The systems – all 3G IT1000 witness cameras manufactured by Intelligent Telematics and supplied and installed by Verilocation – are now moving on to the majority of the firm's van fleet.
Ian Ashley, head of transport and safety operations for Faccenda Foods, says the company originally decided to install the cameras for driver monitoring and incident management.
However, it then discovered additional benefits in the form of speedy insurance claims processing and lower insurance premiums.
"Fitting the Verilocation system, which incorporates both the camera and driver behaviour monitoring, has enabled us to not only be reactive when incidents happen but be proactive in how we manage both our vehicles and driver performance," states Ashley.
Faccenda already had a telematics system for its heavy-duty artic fleet, used for live-haul and chilled distribution. So Ashley says that the decision to fit the cameras and tracking to its 16 rigid vehicles in the crew cab fleet was initially about driving consistency across the fleet.
It enabled Faccenda to monitor driver behaviour, including cruise control usage, idling and passenger distraction, says Ashley.
However, Faccenda immediately saw the benefits of the forward-facing cameras when – just a few weeks after having the cameras installed – the company's vehicles were involved in a couple of non-fault road traffic collisions.
"The accuracy and quality of the video footage was able to dispel any ambiguity with regard to liability," says Ashley.
"This obviously enabled us to provide the relevant parties, including the police, with the evidence of what had happened and enabled us to speed up the claims process and ultimately assist in keeping our insurance premiums down."
And he confirms: "We will be putting more cameras on our fleet – we are currently looking at putting them on to our van fleet – around 60-70 vans."