Write the Policy Before the Install
Before you fit cameras, write down what you'll record, who can see it and how your team will use it. Discuss the draft with drivers and the people who'll review footage, then check that your camera settings match the decisions you've made.
Work through these six decisions, then use the policy skeleton below as a starting point. Confirm the settings with your supplier and have the policy checked for the places where you operate.
This is a planning guide, not legal advice. In Australia, the OAIC's workplace surveillance guidance explains that relevant Australian, state and territory laws apply. Get advice on video, audio, notice, access and retention before recording. For operations elsewhere, check the applicable local law.
Decision 1: Who May View Footage, and When
Give your team a clear answer to each of these questions:
- Which named roles can view, download or share footage?
- What triggers a review: an event alert, collision, complaint or scheduled coaching session?
- How can a driver request footage involving them, and who handles that request?
- What access records does your system keep, and who checks them? Test this before promising an audit trail in the policy.
Decision 2: Whether to Record Audio
Decide whether you need audio for the purpose you've set out. Ask your adviser which recording, notice and consent requirements apply in each place you operate. Don't assume that a video policy also covers audio, or that one rule resolves every cross-border situation.
Confirm whether audio can be disabled, how that setting is managed and how you'll verify it on installed cameras. Record the approved setting and the person responsible for changes before enabling recording.
Decision 3: How Long Footage Is Kept
Set a routine retention period and a separate process for preserving incident footage. Confirm both against your obligations and the camera system's actual storage settings.
- Routine footage: check local and cloud storage, overwrite behaviour, deletion settings and any downloaded copies.
- Incident footage: name the person who preserves it, the retrieval deadline and the process for reviewing when it can be deleted. Get advice where a claim, investigation or legal hold applies.
Test retrieval and deletion during the pilot. Tell drivers what the system actually does, and update the policy when approved settings change.
Decision 4: Coaching, Discipline, or Both
Explain how footage may be used. Agree the approach with the people responsible for employment and safety decisions before you promise that footage will only be used for coaching.
- Describe the routine coaching process and who takes part.
- State whether footage may form part of a disciplinary process.
- Set out any exceptions, review steps and escalation process.
- Give drivers a way to explain the context and question a finding.
Decision 5: Driver-Facing Camera and Privacy Mode
Say whether you're fitting road-facing cameras, driver-facing cameras or both. Our driver monitoring system glossary explains the driver-facing functions to discuss with your supplier.
- What is recorded during driving, breaks and out-of-hours use?
- Does the chosen system offer a privacy mode? Confirm exactly what it changes, including recording, alerts, uploads and location data.
- How will drivers know which mode is active, and who can change it? Demonstrate the agreed behaviour during the pilot.
Decision 6: What Happens to the Alerts
Name the person who reviews events, how often they'll review them and what happens when they can't clear the queue. Set an escalation path for urgent events and check that the team has enough time for the work.
The NHVR's advice on safety technology and telematics emphasises analysing and acting on the data as part of a safety system. Use the fleet camera coverage calculator to estimate review time from your own fleet and event assumptions, then compare the estimate with what happens in your pilot.
A Policy Skeleton to Start From
Fill in the brackets, check each statement against your actual configuration and have the draft reviewed before using it.
1. Purpose. [Company] uses vehicle cameras for [approved purposes]. Footage won't be used for [excluded purposes], subject to [reviewed exceptions].
2. Recording and notice. We record [road-facing / driver-facing video] during [times or triggers]. Audio is [setting]. We provide [required notice and information] through [process].
3. Access. [Roles] may view footage for [triggers]. Downloads and sharing follow [process]. Access records are [verified system behaviour]. Drivers can make a request through [process].
4. Retention. Routine footage is kept for [period] in [locations]. [Role] preserves incident footage through [process]. Retention exceptions and deletion follow [reviewed requirements].
5. Use and privacy. Coaching and disciplinary use follow [process and exceptions]. During breaks and out-of-hours use, the system operates in [verified mode].
6. Review and escalation. [Role] reviews events [frequency]. Urgent events or a backlog go to [role and process].
7. Questions and review. Contact [role] with questions or objections. [Role] reviews this policy on [date] and when the system or operating requirements change.
Check the Policy Against Your Operation
This skeleton doesn't establish which recording is lawful for your business, prescribe a retention period or confirm that your supplier supports each setting. Have those points checked before rollout.
Plan tracking, inspections and maintenance for the rest of your equipment too. The AI dash cams for fleets buyer guide explains coverage planning and the questions to test in a pilot.
