Dude, Where's My Car?!

It’s been a perfect storm if you’re a car thief: supply chain issues stemming from 2020’s lockdowns combined with inflation have increased car values AND theft rates in the last two years. 

Reported thefts were up by 6% in 2021 from the previous year, and up 17% from 2019!

Whether for resale in the international black market, for their catalytic converters, or for their spare-part resale values, it seems some makes and models have perennial targets on their backs.

These 10 were the most stolen in 2021, according to the NICB:

1. 2004 Chevrolet Pick-Up (Full Size) = 48,206...

Delivery vehicles may not be known for their innovative features (with the exception of a few concept models), but it doesn’t mean they need to be stuck in the past forever.

Upfitting a delivery fleet with safety systems (like those of the RVS + Geotab integration) improves operations, reliability, safety, and even profitability in the long run.

How?

Tracking Driver Behavior & Efficiency 

Using telematics to find the most efficient routes are important for any fleet, but even more so with last mile deliveries, since hitting those promised delivery times is the name of the game. Not doing so...

In a time of high fuel costs and inflation, operational inefficiencies can end up costing a fleet more than ever. 

Though seemingly innocuous at first glance, idling is one of these inefficiencies–and when compounded, it can cut into profits.

The more time a driver is on the road, the higher the chance they’ll spend sitting and waiting in traffic with the engine running. With a large fleet, this can add up to hundreds of wasted hours a month. 

Large trucks consume about .8 gallons of fuel an hour when idling, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. 

When you consider that the average truck...

Few businesses incur daily risks as high as those of a commercial truck fleet.

With some of the largest blind spots on the road, most hazardous cargo, and drivers who spend more time behind the wheel than passenger-vehicle drivers, higher rates of fatal accidents make sense. 

Though it’s concerning, it’s no surprise that stats (courtesy of Policy Advice) as dismal as these exist: 

- A large truck was somehow involved in around 74% of fatal passenger car accidents

- Passenger-vehicle occupants are 68% of all truck accident fatalities

- In 4% of the large trucks involved in fatal collisions, hazardous...

Few things excite the RVS team like new tech and product updates, especially when it’s been a long time coming. 

Since we’re preparing for a slew of new stuff, we’ve decided to house all the product updates and upcoming tech on our New Arrivals page for easy updates!

Here’s a little preview of some of the new updates we’re serving up:

Simple Sight Is Simply Clearer

We know that wireless is the way of the future, especially if you want to operate a fleet of tractor trailers more efficiently.

Not only do our Simple Sight systems make camera-monitor pairing SUPER fast (in under a minute), but they're...

It’s no secret that fuel prices are hitting some of the highest levels EVER (along with most everything else). 

While American households are getting hit at the pump, commercial fleets are feeling it hard, as high costs are cutting into profit margins.

It doesn’t need to bring businesses to a halt. There are some sound strategies on cutting down on fuel costs and they all involve tracking or keeping tabs on driver activities, something a good Fleet Manager is already doing.

These 5 strategies make any commercial fleet operation run a bit more efficiently:

- Tracking engine idling lets a Fleet...

In 2014, a group of 2,705 American drivers aged 16 and up were surveyed by AAA.  

These drivers had driven at least once in the 30 days before the survey and the group was weighted so as to reflect the overall American population. 

The questions in this survey focused specifically on their reactions when feelings of anger were triggered, and the answers revealing the uglier side of driving: road rage. 

The resulting statistics in lighter cases were as follows: 

- 1/3^rd of drivers admitted to have made an angry gesture at another driver 

- 50% admitted to tailgating on purpose 

- 46%...

Imagine a world where whiteout conditions and an inexperienced driver don't equal a three-week-long delivery delay....

This inconvenience won’t just disappear overnight, but delivery fleets are slowly catching on to the fact that improving a driver’s overall visibility and eliminating blind spots with the right camera system is now a must, when considering cost-effectiveness, efficiency, and local compliance. 

As more and more pickup & delivery fleets get smarter with their system selections, they’re turning to things like powerful Mobile DVRs, HD cameras, dash cams, sensors, compact monitors...

