Trackers & Dash cam

[PI Stsker]

I’m looking at putting an integrated system in to all vehicles (tractors, lorry’s & cars) for insurance purposes and security. The system I’m looking at is a dashcam system with integrated fleet tracking to reduce insurance premiums AND hopefully help with security / driver safety with so many clowns on the roads now a days.

does anyone have any experience with such systems with any recommendations?
Also we have a couple of vehicles guys take home evenings & weekends, they pay the proper BIK rate but does anyone know where I stand making them have a tracker and live view dash cam in their company car with the possibility of me ‘checking up on them’ out of hours? I’d imagine it’s a GDPR nightmare…

 

[Lincs Lass]

Is there any reason why you want to track their every move at night and weekends ,, are they using company vehicles for moonlighting jobs ,putting on unreasonable mileage .

 

[PI Stsker]

Is there any reason why you want to track their every move at night and weekends ,, are they using company vehicles for moonlighting jobs ,putting on unreasonable mileage .

I don’t care what they do out of hours. Deliver pizza for all I care, hence this thread. I wondered if it was possible to install a ‘privacy button’ to press each start up for evenings/weekends.

lorry’s and tractors less of an issue as every journey is Buisness it’s just the cars im worried about where I stand. (Not that I’m going to track them out of hours id just like to potentially give them the option)

it’s purely from an insurance premium point of view this is coming from and to protect my drivers/staff proving liability which has been tricky in the past…

 

[Flatlander]

Should be mandatory to have cameras in vehicles I think. In the event of an accident or theft it’s an undisputed witness. I do a fair amount of road miles and have seen some scary situations unfold. If caught on camera reporting dangerous drivers would hold credibility.

 

[******]

I’m looking at putting an integrated system in to all vehicles (tractors, lorry’s & cars) for insurance purposes and security. The system I’m looking at is a dashcam system with integrated fleet tracking to reduce insurance premiums AND hopefully help with security / driver safety with so many clowns on the roads now a days.

does anyone have any experience with such systems with any recommendations?
Also we have a couple of vehicles guys take home evenings & weekends, they pay the proper BIK rate but does anyone know where I stand making them have a tracker and live view dash cam in their company car with the possibility of me ‘checking up on them’ out of hours? I’d imagine it’s a GDPR nightmare…

You're correct insomuch as it is a GDPR/privacy law minefield - most especially when the cameras are active at home; in what would be considered a 'private' area. And not just for your employees but their neighbours too.

This is similar when it comes to home CCTV which should not overlook or look on to neighbours private property - even looking to on public paths and roads can cause issues. Whereas CCTV can be managed that neighbours property can be 'blacked out' in certain areas of the screen to avoid the privacy issue, this is not so easy when it comes to 'live view' dashcams installed in vehicles.

The tracker option gives the location of the vehicle, so there is limited necessity to have live view dash cam (other than back up to the tracker, but this becomes a moot point if a thief simply rips out the dash cam anyway). By limiting the function of the dash cam to recording driver's on the road and any accidents (rather than also having live view), reduces your legal headaches.

IMO, you're better off having the tracker for location and time/speed in the event of an accident. And the dash cam for video evidence in the event of an accident.

A privacy impact assessment (including collateral intrusion) should be created, and how, when and why the dash cam and tracker is used should be specifically written in to company policy, with it understood and agreed by employees using the vehicles, with a particular focus on minimising privacy intrusion. The why is obviously - to encourage driver's safer behaviours when operating company vehicles, the prevention and detection of crime, assist in the recovery of stolen equipment (tractors and other vehicles).

A formal procedure should also be produced, for anyone remotely accessing the dash cam and tracker - who are the authorised people (with in the company) which can access the monitoring equipment, how, when, why it is accessed, and how the information is securely stored.

 

[PI Stsker]

You're correct insomuch as it is a GDPR/privacy law minefield - most especially when the cameras are active at home; in what would be considered a 'private' area. And not just for your employees but their neighbours too.

This is similar when it comes to home CCTV which should not overlook or look on to neighbours private property - even looking to on public paths and roads can cause issues. Whereas CCTV can be managed that neighbours property can be 'blacked out' in certain areas of the screen to avoid the privacy issue, this is not so easy when it comes to 'live view' dashcams installed in vehicles.

