Truck camera review: HD Blackvue car camera
First-time installations usually take a little bit longer to nut out.
Andy Slater from CarCam NZ supplied the unit.
Rear-end of the 300 Series camera.
Wellington-based GNR Transport's brand-new Mercedes Actros tows a five-axle trailer.
|
|
|
|
|
First-time installations usually take a little bit longer to nut out.
|
|
|
|
Andy Slater from CarCam NZ supplied the unit.
|
|
|
|
Rear-end of the 300 Series camera.
|
|
|
|
Wellington-based GNR Transport's brand-new Mercedes Actros tows a five-axle trailer.
|
|
|
The onboard technology available to the 2014 motorist would send the mind of the driver of 15 years back into a tailspin. There's ABS, SRS, GPS, the list goes on and on and on.
In the current environment of litigation, it seems that mitigation is the best form of defence. One of the best forms of protection when negotiating the highways and byways is to install a current piece of technology in the form of a full HD Blackvue car camera.
GNR Transport
Graeme Ofsoski, who operates the Wellington-based trucking company, GNR Transport, runs four truck and trailer units under contract to Toll and is currently having front facing cameras installed in all of his rigs.
Deals on Wheels went along to observe the process of having a camera permanently mounted in his brand new Mercedes Actros.
A qualified truck mechanic and fleet operator since 2008, Ofsoski says the ability he now has to protect his drivers' rights while driving their line-haul routes, is well worth the cost of purchasing and installing the cameras.
Not only would the cameras support his drivers in the case of a near miss or actual crash, they also have the built-in technology to provide his company with vital data and statistics in improving the profitability of his operation and the service it offers its customers, he says.
The recent installation in GNR Transport's Mercedes Actros was carried out at Toll's Auckland depot. The installation was performed by Warren Soutar of Auckland Mobile Auto Electrical.
Toll perspective
Toll currently doesn't have a specific policy on requiring its contractor's trucks to be fitted with cameras, however it wholeheartedly supports all measures that promote safety on the road.
The installation
Warren Soutar told DOW that while he has installed this type of camera on several other makes of truck, this particular installation was the first one he'd carried out on this model of Mercedes Actros, therefore it took him a little longer to finish the job, he added that it's all good experience and will make the next installation on a similar model "just that little bit easier".
The supplier
On hand during the installation was the supplier of the Blackvue, Andy Slater of Carcam NZ.
Slater demonstrated some of the features of the Blackvue 500 series being installed in the GNR Transport truck and explained that although the 500 series camera has now been superseded by a 600 series, there is virtually no difference in features between the two models, other than the newer model's ability to accept a 64GB chip, as opposed to the 32GB chip of the older model.
The camera
Blackvue car cameras are packed with features to give vehicle owners and operators a high degree of peace of mind, not only when the vehicle is in motion but when it's parked as well.
When the unit senses that the vehicle it's installed in has been stationary for ten minutes it will go into 'sleep' mode and will only activate and start recording again if it senses motion as in the case of a thief attempting to gain entry to the vehicle.
Each camera is equipped with a PIN coding security feature that will only allow authorised personnel to change or delete any information already recorded on the device.
HD video provides a clear vision of the environment, even at night and the two-mega pixel format allows the operator to zoom in and clearly define registration plate details.
The camera also records location, speed, date and time information, and has an inbuilt G-force sensor, all of which is easily paired with an Android/smart phone, iPhone or iPad and can be watched live or by video recording.
All cameras come with an easy-to-understand set of operating instructions.
For the latest news, reviews and features, subscribe to Deals On Wheels magazine here.
Keep up to date in the industry by signing up to Deals on Wheels' free newsletter or liking us on Facebook.
.jpg)
