The developers of a new app say it can help monitor risky driving, prevent equipment theft, defend against lawsuits, and digitize insurance claims, and reduce insurance costs – all without installing any hardware in the truck.

TruckShield by Overhaul is a risk-management technology solution for North American motor carriers. It can identify dangerous or illegal driving practices in real time and implement corrective actions.

The app-based risk management technology uses hardware you already own to identify and correct costly behavior. It can be easily installed on an in-cab truck tablet that runs electronic logging device software, according to company officials.

“Using GPS, accelerometers in the tablet, and our cloud-based software, we can gather contextualized speed, hard cornering, and hard braking,” explained Vince Marotte, VP of product marketing for Overhaul, a real-time supply-chain visibility tech provider, in an email to HDT. “It’s important to know that contextualized speed means that TruckShield knows the speed limit of the current road rather than a simple maximum speed set by the carrier.

"It does all of this without requiring the driver to interface with it once set up, and, of course, no hardware to install or pricey data plans to upgrade, enabling you to simply download and go.”

TruckShield offers three key features, according to an announcement from the company:

• Protection: Protects companies from the fallout of poor driver behavior, theft, and other events that were previously beyond their control. The app offers visibility into what’s happening across their fleet while identifying and correcting safety risks like hazardous driving and theft.

• Management: Manages critical documents related to insurance, maintenance, and safety in one centralized digital location, enabling administrative tasks such as filing a claim to be accomplished with a simple click.

• Improvement: Demonstrating a safety culture that will bolster confidence with insurers, motor carriers can maintain complete records of driver coaching, maintenance performed, and claims made to expedite insurance renewals while limiting premium increases.

In the coming months, Overhaul said, it is developing a network of commercial partnerships with insurance providers and brokers that will provide TruckShield users with access to lower-cost motor carrier liability coverage.

“As an owner of a trucking company, I can uniquely relate to the frustration of rising premiums, year-over-year, and the constant threat of a catastrophic verdict that can wipe out a business,” said Barry Conlon, CEO and founder of Overhaul. “TruckShield is going to be a game-changer for North American motor carriers because it can provide unparalleled vulnerability protection, as well as quick insurance claims and cost savings. Within minutes, trucking-company management can monitor who is and who isn’t driving safely.”