With more than 500,000 subscribers around the world, MiX Telematics is a big player in tracking and telematics and they have a range of products that are invaluable to fleet managers everywhere.
Now the firm has launched three new products into the market and each will, inevitably, do well.
They are MiX Vision, MiX 3D and My MiX.
MiX Telematics offers MiX Vision
Aimed squarely at the commercial the market, MiX Vision is at the forefront of where the telematics industry is heading.
This is a dual video image recording system and utilises road-facing and driver-facing cameras.
The system is located within the cab and can be configured to be triggered by a range of events.
Once the system has been alerted, then MiX Vision will record high quality images of the driver in the cab and of the road ahead.
The system will even work at night, with the driver-facing camera having infrared light recording ability.
On-board van camera will record images and sound
MiX Vision also has a microphone to capture sound and will offer commercial vehicle owners a unique and comprehensive record of conditions of the interior and in front of a vehicle when an incident occurred.
Increasingly, firms with lots of vans in their fleet and insurers are looking to this type of technology to help them beat unscrupulous insurance claims.
Whenever the system is triggered, MiX Vision will capture the eight seconds of footage prior to an incident and seven seconds afterwards. These images are then instantly uploaded to the firm’s servers.
The van owner or fleet manager can then access low res footage on demand and high-res video images on request – the idea is to save on data transfer costs and time.
On demand video recording for van fleets
There’s also the useful ability of a fleet manager being able to access a 2.5 minute long high-res video from any time within the previous 72 hours.
The list of applications for the MiX Vision is huge and will inevitably save money for many operators since insurers are increasingly looking to install these video recording systems.
MiX Telematics offers MiX 3D
It’s this growing demand from insurers and legislators for technology to boost safety that is helping to fuel the increase in take-up of telematics to help protect the driver and his or her employers.
A good example of this is the firm’s MiX 3D which will enable a fleet manager to download the tachograph data from a vehicle.
This is a legal requirement to undertake regularly and then store the data securely.
MiX 3D is a remote digital data downloading service for a firm’s tachographs which not only ensures the firm’s compliance with the law but also provides a convenient solution to what can be a laborious and time-consuming task.
The system is offered as an add-on to its Fleet Manager service and is permanently installed within a vehicle and it can also authenticate remote tachograph cards.
One of the real attractions to the system, is that a fleet manager can see a driver’s hours in an interactive timeline which enables them to plan more efficiently.
MiX Telematics offers My MiX
We have highlighted previously on the commercialvehicle.com site that firms are running a risk when implementing telematics and tracking devices.
Not all drivers appreciate or understand the positives of using the systems though there’s a new offering which may placate many people.
The My MiX is a simple idea that will help engage drivers into understanding the value of having a tracker in their vehicle.
My MiX is for drivers to access their vehicle data to appreciate their driving performance via a special portal and then analyse that against key statistics and the average performances of other drivers.
The data can be analysed over set time periods and by vehicles with drivers accessing it via smartphones, tablets and desktop computers.
Early feedback shows that drivers who use My MiX feel involved and have an input in business improvement by using the system.
Helping to improve fleet manager performance
Essentially, the new developments from the MiX will help boost a fleet manager’s performance because they will be enabled to do their job more thoroughly.
This means they will be able to make efficiencies and improve economies for the business at the same time.
The new offering sits within the firm’s Fleet Manager software package so that there is a range of reports which can be generated and the software is intuitive and easy-to-use.
Along with other similar offerings, this telematics offering also provides alerts and reports to the business operators around the clock.
Unlike many competitors, MiX Telematics will also offer a way for a fleet manager to improve driving standards and styles.
Improve driver standards in a business
This is done by using a dashboard mounted display unit which will then have an array of status lights – green, amber and red.
The lights will inform the driver about their current driving style and whether they are driving correctly. The system can be pre-programmed with various parameters to help the driver stay safe.
Among the parameters that can be programmed are those for excessive idling, over driving, harsh braking, over speeding and harsh acceleration.
There’s no doubt that MiX Telematics is a major player with operations in 120 countries and their devices are being used to monitor the activities of vans, trucks, cars and buses.
For those who need an extensive reporting suite, the tracking and telematics offering from MiX Telematics is hard to beat and it is easy-to-use but in an increasingly competitive environment there may be less costly alternatives available.
However, the on-board camera monitoring system is going to be a major feature in the years to come and MiX are one of the first into the market with an excellent all-round and robust system that impresses.