Grand Island Express, a Grand Island, Neb.-based 140-vehicle for-hire trucking company, deployed Lytx’s video-based telematics system DriveCam throughout its fleet; a move that it says has improved the fleet’s safety record.

Grand Island said it originally tried self-service dash cams in every truck, but found the technology unreliable and slow. After hearing about DriveCam, the company skipped a trial run and went straight to deployment.

Since that time, DriveCam’s video and coaching insights have helped the company keep CSA scores low, according to Grand Island. The CSA score is displayed prominently on the Grand Island website.

The DriveCam event recorder mounts to a vehicle’s windshield and records video clips when safety events, like hard braking, sudden stops, or roll stability events, occur. The driver can also manually record an event by pressing a button on the recorder.

Using the clips and telematics data from individual events, fleet managers and safety directors can coach drivers on safer driving habits and show drivers specific instances of bad habits, like following too closely.

The DriveCam system showed Grand Island Safety Director Lucas Mowrey that anywhere from 10-20% of the company’s drivers needed extra attention and coaching to improve safety on the road.

“It’s hard to get hired here. You have to have a clean record to start with, but nobody’s perfect,” said Mowrey. “I’m not asking for perfection, but I am striving for it. I believe we can be the safest fleet.”

Grand Island was recently named the Nebraska Trucking Association’s Safest Fleet Grand Champion, a designation that Mowrey credits DriveCam with helping it to earn.

For more information on DriveCam, click here.