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After attending the NAPT conference recently in Columbus, Ohio and specifically the Illegal-Passing Panel Discussion event, I noticed some valuable tips that may be a nice reminder or great new information for the majority of school districts that weren’t represented there. Here are some of the tips I walked away with: 1. Use Curbside Pickup When Necessary While curbside pickup can be expensive and add precious time to routes, it may be necessary. Do it when a route has a dangerous stop without an adequate nearby area to move to a safe stop. The other condition that factors in is the speed of traffic. Usually only 55 MPH or faster zones would require this. Instead of forcing a child to cross the street or walk a considerable distance on the roadside, curbside pickup may be needed.   2. Evaluate Routes and Run Them Before School Starts and After I know, most of you do this already, but if not, you should! If you have your drivers run their routes before school starts, they can identify areas of concern to you. When they do that, you can review if a stop needs to be moved or another adjustment needs to be made...

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Dash cameras have become a popular tool for fleet managers in recent years. Today’s post examines the reasons why you should use dash cameras on your fleet vehicles. With all of the recent advancements in video recording systems for commercial vehicles, dash cameras have exponentially grown in popularity as a key tool for fleet managers. According to the Google Automotive Trends Report for 2018, shipments of dash cameras hit 285,000 units last year – a 20 percent jump from 2017. But for those fleet managers who have yet to implement dash cameras across their fleet, the main question they ask is: “What benefits do I get from using dash cameras?” Let’s take a look at some of the key benefits of installing dash cameras on your fleet vehicles. Video Record While your drivers may be hesitant to have a camera on them, dash cameras can provide a video record that protects both your drivers and your business. With the video record a dash camera provides, that video can be used to refute false claims and be the independent observer in any accident. Let’s say one of your drivers is involved in an accident. The other driver could sue your company...

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Of all the features available for video recording systems for your vehicles, true 1080p HD video recording is one of the most important features. Making the decision to install video recording systems on your fleet vehicles can be a complicated one. You’ll soon start asking yourself: What kind of cameras do I need? What kind of storage do I need? Will I need a system that tracks GPS? While there are many features you need to consider when finding the right video system for your needs, there is one feature that is arguably the most important one to consider – the video quality. Why is it so important to find a video recording system with top-notch video quality? Here are a few reasons why: Crucial Details If you’re investing in video recording systems on your fleet vehicles, it’s because you want a video record of everything happening in and around your vehicle. It’s especially important for that video record to provide as much detail as possible – and that’s why it’s so important to place a premium on video quality when purchasing video recording systems. Whether you’re trying to see what your driver is doing in the cab of their...

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Manually removing physical storage to download video from your video recording systems? See how using Wi-Fi transfer can simplify the video download process. From operating school buses to driving garbage trucks, many companies that have vehicles are now using video recording systems on those vehicles to protect their drivers and their companies. But with all of the video produced by these systems, the process of downloading videos by manually removing physical storage can be a hassle. One method of video download that can provide many benefits is using Wi-Fi to wirelessly download videos. But what benefits will you get out of using Wi-Fi to transfer your videos? Let’s take a look at the main benefits: Saves Time Imagine being a fleet manager for a public transit organization in a mid-sized city. Now imagine you have a fleet of 20 buses coming in and out of your garage at different times of the day. If you have to manually pull out SD cards or hard drives to retrieve the video from the video recording systems on your buses, you could spend hours walking back and forth pulling that storage and returning it after downloading video. And if you have multiple buses...

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Operating a tow truck is dangerous enough, but video recording systems can help you increase safety, reduce liability and increase productivity across your fleet Driving a tow truck is dangerous business. According to a report published in February by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), working in the towing industry comes with a 15 times greater risk of experiencing an on-the-job fatality compared to all other U.S. private industries combined. From working on the side of dangerous roads to dealing with customers who might not be happy to see you repossessing their vehicle, using a video recording system on your tow trucks can help you improve safety and reduce liability while on the job. If you’ve never thought about using video recording systems on your tow trucks – or if you’ve thought about the idea but haven’t followed through – here are some key benefits of using a video recording system on your tow vehicles: Prevent False Claims For many tow truck operators, fighting false claims is one of the biggest obstacles they face in their line of work. With a video recording system – such as a commercial-grade dash camera or multi-camera video recording system –...

