Forward Thinking Systems has announced the addition of automatic facial recognition and an available learning management system (LMS) add-on to its DriveShield app. These new features will add additional value to DriveShield functionality by providing fleet and operations managers the ability to implement in-depth LMS courses and have their fleet vehicles automatically log drivers into their fleet management system.

Upon engine ignition, the in-vehicle camera will begin taking a series of photos of the driver's face. Photos are then uploaded to FTS servers and analyzed by an AI facial recognition system to instantaneously verify the driver's identity and assign vehicle activity.

Trip activity (e.g., distance driven, speeding events, fatigued driving events -- and any other data used to compile the driver's scorecard) is linked to that driver’s scorecard automatically. Ongoing activity data will be linked to this driver until the engine is shut off or a new driver is detected. Snapshots are captured every five minutes while the engine is on. This removes the necessity for manual input from the driver or supervisor, so fleet managers can easily keep track of who is behind the wheel.

DriveShield's new LMS add-on is implemented seamlessly into its simple four-step process:

1. In-Cab Audiovisual Alerts

2. In-App Self-Coaching

3. In-App LMS Training Courses

4. Escalation to Supervisor

Advanced AI-assisted cameras detect safety events in real-time. When a safety event occurs, drivers are alerted with in-cab audiovisual alerts. If a pre-set limit is reached (fleet manager sets threshold), self-coaching opportunities are sent to the driver. This removes the need for supervisors to intervene to coach drivers and gives drivers the autonomy to improve bad habits before events are escalated to a supervisor.

If driver behavior fails to improve after self-coaching, mandatory in-app training courses are assigned to the driver. If poor driving behavior persists, the coaching system escalates the matter to a supervisor for review and coaching.

Lastly, drivers may watch event recordings, dispute events, add comments, and see the impact of certain events on their daily scorecard- all within the DriveShield app. By utilizing the LMS capabilities of DriveShield, fleet managers can automate the process of driver coaching and intervene only when necessary.