New additions to Midlothian Council’s fleet of vehicles have recently been installed with camera systems to assist in the efficient day-to-day operations of its new food waste collection service.
Commercial vehicle safety specialists Sentinel Systems have installed rear, forward and side-scan cameras to the council’s new food waste collection vehicles, to offer an enhanced view and improve the driving conditions for its drivers. The four cameras are all connected to an in-cab monitor for live surveillance of the vehicle’s surroundings, with the ability to record and extract footage to be viewed at a later date, allowing the council to monitor the service.
The new food waste collection service runs five days a week to collect from homes in the Scottish county. As a result, drivers are faced with constantly challenging driving conditions in and around residential roads, which are frequently congested with cars, pedestrians and cyclists.
Trevor Docherty, Travel and Fleet Services Manager at Midlothian Council said the camera system not only supports protection for drivers but also “allows us to monitor the services they are performing and to use the captured footage to settle any cases that may occur with residents.”
He continued, “As an everyday service, these particular vehicles are also subject to difficult driving conditions and by installing the cameras we can improve these for our drivers, including the crucial warning of approaching cyclists and pedestrians. Sentinel’s solutions were not only right for what we wanted to achieve but also fairly priced making it the best package for our requirements.”
The safety camera package can be customised to meet the requirements of each fleet, depending on the size and operations of each vehicle. The complete camera system can be put together from a selection of the firm’s cameras, including forward, rear and side facing cameras – providing a 360° view of the vehicle’s surroundings.
The rear facing camera, also known as a reversing camera, is particularly beneficial to drivers as it offers a better view of behind the vehicle whilst it is reversing. This then gives the driver a visual warning of any obstructions to prevent potential injury to pedestrians as well as damage to the vehicle and third party vehicles and properties.
