Businesses of all sizes are continually searching for ways to boost safety and communicate more effectively with drivers. A recent press release and study from Verizon Connect shows that they also have another issue to battle – everyday drivers’ misperceptions about commercial driver performance.
Green Industry Pros Staff Writer Sheena Ingle recently got a chance to speak with Kevin Aries, head of global product success for Verizon Connect, on the Grass Roots Podcast. Aries discussed transportation management, driver safety, communication, misperceptions and how Verizon Connect’s new Integrated Video platform addresses each concern.
Transportation Management
Each day, those tasked with managing company drivers and vehicles are focused on ensuring their fleets operate safely, efficiently and productively. They are faced with heavy responsibilities and tight schedules.
In addition to workload, any company with vehicles performing service work or delivering and transporting materials faces serious liability. Employees, passengers and others on the roadway need to be safe and protected.
Aries says this is where telematics technology has long been useful. Telematics combines GPS with on-board diagnostics to report information such as driver speed and location. Integrated Video takes this technology several steps further – providing in-depth, real-time data that you can use to engage employees in important conversations about safety and driving habits.
Integrated Video by Verizon Connect
According to Aries, Verizon Connect “helps people, vehicles and objects move throughout the world.” He goes on to say, “Our customers are any businesses with a fleet of vehicles, with a bunch of equipment, with workers out in the field that are trying to get stuff done throughout the day. What we do is provide visibility into those activities.”
Aries explains that Verizon Connect’s newest innovation, Integrated Video, is the company’s way of providing more data to those who are tasked with making sure drivers and their vehicles are safe and protected. This data includes location reporting, video of driving events, information about driver behavior, recording of harsh maneuvers and a gamut of artificial intelligence (AI) and internet of things (IoT) functionalities.
Verizon Connect’s advanced technology also helps businesses manage transportation work and schedules by providing insights into how they can operate more productively, efficiently and safely.
How Integrated Video Combats Misperceptions, Protects Businesses and Promotes Safety
Verizon Connect Integrated Video is a “smart video solution” that enables you to monitor driver performance like never before. It combines technology based on AI and IoT to provide real data insights that help commercial drivers stay safe on the road. Along with improving safety and productivity, Integrated Video allows you to combat common misperceptions.
Promote Safety
Integrated Video enables you to view driver behavior in nearly real-time. This leads to the ability to accurately identify, quickly address and effectively correct unsafe driving habits.
The platform uses an AI- and IoT-based system that captures driving events and intelligently classifies them according to severity. It then shows only what is relevant to your business. The innovative Speed Overlay feature shows vehicle speed directly within the video clip so you can determine whether speed was a contributor to an event or accident. Additionally, Video on Demand allows you to request footage in 40-second increments for easy pinpointing of maneuvers and driver behavior.
Dangerous maneuvers such as hard braking, hard cornering, fast acceleration and speeding are all recorded and reported by Integrated Video. Aries says, “It's always been difficult [for managers] to have really high-quality conversations with drivers about harsh driving incidents or about things that might be dangerous behind the wheel. Integrated Video allows us to capture near real-time video clips of harsh driving events that happen on roadways”
Those back in the home office can then almost instantly see a video recording taken by a dash camera mounted in the vehicle. “[The dash camera] works with our software and shows the exact moment a harsh driving event occurred,” Aries adds.
Protect Your Business
Not only can you encourage safety by using the technology to ensure your employees are driving responsibly and obeying all traffic laws - thereby decreasing the number of unsafe maneuvers witnessed by onlookers - drivers can also defend themselves against inaccurate claims.
“We know our customers have always looked for a better way to protect themselves against false claims and liability incidents,” Aries says.
When unsafe driving behavior by a company vehicle is reported by the public, Aries says, “We want to give our customers the ability to either prove or disprove that those instances happened. We want to give companies the data and the tools to protect themselves.”
Communication Is the Key to Effective Transportation Management
Communicating with drivers is paramount to performance, safety and successful operations for your business. The best way to maintain open and effective communication is by making sure you have the most accurate information possible regarding your employees’ driving behaviors, schedules, locations and habits. Comprehensive monitoring of your fleet can protect your business, shield you from costly liabilities and even save lives.
