--- title: Dashcams, Telematics and Your Next Insurance Renewal description: Commercial truck insurance keeps rising. How dashcams and telematics can help building centres at renewal, improve operations and keep good drivers on side. image: https://trinitytrucksales.ca/hubfs/AI-Generated%20Media/Images/Dashcam%20View%20From%20F750%20Truck%20Cab-1.png --- [![Trinity Truck Sales logo](https://trinitytrucksales.ca/hubfs/Trinity%20Truck%20Sales.jpg)The Building Centre Truck ProgramOperated by Trinity Truck Sales](https://trinitytrucksales.ca/?hsLang=en) [Home](https://trinitytrucksales.ca/?hsLang=en) Who We Help ▾ [Home Hardware](https://trinitytrucksales.ca/the-home-hardware-truck-program?hsLang=en) [Castle Building Centres](https://trinitytrucksales.ca/castle-truck-program?hsLang=en) [All Canadian Building Centres](https://trinitytrucksales.ca/building-centre-truck-program?hsLang=en) [Fleet Advisor +](https://trinitytrucksales.ca/fleet-advisor-plus?hsLang=en) [Our Truck Guide](https://trinitytrucksales.ca/building-centre-product-catalogue?hsLang=en) [About Trinity](https://trinitytrucksales.ca/our-story?hsLang=en) [Blog](https://trinitytrucksales.ca/phil-aitkens-bi-weekly) [Contact](https://trinitytrucksales.ca/contact-me-global?hsLang=en) ☰ Looking to speak with Phil? call directly at [(289) 527-4345](tel:12895274345) [Home](https://trinitytrucksales.ca/?hsLang=en) › [Blog](https://trinitytrucksales.ca/phil-aitkens-bi-weekly) # Dashcams, Telematics and Your Next Insurance Renewal ![Phil Aitken](https://app.hubspot.com/settings/avatar/e0b1fa7ef5f70dbbc84514aff5461c2a) **Phil Aitken**, President, Trinity Truck Sales • Oct 16, 2026, 8:42:31 AM • 3 min read ![\ If your fleet insurance renewal came in higher this year, you have company. Commercial truck insurance has climbed across Canada for several years running. Repair costs are up, claims are bigger, and some insurers have pulled back from trucking altogether, which leaves fewer companies competing for your business. A building centre can't fix the insurance market. But you can change how your fleet looks to an underwriter, and cameras and telematics are two of the biggest levers you have. ## What a camera does for you A forward-facing dashcam records what happened. That sounds simple, and it's worth more than most owners expect. Picture a car cutting in front of your loaded flatbed and slamming on the brakes. Without video, it's your driver's word against theirs, and a big commercial truck rarely wins that argument. With video, the claim often goes the other way, or goes away. Some insurers offer better terms to fleets with camera programs. The amount varies a lot by insurer and by fleet, so ask your broker directly what a camera program would be worth on your policy before you buy anything. ## What telematics tells you Telematics units track where the truck is and how it's being driven. Speed, harsh braking, idle time, kilometres, engine fault codes. For a building centre, the safety data matters, but the operational data often pays for the system first. You'll see which trucks idle for an hour at job sites. You'll see which routes take longer than they should. You'll get engine fault alerts before a small problem turns into a tow. And you'll have real kilometres for every truck without anyone writing them down. That feeds straight into maintenance schedules and keep-or-replace decisions. ## Bring your drivers in first The fastest way to waste money on cameras is to bolt them in on a Friday and tell your drivers on Monday. Good drivers will feel watched. Some will leave, and drivers are hard enough to find. Explain why you're doing it before the hardware shows up. Show them that video protects them in a crash that wasn't their fault. Use the data to coach, not to punish every hard stop. In Ontario, employers with 25 or more employees also need a written policy on electronic monitoring of employees. Other provinces have their own privacy rules. Check what applies to you before you install anything. ## Use the data for maintenance The fault codes and kilometre readings from telematics make maintenance easier to plan. Instead of guessing when a truck is due for service, you'll know. Instead of hearing about a warning light from a driver three days later, you'll see it the same morning. That ties straight into keeping good records on every truck. If you've read [our post on the maintenance binder](https://trinitytrucksales.ca/phil-aitkens-bi-weekly/the-maintenance-binder-why-one-dealer-stopped-trusting-her-shop), telematics fills in half the pages for you. ## Start small and measure You don't need the most expensive system on the market. Start with forward-facing cameras and basic GPS tracking on your busiest trucks. Run it for six months. Look at what you learned, what it cost and what your broker says at renewal. Then decide whether to add driver-facing cameras, more trucks or more features. Plenty of fleets buy everything at once and use a tenth of it. ## Talk to your broker before renewal Call your broker a couple of months before your renewal date, not the week before. Ask what they'd need to see from you to improve your terms. Ask whether a camera program, a written safety policy or driver training would change the number. Then bring that answer into your fleet planning. If you're ordering a new truck, it's easier to spec cameras and telematics into the build than to add them later. If you want to talk through what to spec into your next truck, give me a call. Share: [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=https%3A%2F%2Ftrinitytrucksales.ca%2Fphil-aitkens-bi-weekly%2Fdashcams-telematics-and-your-next-insurance-renewal) [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Ftrinitytrucksales.ca%2Fphil-aitkens-bi-weekly%2Fdashcams-telematics-and-your-next-insurance-renewal) [Email](mailto:?subject=%3Cspan+id%3D%22hs_cos_wrapper_name%22+class%3D%22hs_cos_wrapper+hs_cos_wrapper_meta_field+hs_cos_wrapper_type_text%22+style%3D%22%22+data-hs-cos-general-type%3D%22meta_field%22+data-hs-cos-type%3D%22text%22+%3EDashcams%2C+Telematics+and+Your+Next+Insurance+Renewal%3C%2Fspan%3E&body=https%3A%2F%2Ftrinitytrucksales.ca%2Fphil-aitkens-bi-weekly%2Fdashcams-telematics-and-your-next-insurance-renewal) ![Phil Aitken](https://app.hubspot.com/settings/avatar/e0b1fa7ef5f70dbbc84514aff5461c2a) ### Phil Aitken President of Trinity Truck Sales. For 18 years Phil has spec'd, sourced and delivered work trucks for Canadian building centres. [Read Phil's story](https://trinitytrucksales.ca/our-story?hsLang=en) or call [(289) 527-4345](tel:12895274345). Have a truck decision coming up? ## Send me your daily load and delivery radius I'll come back with a spec, price and sourcing plan. No obligation, no lot-pushing. [Get a Quote](https://trinitytrucksales.ca/contact-me-global?hsLang=en) ## Keep reading [![Gas or Diesel in Your Next Medium-Duty Truck? Look at Your Delivery Route First](https://trinitytrucksales.ca/hubfs/AI-Generated%20Media/Images/Blue%20Ford%20F650%20And%20Diesel%20Trucks%20At%20Busy%20Construction%20Yard.png)](https://trinitytrucksales.ca/phil-aitkens-bi-weekly/gas-or-diesel-in-your-next-medium-duty-truck-look-at-your-delivery-route-first) ## [Gas or Diesel in Your Next Medium-Duty Truck? