AUDUBON J.P. Mascaro & Sons is investing more than $2 million in safety and GPS technology for its fleet of more than 630 vehicles. The Montgomery County-based solid waste service company is installing safety surveillance cameras from Safety Vision LLC and GPS technology from EquipmentShare.

The partnership will help J.P. Mascaro ensure safe fleet operations, increase efficiency in serving customers and provide real-time asset tracking for the companys on-the-road vehicles.

It is a project that began for the company about two years ago, according to Pasquale Mascaro, president of J.P. Mascaro & Sons. The company identified its needs and set out to select long-term partners for the company.

Customer service and employee safety are at the core of our business, and this technology will further strengthen our commitment to these areas of our business, Mascaro said.

The company evaluated several systems and ran test programs on each. According to spokesman Frank Sau, the was looking for a camera with HD quality that works in all elements.

Since the majority of the cameras are located outside the vehicle and our vehicles run in all elements, the cameras need to be able to withstand the elements and also provide clear video at all times, he said in an emailed response to questions.

In addition, the company wanted to have a record of where each truck is and its route.

Starting Jan. 26, as part of its Safe Service = Success campaign, the company began the full roll-out of installation of Safety Visions mobile video surveillance cameras in its fleet vehicles. By Friday, Feb. 5, installation had been completed on 11 trucks, according to Sau.

These trucks had systems installed in many different configurations so we could see what works best for each truck and body style. Now that we know how each truck will be configured we are in the process of determining what equipment will be needed for each of the remaining systems, he said, adding that the process is expected to take about 30 days.

The cameras will be installed for complete 360-degree coverage of the vehicles and will be forward-facing, rear-facing, interior cab, and then along each side of the vehicle facing toward the back of the truck, according to Sau.

Rear-load residential trash trucks will have a seven camera system installed on each vehicle, with the two additional cameras located at the back of the truck looking down at the drivers helpers on the rear of the vehicle. Other trucks will have a five camera system installed.

All of the companys sales vehicles and passenger vans have had a two camera/GPS system installed on them for more than a year. The two-camera system has a forward facing and interior facing camera.

According to the company, the system will benefit drivers by ensuring they have the information they need to be as safe as possible. The cameras, which also capture 360-degree coverage of vehicle accidents, will help J. P. Mascaro & Sons' leadership and management teams understand why, when, and how accidents occur on the job.

With EquipmentShare Track, J. P. Mascaro & Sons can use real-time and historical GPS location data, paired with specialized reporting, to ensure customer sites are visited according to schedule, according to the company. EquipmentShare Track allows any equipment asset or vehicle in J. P. Mascaro & Sons' fleet to be located, tracked and monitored on any internet-connected device.

With the data, J. P. Mascaro & Sons can identify troublesome stops and reschedule trucks to further improve customer service and reduce its costs.

J.P. Mascaro & Sons relationship with EquipmentShare has been ongoing for more than a year, according to Sau starting prior to the pandemic. The GPS technology is being installed on all on-road equipment, as well as trailers and other company assets that need to be tracked/located on an ongoing basis.

Sau said the installation is well underway, and is expected to be completed within 90 days. He added that all trucks receiving GPS trackers will also receive cameras.

Tracking and locating our trucks with EquipmentShares telematics combined with Safety Vision LLCs full 360-degree camera coverage on our vehicles lets us be more productive in our roles, James Mascaro, director of special projects for J.P. Mascaro & Sons, said in the release. These systems allow us to provide a higher level of service to our customers, along with the ability to help keep our drivers safe on the roads through coaching and training.

He added that the technology solutions will help the company accomplish service objectives.

Sau said little to no training of drivers is required for operation of the systems. Before launching the project, company officials met with employees at each operating division to explain how the system works, why we are installing the system, what the systems capabilities are and answer any questions from our team, he said.

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J.P. Mascaro & Sons invests in safety and GPS technologies for its fleet - The Mercury