The waste operator, which services over 34,000 households and 3,500 commercial clients, runs a mixed fleet of 60 vehicles including artics, RCVs, hook loaders, skip loaders and vans.

Operating in mainly urban environments, the drivers and crew carry out their duties surrounded by live hazards and distractions such as other moving vehicles and pedestrians, which must be kept clear of the busy activity at the rear of the trucks. In addition to these challenges, the driving conditions can be further compromised by inclement weather and poor visibility, especially on dark early morning starts or late evening finishes.

With the safety of the drivers, crew and the public of paramount importance, a safety solution was required to provide enhanced visibility for the crews and drivers, along with the ability to record all activity for retrospective replay of incidents or claims.

To reduce the risk of incidents and protect the drivers, crew and the public, Mr Binman has equipped their fleet of vehicles with a live 4-camera system from CameraMatics, which includes a forward-facing camera, a rear facing camera on each side and one at the rear; positioned to watch the operators loading and unloading bins. The side cameras become active when turning corners to provide active cycle safety awareness to the drivers and protect other road users and all camera footage is recorded and stored for retrieval of data at any point in the future.

Reports of damage, driver behaviour and missed collections are common in the industry. Fleet manager, Vincent McCarthy explains that ‘before CameraMatics was installed, it was up to the drivers if there was an issue on the road to report it and we had no proof – we had to go by what the driver was saying.’

The introduction of the camera technology has transformed the process. Mr Binman now has complete visibility of the vehicles from the time they leave the depot in the morning, until they return at the end of their rounds. Data is available immediately and complaints or incident reports can be investigated quickly and resolved efficiently – often disproving liability. If an incident occurs, the fleet management team can log into the systems and access the data in real time. Mr. McCarthy explains that ‘it has made life very easy. If there were issues before, it could take three or four days to resolve, whereas now, with the cameras, they can be resolved there and then.’

Commenting on the technology fitted on the Mr. Binman fleet, CameraMatics’ CEO, Mervyn O’Callaghan explains that ‘live streaming of the round can be viewed by the fleet manager or operations team, should they wish to, and the footage is available instantly if it is required.

‘Not only does this help the business to protect its drivers and crew, but it enables efficient claims management and improved customer service. Our solutions offer businesses full visibility and peace of mind for today’s challenges in fleet operations.’