Knights of Old, a UK-based privately owned logistics company, is beefing up vehicle safety by installing more than 200 in-cab 3G cameras to reduce insurance premiums, cut road incidents and assist with driver training.

The new camera technology, provided by fleet management and vehicle tracking specialist Verilocation, UK, operates in concert with complimentary fleet management control and tracking systems to cut down the time and cost of settling disputes arising from road incidents.

The Knights of Old Group will rely on live camera and vehicle performance data to be streameddirect to their online Verilocation tracking account for immediate analysis when dealing with FNOL (first notification of loss) scenarios or traffic incidents.

The “witness” cameras record every event taking place in front of the vehicle while GPS data regarding vehicle speed, impact force and braking is transmitted. This enables immediate arbitration based on facts rather than on retrospectively gathered third-party accounts.

“This is certainly a major step forward for us and likely to become an invaluable tool for improving vehicle management, reducing accident frequency and keeping insurance premiums to a minimum,” says Kelvin Gingell, logistics director for the Knights of Old. “Let’s face it, there’s nothing better than learning from real-life examples, and with this system, we have the opportunity to review individual driver techniques and experiences, so that drivers can objectively review their own performance.”

Knights of Old is a diverse transport and logistics operator whose road, air and ocean freight services span the UK, Ireland and Europe.

“Very often, we will not see a vehicle in the flesh for days,” says Gingell. “Therefore we need to rely on the GPS and telematics tracking and monitoring systems supplied by Verilocation, not just to keep tabs on our own assets, but more importantly, to [also] have the facility to provide around-the-clock information to our customers regarding the status of their cargo.”

The Knights of Old Group has worked closely with Verilocation over recent years to achieve this technology.

“[Verilocation] creates an atmosphere of mutual development and matches their technical solutions with our specific customer needs,” adds Gingell. “Personal service is vital in this branch of technology, not only to ensure smooth integration into our existing operation, but also to ensure smooth and trouble-free operation as we go along.”

The installation of the in-cab cameras is managed by the Verilocation engineering team.

“Dynamic fleet control of this type comes with undoubted commercial and operational benefits,” adds Gingell. “However, while we are expecting to cut costs and improve fleet efficiency, the new in-cab camera system will most importantly ensure an even higher level of vehicle and driversafety than we could have previously attained.”

Intelligent Telematics, UK, the manufacturer of the cab cams, analysed 2,000 vehicles using the IT 1000 camera over six months, and found that the system can reduce accidents by 45% and cut related accident costs by 27%.