City Link, the UK's premium express delivery company, has taken the next step in its aim to offer the industry's most secure parcel delivery network, by fitting security cameras onto its vans.
Each van will have four cameras, two focused on the van doors, one internally in the freight hold area, and one in the 'driver's cab', all continuously monitoring collection and delivery activities.
The sophisticated system can stream images live to City Link's central control room when required and all images will also be locally recorded so they can be examined later if necessary.
The cameras will continue to work while the van is unattended, acting as a deterrent to anyone who may try to interfere with a van or its contents offering protection for City Link's Drivers and its Customers goods.
"There are lots of benefits for our Customers," said Russell Mannix, City Link's Head of Security. "We can use the information to establish that we loaded a particular parcel onto a van at a Depot and then unloaded it for delivery. This will support and enhance the GPS location information available from our hand-held scanners, which also collect the point of delivery signatures, offering a totally secure solution for our Customers from point of collection to point of delivery.
"If a customer tells us that a parcel has not been delivered we can work out what has happened. The GPS satellite tracking system that we use in conjunction with the VanCam images will show exactly what happened at any point in time".
"VanCam will clearly play a significant part in reducing loss and claims, the initial pilot was certainly extremely successful."
During the three-month pilot across a number of Depots there were no losses of parcels, no road accidents or damage to City Link vans nor any personal accidents or Health and Safety incidents.
Following the successful pilot, City Link is now planning to conduct an extended trial with cameras in 50 vans and eventually plans to roll them out across its entire fleet.
"We want to provide as much accountability as we can to our Customers and the VanCam will certainly help us do that," said Mr Mannix.
"It is a big commitment for the business - it will be a significant investment across the whole fleet that will help us reduce loss and improve the service we offer to our Customers".
"Van-Cam will also be an extremely effective preventative measure against attacks on Drivers and vehicles, or vehicles being stolen.
"Our Drivers go out there every day in highly visible vehicles carrying valuable goods and we want to offer them the best protection that we can."
City Link moves more than 300,000 parcels a day through its network of Depots across the UK.