The tracker option gives the location of the vehicle, so there is limited necessity to have live view dash cam (other than back up to the tracker, but this becomes a moot point if a thief simply rips out the dash cam anyway). By limiting the function of the dash cam to recording driver's on the road and any accidents (rather than also having live view), reduces your legal headaches.

IMO, you're better off having the tracker for location and time/speed in the event of an accident. And the dash cam for video evidence in the event of an accident.

A privacy impact assessment (including collateral intrusion) should be created, and how, when and why the dash cam and tracker is used should be specifically written in to company policy, with it understood and agreed by employees using the vehicles, with a particular focus on minimising privacy intrusion. The why is obviously - to encourage driver's safer behaviours when operating company vehicles, the prevention and detection of crime, assist in the recovery of stolen equipment (tractors and other vehicles).

A formal procedure should also be produced, for anyone remotely accessing the dash cam and tracker - who are the authorised people (with in the company) which can access the monitoring equipment, how, when, why it is accessed, and how the information is securely stored.

I’m not worried about having the remote view, it was just part of the package I was looking in to (offered)

to be honest I’d probably never look at the dash cam unless there was an accident and we needed liability proof, I think the main ‘selling point’ of it is I can reload older footage remotely from the office so I can start the ball rolling on any insurance paperwork etc before the driver is even home for the weekend. Tracker wise would be more of a management tool on the HGV’s so I can save the ‘where are you’ calls trying to route plan and get other jobs squeezed in. The main reason for looking in to this is from an insurance premium point of view that if my entire fleet has trackers and cams it reduces the premium by half!!
the only stumbling block is the company cars that is a privacy issue (potentially)
I’m not sure legally if I can track a company car out of work hours or record there driving view…?

 

[******]

I’m not sure legally if I can track a company car out of work hours or record there driving view…?

As the asset owner, I'd argue that you can track your equipment, regardless of when it is being used.

It's more a case of how, and demonstrating doing so legally, responsibly and with clear evidenced management of privacy and security of any information you obtain as a result of protecting your investment - whether it is encouraging operators to drive responsibly, collecting evidence following traffic collisions (lowering your premiums); or preventing theft or recovery of vehicles after theft.

Tracking HGV's for fleet management, coordinating drop-offs and back loads is quite common from what I understand, and from a driver's point of view (given the amount of fuel theft and theft from trailers across the UK) having someone watching over you / on call / instant 'panic' alert (again, done ethically) is no bad thing IMO.

From what you've described, it seems 'live view' is not necessary - but cloud based instant access to review footage post incident is needed. This seems more appropriate, and easier to manage in terms of GDPR / privacy. Therefore, NOT having the 'live view' feature may be quite important to avoid future allegations of infringing privacy (especially if you get a former employee bearing a grudge down the line).

Whoever is selling this to you, maybe negotiate a cost based on your specific requirements, and not what they want you to buy. I'm guessing you already have and apologies for teaching you to suck eggs, as it were.

 

[puppet]

I’m looking at putting an integrated system in to all vehicles (tractors, lorry’s & cars) for insurance purposes and security. The system I’m looking at is a dashcam system with integrated fleet tracking to reduce insurance premiums AND hopefully help with security / driver safety with so many clowns on the roads now a days.

does anyone have any experience with such systems with any recommendations?
Also we have a couple of vehicles guys take home evenings & weekends, they pay the proper BIK rate but does anyone know where I stand making them have a tracker and live view dash cam in their company car with the possibility of me ‘checking up on them’ out of hours? I’d imagine it’s a GDPR nightmare…

If they are just taking the vehicle home then a tracker should be acceptable. If you accept using the vehicle for private use that raises insurance issues. Does the dashcam only work when moving?
Most big utilities will be getting information on location and driving style fed back. I know some employees came to grief doing some weekend runs and then having an accident.

 

[PI Stsker]

If they are just taking the vehicle home then a tracker should be acceptable. If you accept using the vehicle for private use that raises insurance issues. Does the dashcam only work when moving?
Most big utilities will be getting information on location and driving style fed back. I know some employees came to grief doing some weekend runs and then having an accident.

They pay the relevant BIK tax and use the vehicles for personal use evenings and weekends for what ever they wish (also part of the insurance package, this isn’t the problem here)
The dash cam I’ve priced records and sends to the cloud as it were as soon as the ignition is on until turnt back off..
I just don’t want to put someone in a compromising position when using the vehicle for personal use, but as pointed out already it’s my vehicle to do as I wish and they can take it or leave it in terms of the company car.