AD Network Video - part of AD Group - believes that the high profile incidents involving commercial vehicles serve as a stark reminder of the vulnerability of items in transit and, crucially, reflect an escalation in the incidence of attacks on vehicles and their loads as they travel across the country, something which the current economic climate is unlikely to change.
Said Pauline Norstrom Marketing Director and Board Director for AD Group, "The sad fact is that according to TruckPol, which is linked to the national ACPO (Association of Chief Police Officers) Vehicle Crime Intelligence Service, the cost to the UK economy from road freight crime may be up to £250 million per year. So we must do what we can to make vehicles in transit less vulnerable to attack by hardened criminals and a very effective way to do this is using mobile CCTV."
For years CCTV has been applied extensively to monitor the perimeter of depots where vehicles are parked-up. There is now a growing trend for this to be extended to commercial vehicles while on the move providing enhanced fleet protection, beyond the depot, by combining CCTV recording and transmission together with audio/GPS positioning and GSM connectivity.
For this to work successfully it is vital that any mobile CCTV system should be specifically designed for use in transport applications. The hardware that makes the monitoring of vehicles possible - such as TransVu from AD Network Video - is typically a multi-camera digital video recorder, capable of multiplexing and recording from up to eight on-vehicle video cameras. With audio capability relevant voice information can be stored with the associated images from multiple points in the vehicle.
By using GPS (Global Positioning System) to accurately track a lorry's position, the latest systems such as TransVu can automatically report if a vehicle deviates from a given route by a specified amount, such as half a mile, which may be the first indication that something is wrong.
Beyond security TransVu can record Vehicle telemetry data (vehicle speed, fuel consumption and CO2 emissions) as well as the forces on the vehicle from an associated G-sensor, this detailed CANbus data can provide an invaluable management resource for commercial vehicle fleet managers and engineers, when looking, for example, at the impact of driver behaviour on a vehicle's cost of ownership, particularly if heavy braking and acceleration is impacting on component life and overall fuel efficiency.
The evidence from the in-vehicle CCTV and other data is also extremely helpful should a vehicle be involved in an accident, especially in helping to clarify if there was a problem with the actual vehicle or whether the driver was failing to show due care and attention - this is important for fleet operators as directors may find themselves liable for such incidents if it results from a failure on their part.
Where a wireless LAN (Local Area Network) is available at the vehicle's depot, the latest systems can download video and telemetry data at high speed, eliminating the need for human intervention with this process and providing a historical log of the vehicle.
"The bottom-line is that the in-vehicle CCTV systems out there now offer powerful and flexible solutions", said Pauline Norstrom, "There is little doubt that when applied intelligently this has the potential to address the very real problems faced by commercial vehicles in transit."
For more information on AD Network Video and its TransVu CCTV solutions please log on to the website at www.ad-networkvideo.com
