Jet Express boosts efficiency and safety with CCTV vehicle camera technology

Leading time critical logistics solutions provider, Jet Express has made a significant investment in vehicle CCTV camera technology to boost customer experience and to safeguard both the wellbeing of their drivers as well as vulnerable road users.

To facilitate this, Jet Express called upon the expertise of Staffordshire-based Centrad, who has helped roll out the vehicle CCTV camera instalment over the past 12 months.

Offering time critical logistics solutions for a range of markets, including automotive, aerospace and retail amongst others throughout the UK and Europe, Jet Express was established seven years ago by Managing Director Justin Edwards.

Since then, the company has gone from strength to strength – now employing 55 staff and occupying two sites comprising 50,000 sq. ft of Warehousing, with a third site also having just opened in order to cater to increased demand.

Operating a fleet of 40 vehicles ranging from car derived vans to 44-tonne artics – driver safety and vehicle efficiency has always been a key consideration for Jet Express.

After initially fitting basic camera systems on two 44-tonne tractor units 18 months ago, the company wished to seek out state-of-the-art CCTV products to enhance the safety of their drivers while out on the road.

In addition, Direct Vision Standard (DVS) compliance, was a must to ensure maximum safety of our own staff and vulnerable road users, whilst ensuring all regions are accessible to our vehicles.

The Centrad equipment meets this requirement and future proofs our business in this area.

In order to significantly upgrade their CCTV vehicle camera technology, Jet Express called upon leading vehicle CCTV and telematics experts Centrad to deliver a range of camera solutions. Fast forward 12 months and Centrad has helped to successfully install live camera systems on 22 Jet Express vehicles – with a further camera instalment set to be completed in the coming weeks.

Benefiting from Centrad’s Live Cloud platform, the camera system provides real-time GPS tracking with 30-second updates, remote system health checks and also enables Jet Express to view and download video footage remotely.

On Jet Express’s lighter vehicles, they have installed an eight-channel system which provides 360-degree coverage, including cameras fitted in the load compartment of the vehicle, allowing them full view of their vehicles’ load compartments – boosting security as well as efficiency by enabling them to maximise loading opportunities.

The same 360-degree camera coverage is also utilised on the company’s fleet of rigid HGVs.

Peter Hancox, General Manager at Jet Express commented: “Customer care and the safety of both vulnerable road users and our own drivers are of the upmost importance at Jet Express. We consider ourselves as an extension of our much-valued customers’ brands, whose own customers expect a timely delivery service and for their goods to arrive in pristine condition.

“Therefore with an increased onus on fleet operators to enhance the safety of its drivers and of vulnerable road users, the decision to adopt CCTV camera technology on our vehicles was a no brainer – especially when factoring in our increased level of growth over the past 18 months.

“This is where the relationship with Centrad stemmed, as whilst the need to enhance our CCTV camera technology on our vehicles was paramount, partnering with a vehicle camera supplier that not only had robust products, but also possessed significant experience in the marketplace, was just as important.

“Once we met with their Managing Director, Geoff Cross, we knew straight away that Centrad were the right fit for Jet Express, as not only were his products exactly what we were looking for, Geoff’s experience as a former fleet operator meant he had a fundamental understanding of the challenges of our sector.”

Peter continued: “Our relationship with Centrad has developed from a customer/supplier relationship to one that is very much a partnership. We have total trust in their judgement and recommendations and they have a fundamental understanding of every aspect of our business. In many respects it’s a relationship that’s ever-evolving to our needs. 

“It just works. They know what we want and will deliver when we want it. From Geoff Cross through to their sales and aftercare teams, Centrad’s thorough and professional offering has made the switch to CCTV technology on our vehicles entirely seamless for both ourselves and our drivers.  

“They have also helped us evolve the fitting process by training one of our trusted suppliers to fit camera kits, so we are not completely reliant on them for installations.   

“Having our fleet fitted with CCTV camera technology, provides customers with the trust and security of knowing that they are partnering with a reputable brand that has a genuine care for its drivers and vulnerable road users and that prides itself on providing safe and reliable logistics services.

“Indeed, the investment in cameras has also provided a cost management element for Jet Express, largely due to reducing exposure to fraudulent accident claims and mitigating the loss of time from our vehicles being off the road. But these benefits only scratches the surface of their overall benefits.

“Centrad’s products have not only very much become an integral part of our vehicles, but also to our wider business model as well. None of this however would have been possible without the expertise of Centrad who has done far more than simply supply vehicle CCTV camera solution, they have played a big part in helping us scale our entire operation.”