Pre-wire options for video telematics systems
Mack Trucks recently announced that it would offer a pre-wire option for the Lytx DriveCam video telematics system on its Granite, LR and TerraPro trucks.
According to Lytx, having a pre-wire option decreases downtime for these trucks and improves TCO, while also ensuring high-quality installations. Typically, the company says, installation takes 1-2 hours per truck and doing so for a fleet of 1000 vehicles can take anywhere from 4-12 months.
Jonathan Randall, Mack’s vice president of sales, said that customers have been “appreciative” of having this pre-wire option on the new trucks they buy. “That’s for two reasons,” he elaborated. “One is the time and money effort; two is the factory warranty. It’s a much cleaner layout and a much cleaner installation as a pre-wire, versus them having to go and cut in to our chassis and into our wires, which could create some problems down the road.
“Any fleet, regardless of what they’re hauling, is talking about the benefits of forward- and driver-facing cameras—for training, for safety and for customer satisfaction,” he added. “The payback is usually fairly quick, especially if the truck is involved in a collision of some kind. One lawsuit, and it pays for itself.”