A W Ennis prevent false claims with CameraMatics

A W Ennis are a renowned and thriving family-owned and run manufacturer of Erin Farm Feeds animal feeds. Although hundreds of years old, the company has moved with the times. A combination of Haulage contractors and their own fleet of distinctive blue and white HGVs distribute the products. The stated aim to ‘provide excellent products with a professional service that our customers can trust’ is taken seriously across the entire business.

Scott Ennis, Fleet Transport Manager, told us how CameraMatics protects the fleet and drivers.

Getting started

A W Ennis initially chose CameraMatics back in 2017 through our partner suppliers, McDonnell Commercials, who offered CameraMatics when supplying new Volvo trucks. It was a no-brainer for Scott, who hasn’t looked back. They’ve since fitted CameraMatics systems to more of their existing HGVs.

Scott told us, “We’ve got eleven HGVs of our own, and nine are kitted out with CameraMatics. Our insurers are delighted that we have the cameras on the vehicles and have requested we get the last couple of trucks fitted out too, which we’ll be doing very soon. We’re also looking at our other vehicles – such as the cars and vans our sales reps use – as we can see the value of CameraMatics for the whole business.”

So, what are the main benefits of CameraMatics for A W Ennis?

Insurance savings

Without a doubt, Scott says, CameraMatics vehicle cameras prevent false claims against the company’s drivers. Anyone in the fleet business knows how costly claims are – and how much time and energy they consume. Not to mention the worry about false insurance claims. “We had a claim a number of years ago where we ended up having to pay out, not because our driver was at fault, but because we couldn’t prove that he wasn’t. That payout was substantial and likely would have been avoided if we’d had cameras.

“For me”, says Scott, “the top benefit is the incontrovertible evidence that the technology gives us – we can see exactly what happened, when and where. Since we’ve had the CameraMatics system we’ve been able to prevent incidents going as far as a claim and prevent false claims. It’s always assumed the truck is at fault but we’re now able to prove when that’s not the case.

And the insurers are big CameraMatics fans too – they’ve requested the system is implemented across the fleet.

Driver training

Scott rates his drivers highly, but he’s also a realist. “Drivers aren’t always angels and the CameraMatics system is a really useful tool in training our drivers. We do get the odd complaint and using CameraMatics means everything is in black and white – so whether our driver is at fault or not the footage tells us the truth!

“A few months ago, I received a phone call from a member of the public about an action one of our drivers had taken. The person happened to be a paramedic so was particularly concerned about something she felt was potentially dangerous. I reassured her that I would look into the incident straight away.”

“On phoning the person back, I was able to make reassurances that we take safety extremely seriously and that appropriate action had been taken. She was taken aback not only by the technology involved and the fact that we could pinpoint exactly what had happened, but by my honesty and commitment to safety. I’m absolutely sure that the incident would have gone further, but for my being able to pinpoint exactly what happened thanks to the systems.”

Protecting a reputation

“Incidents like that do have the potential to harm our reputation, instead it highlighted the measures we’ve taken to maximise safety, and the seriousness with which we take our job. The public are very happy to know that A W Ennis use CameraMatics!”

“Of course, it works both ways – although the cameras aren’t ‘Big Brother’ for the drivers – nine times out of ten they protect the driver and prove they’re not in the wrong. But there are times when they’ve helped me show a driver where their driving needs to be improved – so CameraMatics can be a deterrent against poor driving behaviour, and it’s a very useful training tool.”

Top-notch products and customer service

Customer experience is everything and we’re delighted to hear that Scott is very happy with the service he receives from the CameraMatics team. “Everything I ask for is answered quickly”, he tells us, “the support team are very responsive and know what they’re talking about. On the occasions we’ve needed cameras fixing we’ve been able to book repairs quickly. The engineers have often been able to meet the drivers somewhere on their route which is convenient for us”.

A wholehearted recommendation

Scott tells us he would advise others with commercial vehicles to implement CameraMatics.“Absolutely I would recommend CameraMatics to others – we haven’t looked back. We’ve saved money, we’ve increased safety and we’ve improved driving standards. The systems are central to the future of our fleet.”

“We’re always delighted to hear that customers are happy with CameraMatics”, said Simon Murray, CameraMatics co-founder and Director, “the company are clearly living up to their excellent reputation in their distribution as well as the high quality manufacturing standards they’re known for. We’re delighted to have helped prevent false claims and we look forward to continuing to enable all A W Ennis vehicles to be safer, smarter and more efficient. Of course we wish Scott and the team every continued success”.