VIDEO: How dashcams help recycling fleets improve safety and manage risk

A tractor-trailer was travelling along a rural road in Northern Ontario when an oncoming vehicle crossed the centre line. The truck driver braked and moved toward the shoulder, but could not avoid the collision. It was fatal.

In the aftermath, there was little question about what had happened. The truck's dashcam had captured the incident, while integrated data provided additional information about the truck's speed and the driver's response.

For Ryan Burns, Practice Leader at Cowan Insurance Group, the incident underscores the value of having an objective record when a serious collision occurs.

"It demonstrates to the fleet manager that the driver was acting responsibly and exercising due diligence," Burns says. "For the insurance company, it can help show that the driver was not at fault."

Dashcam footage can similarly help resolve less severe but more common incidents. Burns says he regularly sees footage involving roll-off trucks and passenger vehicles attempting to merge into areas where the truck driver may have limited visibility. Without video, determining responsibility can depend on physical evidence, witness accounts, and sometimes conflicting recollections. With it, investigators and insurers can see the event as it unfolded.

"Once the police officer is able to watch these types of videos, they're really quickly able to determine who is at fault," Burns says. "It expedites the process significantly."

That can mean faster claims resolution, protection against false allegations or staged collisions, and evidence a company can use to respond to public speculation surrounding a serious incident.

It can also provide something less tangible: reassurance for the driver.

In the Northern Ontario collision, Burns says, the footage gave the company objective evidence to show its driver that he had reacted appropriately as the collision unfolded.

"You're showing this individual that [they] did everything [they] were supposed to," he says. "I think it helps these drivers put themselves back into the driver's seat."

How dashcams can streamline insurance claims

When dashcam footage provides clear evidence of what happened, it can streamline the investigation and deliver benefits throughout the claims process:

• Faster claims resolution: Clear evidence can help move a claim through the investigation and settlement process more efficiently.
• Reduced legal expenses: Resolving liability questions around an incident sooner can reduce the need for prolonged legal involvement.
• Lower administrative costs: A more efficient investigation can reduce the time and resources required to manage a claim.
• Less operational disruption: Faster resolution can help a fleet move past an incident and return its focus to day-to-day operations.

For fleet managers, Burns says reducing the time and resources consumed by a claim can create significant value.

Using dashcams to improve driver safety

Dashcams can be just as valuable before an incident occurs. Many commercial systems integrate with telematics that can identify behaviours such as harsh braking, excessive speeding, rapid acceleration, and distracted driving. Burns says fleets can use that information alongside camera footage for driver coaching and performance evaluations, as well as incorporate it into safety meetings and new-employee training.

For smaller recyclers without a dedicated fleet manager, however, a lack of resources to continuously review footage shouldn't necessarily be a barrier.

"Having the footage and not constantly reviewing it is better than not having it at all," he says.

Five considerations when implementing dashcams

For recyclers considering a dashcam program, Burns recommends focusing on these fundamentals:

• Prioritize forward-facing cameras: Start with forward-facing coverage, which can capture the circumstances surrounding most on-road incidents. Driver-facing cameras can provide additional information, but they have also generated more resistance from drivers over privacy concerns.
• Make footage easy to retrieve: When an incident occurs, the company needs to be able to locate and access the relevant recording quickly.
• Consider cloud or off-site storage: Storing footage somewhere other than solely on the company's own server provides another layer of protection and accessibility.
• Establish a retention period: Burns recommends retaining footage for approximately six months.
• Assign responsibility: If footage and telematics are going to support proactive fleet management, determine who will monitor the system and use the information for coaching and performance reviews.

Dashcams aren't currently a requirement for obtaining fleet insurance, but Burns says underwriters are paying attention to whether companies use them as part of their broader approach to fleet management.

"When an underwriter is looking at a fleet, this is always one of their first questions: do they have dashcam footage in there? And is the fleet manager responsible for reviewing this information?" Burns says. Fleets using dashcams and telematics can receive more favourable rates because those systems demonstrate stronger risk-management practices.

Ultimately, a dashcam does more than record what happens on the road. In the aftermath of a collision, that footage can protect a driver, a company, and its reputation by providing a clear record of what happened. Used proactively, it can also help a fleet identify risky driving behaviours and address them before the next incident occurs.

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This article originally appeared in the 2026 Recycling Technologies special issue of Recycling Product News.