After piloting for the past year, JK Moving Services will formalize its dashcam program by adding dashboard cameras to the newest members of its fleet: Volvo moving trucks. In all, 260 tractors, trucks, and vans will have the system, which promotes safe driving and reduces costs involved with accidents.
“We are always looking for ways that technology can improve our service. Dashcams have been well received by our drivers. We’ve seen our strong driving record improve even more and have realized savings. That’s good for our customers as we work to make their moves efficient and safe and it is also good for our company,” said Chuck Kuhn, CEO, JK Moving.
JK is an early adopter of dashcam technology, which helps employees improve their driving skills and experience fewer events that may trigger an accident. The cameras are installed in the truck cabs. When a trigger event happens, like a sudden stop or jostling movement, a 12-second video clip is sent to DriveCam, a third-party vendor that monitors and evaluates the incident. DriveCam sends JK feedback when opportunities arise to improve driving behaviors, enabling JK to provide customized training to drivers. Another benefit is reduced wear and tear on the trucks as skills improve, saving gas and extending the life of brakes and other parts. In addition, dashcams have become an important documenting tool in the event of an accident, helping to clarify who is at fault, which has resulted in savings.
JK’s paperless platform: Embracing innovation
Another recent modernization includes the roll out of a paperless platform that helps make the move experience simpler and seamless for employees and clients. Using tablets and proprietary software, customers are taken through the moving process electronically. The reduction in paper is good for the environment too.
Environmental stewardship is part of the JK culture and a consideration in many of the company’s innovations. In fact, JK was one of the first on many environmentally friendly practices, including: ordering Tesla Semi day cab tractors, embracing new technologies that will further its aggressive carbon emissions-reduction goals, leading with box-less moves and major recycling efforts, and starting a chemical free community farm.
Embracing technology is not new for JK. Foreseeing the trend that would eventually become the rule, JK’s safety team installed electronic logging devices in company vehicles back in 2006 to ensure compliance with federal safety rules governing time drivers spend on the road. Only this year did the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration mandate that all trucking companies install electronic logging devices.