Fleet Management News & Business Info | Commercial Carrier Journal
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/443069
40 COMMERCIAL CARRIER JOURNAL | JANUARY 2015 P erhaps the most compelling reason for using video intel- ligence – the combination of video and big data – in a high-risk low-margin industry such as commercial transportation is to pro- tect fleets and drivers from wrongful litigation. The University of Michigan Trans- portation Research Institute – a pro- vider of truck-related crash research – studied 8,309 fatal car-truck crashes to determine fault. Of those, car drivers were assigned fault 81 percent of the time versus 27 percent for truck drivers. But without having video of a crash, the odds in a courtroom are not so favorable toward trucks, with lawsuits against fleets often dragging on for years. Pitt Ohio started using video intelligence in 2012. The merits of using Bendix's SafetyDirect sys- tem were validated when one of the Pittsburgh-based fleet's trucks was involved in an accident on the Penn- sylvania Turnpike. An SUV crashed into a concrete bar- rier on the left side and then crossed into the right lane, striking the Pitt Ohio truck and taking out its steering axle. The truck driver crashed into the barrier on the right side. Three pas- sengers in the SUV were injured. "They were coming after us," says Jeff Mercadante, vice president of safe- ty. "Three people were trying to say we hit them." Pitt Ohio showed a video of the event to the insurance company repre- senting the SUV owner. The case was settled quickly, and Pitt Ohio received $34,000 in damages. Video intelligence platforms capture a short clip of an incident before and after a trigger event such as speeding, swerving or sudden deceleration. In addition to the liability protec- tion, some fleets use the video and data to feed advanced predictive mod- els designed to show the risk profile of each driver and areas of improvement for the overall fleet, providing tools to take action and perhaps change the outcome. Creating a profile One breakthrough of video intelli- gence technology is the ability to mon- itor a full spectrum of driving behav- iors and help deliver a more efficient way to identify and reduce risk. Lytx's DriveCam program is designed to show driver managers a prioritized ranked list of drivers for coaching and intervention. The company uses predictive analytics to determine the most at- risk behav- iors. Lytx is working to add data from outside sources, such as Compliance Safety Accountability, to create a more complete driver profile. Its predictive model shows that hours-of- service violations are a predictor of collisions, says Rob Bartels, senior vice president of trucking. The company now is integrating information from Rair, which provides hours-of-service and driver qualifica- tion compliance management services to fleets. Lytx acquired Rair in 2011. Lytx already has created a singular reporting platform for DriveCam safe- There are lots of opportunities for drivers to get hurt and make mistakes. – Brad Pohlmeier, owner, Kimrad Transport and Bulk Crude Transport HOW VIDEO AND DATA ARE TRANSFORMING TRUCKING BY AARON HUFF