Yuill & Dodds Combats False Claims With SureCam

OVERVIEW

Yuill & Dodds Ltd is a road transport specialist based near Hamilton in South Lanarkshire, Scotland. With a fleet of over 100 vehicles, the company provides a wide range regional and nationwide solutions across a diverse customer base, covering general haulage, just-in-time logistics and waste disposal. This includes total transport packages for inert and contaminated material removal and the delivery of bulk infill material such as top soil, demolition, sand, gravel and ash.

“The vehicle cameras are making a real difference to the business by not only reducing insurance costs, but also by gaining added visibility and control when our vehicles are out on the road. It has been very well received by our drivers because of the added protection it gives then against fake insurance claims, unwarranted complaints from the general public, and unfair accusations of vehicle damage”

THE CHALLENGE

Yuill & Dodds was looking for an effective means of reducing insurance costs by combating fraudulent claims – such as crash for cash and exaggerated injuries – and better managing third-party intervention. The company wanted the ability to establish who was responsible following an incident involving one of its commercial vehicles, and when an at-fault collision did occur being able to respond quickly to limit the exposure to excessive vehicle recovery, replacement vehicle and repair costs.

THE SOLUTION

Yuill & Dodds installed SureCam’s forward-facing cameras at the beginning of 2016 in its fleet of trucks and vans that operate across the UK. The company was initially testing a SD card solution, but following an unsuccessful trial period, Yuill and Dodds widened the search to find a solution that would provide live visibility of any collision, near miss or harsh driving event.

With many of the commercial vehicles away from the central depot for periods of up to a week, Yuill & Dodds found that SD card cameras would place too much responsibly on the driver, who would have to inform the company of an incident and then manually bring back or send any video footage. In particular, Yuill & Dodds identified a significant risk regarding the loss of data as a result of it being overwritten before retrieval, tampered with by the driver, or corrupted by SD card failure.

The SureCam forward-facing camera offers a level of visibility and control that is simply not available from an SD card device,” explains Brian Yuill, Managing Director of Yuill & Dodds Ltd. “Using the [network connected] vehicle cameras, we are immediately alerted of an incident, so we can ensure that the driver is safe, while quickly assessing liability and sending details to our insurance partner. This is helping us to establish who is at fault, defend against fraudulent claims and keep third-party costs to a minimum.”

IMMEDIATE VIDEO FOOTAGE

Yuill & Dodds now receives live email and SMS alerts when a collision or near miss has occurred, with access to high definition footage and supporting vehicle data – including g-force and speed of impact – within a matter of minutes via a web-based portal. The added insight provide by SureCam is already contributing to reduced insurance cost, because the company is able to defend against fraudulent or exaggerated claims; prove liability for 50/50 claims; and speed up third-party intervention.

Yuill & Dodds has been able to demonstrate fraudulent and suspicious behaviour on a number of occasions, which has resulted in a third-party insurance settlement. “One incident clearly showed a car slamming on its brakes for no reason when our vehicle had left a more than adequate gap, so we were able to successfully challenge the subsequent claim,” recalls Brian Yuill. “Following a separate incident, we were able to provide footage of a female passenger being fit and well prior to her being taken away in an ambulance on a stretcher, which enabled us to contest a false personal injury claim.”

Yuill & Dodds also works closely with its Insurance partner to quickly respond and resolve at-fault claims, taking advantage of first notification of loss (FNOL). By streamlining the claims management process, using video footage and supporting data provided by the cellular connected vehicle cameras, the company has been able to avoid spiraling third-party costs for labour, parts, paint and vehicle hire.

INCREASED VISIBILITY

SureCam’s forward-facing vehicle cameras are enabling Yuill & Dodds to positively track other areas of its transport business, to ensure the fleet is operating responsibly and wear and tear is kept to a minimum. For example, the nature of the work undertaken means vehicles are often required to drive in and out of construction sites. The company is now able to identify risks by monitoring false alerts triggered by poor road conditions, such as pot holes, as well as confirm vehicles are being driven appropriately.

THE RESULTS

• Protection against fraudulent or exaggerated insurance claims
• Fast liability assessment and third-party intervention
• Increased visibility over mobile assets
• Added peace of mind regarding driver and vehicle safety