JH Willis upgrades to FastView360 cab cameras
Milk transportation specialist JH Willis Ltd has opted to integrate its route tracking telematics system with a new generation of fleet cab cameras from FastView360, to help improve driving style and provide evidence in the event of insurance claims.
JH Willis, which operates from a hub in Wrexham, transports milk and food grade produce throughout the UK and Republic of Ireland. Currently the fleet comprises 35 trucks and 50 tanker trailers, and a complement of 50 drivers.
“This is the definitive ‘milk run’,” explained JH Willis fleet manager, Simon Lord.
“We are operational 24 hours a day and throughout the year, collecting from dairy farms in the North West of England and Wales.
“The milk produce is then bulked and reloaded for transportation to our customers. We are using specialist vehicles which are fitted with automated metering and data capture facilities to ensure delivery standards.
“All our vehicles have been fitted with cameras covering the forward and rear views from both driving mirrors. The farm collection tankers have also been fitted with rear view cameras.
“Whilst cameras have been used previously, they were discrete units lacking efficient download, backup and playback facilities. The introduction of live video streaming marks a new generation of this technology featuring online notification, rapid download and replay facilities, making the information more readily available in the event of a notifiable incident.”
Simon continued: “Following my appointment in January 2019, one of my first tasks was to review the existing camera fits. Whilst most of the fleet vehicles had cameras installed, these relied on memory cards and very often we would find that the card was either missing, or in some cases the camera had stopped recording because the card was full.
“In the event of an incident, the whole point of having cameras is to be able to access the recorded segment quickly. We need to investigate the cause and get this information to the insurance company, as well as other parties involved. We need the information fast, together with some useful video. You will be stymied, if for any reason the camera has failed to record.
“What attracted me to the FastView360 system was that it had been conceived and assembled by people who fully understood the operational requirements. Basically, we need to be able to formulate the video evidence into a report that the insurers can accept straight away and not having to keep coming back to you asking for further clarification. And that is the major advantage of this system.”
The company had looked at several other video playback services on the market, Simon explained.
“Indeed, one of our trucks is still fitted with a competitors’ camera. But none of them were able to match the functionality of the FastView360 event capture and download capability. For example, with FastView you can search and view all of the available recording, whilst others only downloaded specific events.
“The FastView360 system has its own GPRS location capability. This enables us to locate the vehicle and retrieve the footage in order to investigate an incident. It provides much more than the other systems we looked at.
“This is useful, for instance if for any reason, we are asked to provide some video evidence, all we need to know is approximate time and location. Because FastView allows us to drop a pin on the map and it will look for whichever vehicle was in that area at a given date and time. The system will list the vehicles within that search criteria and we can act on it.”
Another important advantage of the cameras Is drivers’ increased awareness that their driving style is being recorded, Simon adds.
“Should there be any complaints from the public, we can verify what has happened. If you put that together with the vehicle telematics, you have a very powerful tool for helping to improve the overall standards of driving quality.
“Further development will enable access to video to support driver training, by enabling video data to be correlated with the… telematics: for example, to follow up a ‘harsh braking’ event recorded by the telematics. Video would clarify the cause of the event and possibly vindicate the drivers’ reactions.
“Where an insurance claim is involved without video, we would most likely have had to accept full liability. But with video you can make a more objective assessment of the incident and attribute blame. It gives your insurance company better information to support your case. And this is a massive saving on time because you can produce an accurate report promptly.”