It’s been approximately 3 weeks since Canada mandated vaccines for truckers crossing the border, and there doesn’t seem to be an end in sight to the backlash.* In fact, many theorize that the blockades and protests will grow. 

If continued, these protests can cascade into problems that will hit close to home for many Americans:

• Manufacturing Job Cuts/Reduced Capacities

The focal point of the protests, Ambassador Bridge, is responsible for roughly 1/3rd of America’s auto industry supplies. Car plants, including some of Toyota’s and GM’s, have already been cutting back on shifts since the protests...

The results of our search for the “deadliest vehicles” on the road today in America came as no shock to us. 

In fact, there’s a high chance that the person reading (and writing) this has either driven or owned one of the vehicles on the list.

In no particular order, we’ve singled out some of the deadliest in each of the vehicle categories, from a study done by Value Penguin.

Some of these might ring very close to home, as their popularity definitely plays a part in the high accident rates just by default .

• Ford F Series

Ford trucks like the F-150 and its family of pickups are among the most popular...

It's mid-2021 and the commercial trucking industry has endured a year of everything from the pandemic, todriver shortages, and extreme weather events.

Like our shockproof 1080 Series, we've made it through that bumpy ride and plan to keep on trucking, That being said, fleet operations that are also interested in playing the long (and profitable game) need to consider making one of the best investments possible: the Mobile DVR.

Why, you ask? It's all in the features, of course:

• GPS Tracking & Live Remote Viewing (With Personal Data Plan)

With a rise in valuable medical supplies, essentials, vaccines,...

Living in New York, you always have to have a few backup plans for getting around. When I hear the trains are delayed, I take the bus. A few weeks ago I took the bus home and something strange happened. The driver went off the scheduled route and started making strange stops. Passengers were uneasy, and I got off at the first stop I could and ended up taking a different subway line home.

If the bus was equipped with a Mobilemule™ Mobile DVR series, geo fencing would allow the fleet manager to get an alert when the vehicle deviates off the predetermined route.

DVR's are perfect for fleet managers...

The driver shortage is still a perennial industry issue. It ranked as the top industry concern for the 2nd consecutive year in 2018 by the American Transportation Research Institute.

The American Trucking Associations (ATA) estimates that turnover can cost trucking companies as much as $5,000 per driver. If your company loses five drivers this year, you may spend as much as $25,000 to recruit and hire new drivers.

There are many great ways to retain drivers...

Our newest webinar premieres in about a week! Join Horace, Director of Marketing, on July 31st on 3:00pm as he leads a discussion on our new MobileMule™ Mobile DVR Series. Reserve your seat here.

Packed with features, including 4G/WiFi capability, most MobileMule™ models record onto an included hard disk drive (sold separately) expandable to 2TB. This hard drive is mirrored by SD backup.  GPS tracking, live video remote viewing, secure footage, and HD recording make the MobileMule™ DVR Series the perfect fleet management solution.

Webinar Series

We’ve gotten great feedback from our...

New England Mobile
330 Hartford Ave.
Bellingham, MA 02019
(508) 966-4155
Employees: 12

We love our dealers and are excited to show our appreciation with a new series, featuring some of Rear View Safety's most beloved dealers! We spoke to Ray Terrell, the Owner of New England Mobile about his company, their mission, and the RVS difference.

Note: This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

Ray Terrell: I started New England Mobile back in 1982, in Milford, MA. Just me and a briefcase. Initially, we were just in the 2 way commercial radio business, but once Nextel came on the scene...

In an effort to cut down on bullying and drivers not stopping for school buses, the California Legislature has introduced two bills that would require school buses and child care car/vans to use video recording systems.

School Bus Laws

Assembly Bill 934 would require all school buses, youth buses, school pupil activity buses, and child care motor vehicles to have internal video systems. According to Asm. Mike Gipson, the bill's author, the new law will be an effective way to stop bullying and vandalism. The bill would also require an external video system on school buses that have a stop signal...