Dash cams, or dashboard cameras, are proven to increase driver safety, reduce accident risk, and lower costs. In fact, a study from the Journal of Safety Research found a 60% reduction in the number of incidents and an 86% reduction in accident-related costs when dash cams were used in combination with driver coaching.
But what makes a good fleet dash cam solution stand out from the rest? Comparing different types of dash cam hardware is a great place to start. But the software that comes with your dash cam solution is just as important—if not more critical—to compare and vet.
Software is what you’ll use to review video footage, coach drivers, and analyse safety trends. Since it will become a day-to-day component of your safety team’s workflow, dash cam software is a key element of any fleet safety program’s success.
In this guide, learn what sets a good video-based fleet safety solution apart, including the most important dash cam software features for fleets.
What is fleet dash cam software?
If you Google "dash cams" or “dashboard cameras,” you're likely to find dash cams meant for consumers on websites like Amazon or Walmart. Some of the most popular consumer dash cam brands include Sony, Garmin, and Vantrue. While these consumer dash cameras can be helpful for people looking to install an inexpensive camera in their personal vehicle, they’re not meant for commercial fleets. Some have a memory card that must be manually retrieved to download footage, posing logistical challenges for fleets managing a much higher volume of vehicles and drivers. Plus, they often include only very basic media playback software, with no tools for reviewing incidents or coaching drivers at scale.
Dash cam solutions for commercial fleets are built for scale—both in terms of the hardware features they offer and the back-end software they provide for your safety team. Dash cams for commercial fleets, like Samsara AI dash cams, connect to telematics devices and can detect safety-related events like harsh braking, speeding, and collisions. That way, these dash cams can auto-upload video footage from safety-related events to an online dashboard, which your back-office staff can use to review safety-related events and coach drivers effectively.
Overall, dash cam software for commercial fleets is more advanced because it offers tools for administrators to review incidents and coach drivers. The best fleet dash cam software allows you to:
Organize and review dash cam footage for hundreds or thousands of vehicles
Assign incidents to specific safety managers for review
Coach drivers consistently and effectively
Gamify driver safety scores to create friendly competition
Customize harsh event detection settings for different types of vehicles
Request additional footage for recent driving history
Analyse and report on safety trends over time
Get real-time alerts and view video footage from a mobile app
How does the best fleet dash cam software make this possible? Keep reading to learn about the most important dash cam software features to look for.
11 important fleet dash cam software features for fleets
Many fleet dash cam solutions come with an online dashboard with tools for reviewing dash cam video footage, coaching drivers, and more. Here are a few key software features to look for in a dash cam platform, plus why they are important for building an effective fleet safety program:
Software feature
Description
Why it’s important
Automatic detection of incidents
Safety-related events (like harsh braking, rolling stops, or collisions) are automatically detected via a connected telematics device.
- Minimize time spent manually reviewing footage
- Quickly identify and prioritize incidents that need coaching with g-sensor data
- Near-instant access to important video files
- Exonerate drivers from not-at-fault accidents and false claims
- No need to retrieve a micro SD card
Automatic uploading of footage
Footage is automatically uploaded to your online dashboard when a safety-related incident (like a harsh brake or collision) is detected.
- Near-instant access to important video files
- Exonerate drivers from not-at-fault accidents and false claims
- No need to retrieve a micro SD card
Customizable event detection sensitivity
Adjustable harsh event detection sensitivity parameters for passenger, light duty, and heavy duty vehicles.
- Increase accuracy of harsh event detection
- Minimize time spent validating incident data
- More time to focus on coachable moments
Centralized safety “inbox”
Centralized online view of safety-related incidents, with embedded video footage and sensor data.
- Divide coaching responsibility
- Enable remote teams
- Improve accountability
Suggested driver coaching scripts
Suggested talking points and statistics for coaching drivers based on event type, including rolling stops, speeding, near collisions, and following distance.
- Coach drivers consistently and without bias
- Enable safety supervisors who aren’t commercial drivers
Safety score gamification
Allows drivers to see their personal safety score and ranking compared to other drivers.
- Incentivizes safe driving
- Foster healthy competition
- Enable a rewards program
Reporting tools and trend graphs
Dynamic reports and charts that are updated based on real-time incident, crash, and speeding data.
