company to improve their training techniques if necessary.

Buses

Another passenger safety industry, bus transport, can use a robust camera system. During the operation of a bus on a bus route, there can be a multitude of ways accidents occur. The frequency of these crash types can be easily understood in the pie chart below.

Road Safety Issues for Bus Transport Management, Accident Analysis and Prevention Journal, 2013

crash frequency statistics bus stop rear end overtaking restart change lanes right turn left turn hard breaking

The operation of a bus route is about the safety of pedestrians or occupants of other vehicles just as much as it is about the passengers. “From 2009 to 2018, about 70% of the deaths in school bus-related crashes were occupants of vehicles other than the school bus, and 17% were pedestrians. About 5% were school bus passengers, 4% were school bus drivers, and 2% were pedal cyclists”(National Safety Council). This system would look like this:

– 1 dash cam facing the road

– 1 camera facing the driver

– 1 camera covering every exit on the bus

Maintaining constant eyes on how passengers are loaded and unloaded from the bus can mean all the difference if an accident were to occur. Training your drivers to have the proper safety techniques while passengers board the bus is just as important as when they are operating the bus.

Pickup Trucks

Even something as simple and compact as a pickup truck could use a strong camera system. This example would include:

– 1 dash camera facing road

– 1 dash camera facing driver

With an extra camera maintaining a fixed position on the bed of the truck, you can easily see if anything is stolen out of it. Since these trucks can’t carry much, you would most likely only be using them during work hours to transport products, parts or workers short distances.

A 360º multi-angle dash cam system can be implemented in nearly any industry with any class of vehicle. This diverse product allows owners to have real-time 4G LTE video footage, recording and uploading to the cloud for instant access at any time. Protect your business, your drivers, and your passengers with this industry-leading system.

Frequently Asked Questions

Vestige View dash cams record whenever the vehicle’s ignition is on and for an hour after ignition is turned off.

It is a dash cam solution that provides more than just a road and driver view. Camera placement options include the sides of a vehicle, rear view, and additional cameras inside a vehicle compartment or in cargo areas. This is important in protecting customers from the more than half of incidents that happen on the sides or behind and for effectively monitoring passengers and cargo on the vehicle.

Yes. In fact, Vestige can provide anywhere from one to 16 cameras on vehicle left and right sides to customize our solution to deliver the video views customers need to eliminate blind spots and optimize safety.

Yes. While single cameras can capture incidents happening in front of the vehicle, they miss the over-50% of side and rear liability incidents. Without a cab monitor it is not possible to see unsafe driver behavior; and without addon cameras it is more difficult to provide a means to monitor the wellbeing of passengers or the status of cargo.

Any system is better than none, but having more available camera views and reliable day and night recordings dramatically increases the user’s protection. From “sideswipe” accidents and scams to a recent fatal accident where a customer’s truck was “t-boned” in an intersection, the cam DVR system and excellent video quality proved they were not at fault. Multi-camera systems are saving customers significant additional costs, and possibly their entire businesses, in a way dual cams cannot deliver.

With insurance company claims against fleets on the rise and more than half of accidents happening on the sides and rear of commercial vehicles, multi camera systems deliver huge benefits over single or dual-camera systems. With the out-of-pocket cost of an accident with injuries averaging around $75,000, a single insurance claim dismissed can easily pay for the full cost of the solution and more.

Share this resource:

Get A Quote

Vestige Voice Submission

Request Vestige Demo

Request Ping On-Demand & Asset Tracking Demo

Request Tool & Equipment Tracking Demo

Request Employee Safety Device Demo

Request Camera & GPS Demo