The Latest Innovations in Driver-Monitoring Technology For Fleet Safety

Driving any vehicle can be a dangerous business. For drivers of heavy vehicles, the risks are even greater.

Despite making up only a small percentage of the vehicles on Australian roads, heavy vehicles are disproportionately involved in accidents that cause fatalities and injuries. Australian Bureau of Statistics data in 2020 showed they were involved in 16 per cent of all fatalities despite making up just 3.7 per cent of the Australian fleet.

This unwelcome reality is a massive burden on drivers, their families and the companies that run heavy-vehicle fleets, as well as the wider community. It also has vast economic consequences because it stops people and vehicles from working.

The Rise of Telematics

While drivers and fleet managers can't control every factor that contributes to an accident, advances in fleet telematics technology are allowing them to reduce the risks like never before.

In 2024, fleet-management systems offer a whole lot more than just the traditional GPS location and basic vehicle data for fleet managers to pore over.

Now, 5G telecommunications can transmit a massive amount of data from a vehicle in real-time, while artificial intelligence (AI) and machine-learning technology transform how that data is absorbed, interpreted and implemented. The latest fleet-management systems are not only capable of enhancing fleet efficiency but also delivering improved safety outcomes.

Advanced Driver Monitoring

At the heart of this revolution are advanced driver-monitoring systems, which integrate with fleet-management platforms to assess driver behaviour, provide real-time feedback and coaching and even intervene if necessary. Here's what some of the latest systems are capable of:

Fatigue/Distraction Management

This technology uses a combination of cameras and face/eye-tracking algorithms to measure a driver’s eye closure and head position in real-time to determine moments of fatigue, distraction or other health issues.

It can send a notification to the fleet manager within minutes of an incident occurring, allowing them to check in with a driver to assess the situation and determine the best preventative action moving forward.

Several fleet-management platforms offer this technology and claim it can reduce fatigue-related incidents by more than 90 per cent. It can also allow a company to secure lower insurance premiums.

Driver-Behaviour Coaching

Today's driver monitoring for fleets is capable of tracking a range of driver behaviours and key performance metrics, including speeding, stop-sign violations, idle time and harsh braking, acceleration or cornering.

As with the fatigue/distraction element of these systems, fleet managers can be notified of dangerous behaviour in real-time, allowing them to check in with a driver and discuss preventative strategies.

The data gleaned from this technology, including an outright safety score for each driver, is typically presented in an easy-to-digest dashboard, making it easy for fleet managers to monitor drivers and work with them to deliver safer driving outcomes.

Some driver-monitoring systems go further by fully integrating with driver-assist technologies such as speed limiters, blindspot monitors and other functions. MiX Telematics driver-monitoring technology, for example, can sense when a driver hasn't applied the handbrake and automatically engages it to prevent a roll-away situation.

Incident Detection and Viewing

This technology provides fleet managers with instant notifications of traffic incidents and a video replay within minutes, allowing them to immediately check on a driver's well-being and offer support.

It also allows them to recreate an incident second-by-second on a real-time maps interface. This can help drivers understand the contributing factors and take action to prevent similar incidents moving forward, as well as speed up the insurance claims process.

^Disclaimer

^{Viva Energy Australia Pty Ltd (“Viva Energy”) has compiled the above article for your general information and to use as a general reference. Whilst all reasonable care has been taken by Viva Energy in compiling this article, Viva Energy does not warrant or represent that the information in the article is free from errors or omissions or is suitable for your intended use.}