Concrete Strategies Exonerates Drivers in Real-Time Using Video Telematics

A career in construction and concrete can be an exciting (but dangerous) line of work. For Concrete Strategies, a concrete supplier with a national presence, there’s a high risk of injury to-and-from work for their more than 800 personnel. With a massive fleet of 136 vehicles, this innovative concrete solutions company with billions in annual revenue ensures success in all facets of business by putting safety first.

The Challenge

Whether you’re working with architectural site cast concrete, structural concrete, or virtually any type of self-performing concrete solution for commercial projects, safety is always paramount. 
When it comes to the safety of their truck operators, Concrete Strategies relies on SureCam’s network connected dash cameras to maintain best safety practices and to shield them from false accident claims. Before connected cameras, there was no mechanism for real-time safety coaching, and any motor vehicle incident quickly became a matter of he-said/she-said.

“You’d have to go on what the driver said,” says Lisa Lamons, the company’s Safety Training and DOT Compliance Manager. “You’d have to go on a police report if a police report was made. Then, you had to go on pictures and hope that the pictures told a story—and a lot of times those pictures didn’t tell the story.”

The Solution

To mitigate the risk of motor vehicle accidents within the business, Lamons now relies on fleet video with tracking installed in 33 of the company’s biggest wheels, providing a layer of indisputable accountability.

SureCam’s online platform combined with our forward-facing connected dash cameras provides the objective video, data analytics, and instant alerts Concrete Strategies’ needs to oversee safety and coach drivers when needed. With SureCam’s camera technology, Concrete Strategies can deal more effectively with road incidents now that they are equipped with indisputable video footage alongside harsh event data:

“If there’s a hard break, or a harsh cornering or any type of triggering event, it will send an alert to me. I will pull it up if it’s a high event,” Lamons said. “If it’s something that I need to address immediately, then I’ll address it then and there. If it’s something that I can wait until the end of the day, then that’s a task I’ll address at the end of the day or the next day. And when I say I’m going to address it, it then becomes a coaching opportunity on a day-to-day basis.”

The Results

Since word has spread about Concrete Strategies’ network connected dash cameras, they’ve seen a significant reduction in third parties calling to make a claim of flying debris from their vehicles.

“I used to get calls weekly. Now, I may get one call a month if that,” Lamons said. “One claim would take me at least 8-10 hours spread over a series of days and back and forth communications with the claimant, time to investigate then time to prepare to settle or dispute. Now, with the cameras, it’s pretty cut and dry. The answer is in the video.”

With SureCam fleet video at the center of Concrete Strategies’ fleet safety program, the team has seen an incredible 75% drop in third-party claims. Before Lamons and her team had quick and reliable video evidence at their disposal, they were spending one week of labor each month handling claims. Now, Lamons spends less than 10 hours a month, so she has more time to focus on safety and compliance initiatives. 

In addition to using network connected dash cams for capturing objective video evidence in the case of incidents while driving, Concrete Strategies uses the video for coaching opportunities and safety audits. From teaching drivers appropriate following distance to maintaining lanes during active incidents, the company enjoys a full range of teachable benefits from the video footage.

“The benefit is the fact that you can use it to teach – coach and mentor drivers – to change driving behaviors and to protect your company on a liability side,” Lamons said. “And if you roll it out correctly to drivers, you instill a sense of security for them.”

SureCam’s network connected dash cams has transformed Concrete Strategies’ day-to-day operations. Their safety-first approach is a standard that companies of all sizes, in all industries, should aspire to.