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Purchasing a camera system for your buses? Read our latest blog post on why you need a comprehensive video policy to go with your new systems. The use of video surveillance on school property has grown each year, and that trend doesn’t look to be slowing anytime soon. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, more than 80 percent of public schools in the United States used security cameras to monitor students during the 2015-16 school year. The use of security cameras extends past the building premises, as the use of video recording systems on school buses continues to increase as part of that overall trend. With schools utilizing video recording systems to improve safety for students and bus drivers alike, many schools are finding out the hard way that simply purchasing video recording systems for their buses isn’t enough. In order to get the most of your video recording systems – and also avoid potential lawsuits and privacy complaints – it’s vital to craft a clear and comprehensive school bus video policy to ensure your school bus camera system program is as successful as can be. So what are some things you need to consider when drafting your...

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Finding a company that backs its products with a great warranty is important. Here are some key tips on what to look for in a warranty to ensure you get the best possible coverage for your products. Warranties can play a crucial role in the evaluation of vendor options for purchasing camera systems for your vehicles. While you might look at two companies that seem to be offering similar warranties for their products and consider them equal, the problem is that not all warranties are created equal. There are far too many horror stories from frustrated customers who were promised the best warranty in the industry, only to find out they don’t have the coverage they thought they were signing up for. It isn’t uncommon for a company to advertise a 10-year warranty, yet have only a single component of their system covered for that long. While “technically” not a lie, it is quite misleading. There are also a host of aspects other than length that make some warranties much better than others.  To help you navigate the confusing task of finding the best warranty possible, here are a few key things to evaluate when looking at warranties for camera...

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Looking to implement a body-worn camera program? Here are some tips to help you get your program off the ground without breaking your budget. According to TIME Magazine, nearly one-third of law enforcement agencies in the U.S. have some sort of body-worn camera program. But a recent report from The Washington Post highlighted the struggle some departments are having in regards to paying the costs associated with implementing a body-worn camera program. The Post reported that some departments – especially smaller ones – have begun to either delay or outright drop their body-worn camera programs due to the costs associated with the use of them. As technology advances and body-worn cameras have quickly become a standard tool in the law enforcement toolbox, it can be an overwhelming task to find a cost-effective way to implement a body-worn camera program. There are several factors you should consider when deciding to implement body-worn camera technology. But here are some key things to consider that can help your department implement such a program without breaking the bank: Mountains of Data Among the costs associated with body-worn cameras, the cost of managing the thousands of hours of footage produced by these cameras is often...

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The commercial truck industry is constantly evolving, and that was on full display at The Work Truck Show 2019 put on by the National Truck Equipment Association (NTEA). According to the NTEA, a record 14,256 attendees from 28 countries made their way to Indianapolis on March 5-8 to see the latest and greatest in products and technology for the commercial truck industry. As one of the exhibitors at this year’s show, we had a first-hand look at all of these new advancements. In regards to our industry, here are a few insights I noticed in relation to the mobile video and software market: Dash Cameras One piece of video technology that has exponentially grown in use is the use of dash cameras for commercial vehicles. In a report from Car and Driver Magazine, a spokesperson for the Consumer Technology Association said that 237,000 dash cameras were sold in America in 2017, and sales were estimated at 285,000 units for 2018. Dash cameras continued to be a big draw at this year’s Work Truck Show, and attendees were on the lookout for dash cameras that can do more than just record their drivers and the road. Many conversations about dash cameras...

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When it comes to using video recording systems on school buses to keep students safe, much of the focus is on what’s happening on the bus when it’s moving. But some of the most dangerous moments come when students are getting on and off the bus. In a November 2018 report from School Transportation News, the National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services (NASPDTS) reported that during its annual one-day count of incidents of illegal school bus passing throughout the U.S. in 2018, school bus drivers in 38 states recorded 83,944 incidents during that one-day count. Stretch that figure over a 180-day school year and the NASPDTS estimates that as many as 15 million vehicles could be illegally passing school buses in a given year. The issue of keeping students safe while boarding and exiting the school bus continues to draw attention across the country, as NBC News reported that three children in Indiana were recently killed and another was injured when a truck struck them as they crossed the road to board their bus – even after the bus driver had activated the bus stop arm. Tragedies like the one in Indiana have led many districts to...

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