For smaller businesses whose employees drive as part of their operations, such as plumbing and mechanical companies, safety behind the wheel is paramount. Poor employee driving habits can lead to damaged vehicles and a bad reputation for the company. In the event of a serious accident, one multi-million-dollar claim — baseless or not — can be fatal to the business.

Enter the dash cam. It’s a cost-effective, game-changing tool for identifying risky driving behaviors and exonerating innocent drivers in the event of a crash.

Without in-vehicle video, it’s impossible to know how many close calls or unsafe events are occurring in company vehicles. Cameras can capture:

• Cellphone use;
• Distracted driving;
• Tailgating;
• Speeding;
• Hard braking;
• Hard cornering; and
• And more

Failure to identify and address these behaviors can be costly.

Accident exoneration

Plumbing and mechanical companies don’t always buy the shiny new object in safety technology, and it’s no different with dash cams. Leaders want to be sure these devices will provide bottom-line savings before they invest in them. However, many have moved to dash cams in the past few years because of the value of exoneration.

Dash cam video clips can be pivotal in proving that your employee was doing the right things at the right time. Absent video evidence, relying on witness testimony is a gamble.

Exoneration of even one employee involved in a vehicle crash with significant litigation risk will pay for the investment many times over. Dash cams level the playing field, defending employees and their companies against wrongful lawsuits.

Fuel efficiency

According to American Trucking Association’s Technology and Maintenance Council (TMC), the most skilled drivers can produce as much as 35% better mpg than less-skilled ones, proving that fuel efficiency can be improved with proper coaching.

If your drivers keep an adequate following distance, they don’t hit the brakes nearly as often. Avoiding these jack-rabbit starts is easier on drive trains and better for fuel efficiency. Speeding over 55 MPH, and especially over 70 MPH, greatly reduces fuel efficiency. Ensuring that employees drive carefully can be achieved with dramatic success when they know their behavior is being monitored by dash cameras.

Another benefit is that maintenance and fuel costs decrease when there is less excessive speed, in addition to reducing the risk of speed-related accidents.

Lower insurance premiums

In March 2023, the J. J. Keller Center for Market Insights conducted a study of fleet safety professionals, who cited insurance as two of the top four benefits of dash cams.

To obtain an insurance policy renewal at the lowest possible premium, a company must be able to share with an underwriter:

• The level of risk regarding recent crash and loss experience;
• The root cause of severe crashes and high-frequency minor crashes; and
• The actions to address those root causes and to improve the safety program.

Timely detection and correction of unsafe behavior through video-based coaching is a great way to proactively reduce risky behaviors so incidents occur less frequency. This safety investment can also lead to an improvement in insurance premiums.

Key to remember: Dash cams can be a game-changer for plumbing and mechanical companies by providing cost-effective protection and improving profitability.