- Identify trends and areas for improvement
- Track results over time
- Measure ROI
Video retrieval
Ability to request additional video footage from any vehicle based on date, time, or location.
- Respond to customer or public inquiries accurately
- Avoid false claims
Real-time alerts
Customizable SMS or email alerts for safety-related incidents.
- Know as soon as a safety-critical event occurs
- Cut through the noise and focus on what matters most
Mobile app for drivers
Smartphone app for drivers to view their safety scores, communicate with administrators, and manage HOS if needed.
- Increase driver engagement
- Consolidate your compliance and safety solutions
Mobile app for administrators
Smartphone app for administrators to review dash cam footage and coach drivers on the go.
- Review incident footage directly from your mobile phone
- Share video footage with drivers via two-way messaging
- Show footage to law enforcement and exonerate drivers on the spot
Why Samsara? A complete video-based safety solution for fleets
Samsara offers an advanced video-based safety solution that combines internet-connected AI dash cams and cloud-based safety and coaching software to help fleets of all sizes reduce accidents, prevent false claims, and lower costs. By providing visibility into vehicle locations, near-misses, and driver behavior, Samsara lets fleets take action on their data to improve safety.
Samsara’s combination of cutting-edge hardware and user-friendly, scalable software makes it an ideal safety solution for fleets of all sizes. In fact, in a recent survey of more than 500 Samsara customers, 90% said Samsara has helped improve safety within their fleet. And more than 50% of our dash cam customers have used Samsara footage to exonerate drivers in the past year, saving $5,000 to $25,000 on average, with some customers saving over $100,000 a year.
Below are a few of the hardware and software features that set Samsara’s video-based fleet safety solution apart.
Hardware highlights
Samsara AI dash cams analyse the road and driver behavior in real-time. By sending alerts to drivers and actionable insights to managers, our intelligent cameras are proven to improve driver safety and lower fleet costs.
Different configurations: Front-facing or dual-facing (dual camera) options
High quality footage: Full HD 1080p resolution (720p for in-cab camera) for crisp video quality
Best-in-class camera lens: Ultra wide-angle lens for excellent field of view
Night vision: Infrared LED for in-cab recording at night
Image optimisation: HDR (high dynamic range) to optimize for bright and low-light conditions
Internet connectivity: Makes it possible to automatically upload footage the cloud
Connected telematics: Provides additional sensor data, including g-force and real-time GPS
On-demand video retrieval: Request non-incident footage for past driving time
In-cab alerts: Built-in audio speaker for in-cab coaching
Software highlights
Samsara’s online dashboard makes it easy to review incident footage, coach drivers, and mitigate risk. With tools for standardizing incident review, coaching drivers consistently, and tracking improvements over time, Samsara’s software is built to help your team create a robust, effective fleet safety program.
Auto-uploaded footage: Dash cam footage is automatically uploaded to the cloud and available for review in minutes
Streamlined incident review: See footage and review incidents as they occur, plus assign events to specific safety managers for coaching
Connected telematics data: Video recordings are annotated with g-sensor and GPS data
Automatic and manual tags: Prioritize incidents that need coaching by tagging footage with event type, like harsh braking or rolling stop
Filters: Segment your data based on event type or tags
Coaching workflows: Driver coaching tools, including step-by-step coaching scripts, enable consistent driver feedback
Safety scores: Customizable driver safety scores based on harsh events, speeding data, and more
Driver App: Drivers can view their own safety score ranking to foster healthy competition
Reporting tools: Trend graphs track safety improvements over time
Real-time alerts: Customizable SMS and/or email alerts related to safety
Customizable settings: Including harsh event sensitivity for different vehicle types
Admin app: Review incidents on the go and communicate with drivers via two-way messaging
Customizable incident detection: Choose whether or not to track certain events, like rolling stops
Want to learn more about the different types of fleet dash cams and their benefits? Check out our complete guide to selecting the best fleet dash cams, or read more about how a video-based fleet safety solution delivers ROI. If you’re curious to see how Samsara’s dash cam hardware and software solutions have helped other fleets achieve their safety goals, explore our five-step guide to building an effective fleet safety program.
See for yourself why Samsara is trusted by more than 10,000 fleets across the United States. Request a free trial to get started today—we’ll ship you AI dash cams to try free for 30 days, along with access to our online dashboard and expert support team.
