The Role of Cameras in Truck Safety

By capturing real-time footage, cameras document incidents and provide valuable insights into driving habits. Paired with scoring systems like SmartDrive and Netradyne, cameras help trucking companies and drivers monitor performance, encourage safe practices, and pinpoint areas for improvement.

SmartDrive evaluates driver performance based on events that occur on the road. The three most common events are extreme speed, maximum speed, and following distances of one second or less. These events receive severity levels, with higher levels carrying more points. For instance, maintaining a following distance of less than one second can result in a maximum of 275 points added to a driver’s weekly safety score. As the following distance increases, severity decreases, and fewer points are given.

The goal for drivers using SmartDrive is to achieve a weekly score of 25 or lower. Like golf, a lower score reflects better performance and safer driving habits. By identifying specific risk factors, SmartDrive empowers drivers and their companies to focus on key areas of improvement, making roads safer for everyone.

In contrast, you want a higher driving score with Netradyne. Each driver starts their week with a perfect score of 1000 points. Points are removed as negative events happen, with the most common events including severe speed, moderate speed, and severe following distances. Severe speed events can result in deductions of 25 to 50 points, depending on how fast the truck was going.

The Netradyne system also considers total driving time when calculating scores. A short driving week with ten recorded events will result in a lower score than a full week of driving with the same number of events. ICSA aims for drivers to maintain a weekly safety score of at least 850. Netradyne also rewards drivers with star incentives for making good decisions on the road, reinforcing positive habits and recognizing safe driving practices.

Cameras allow drivers and companies to address risky behaviors before they lead to accidents and provide a framework for continuous improvement. At the same time, rewarding safe behavior creates an environment where drivers feel motivated to prioritize safety. With technology like SmartDrive and Netradyne, the industry is making significant strides toward reducing accidents, improving driver performance, and making highways safer for everyone.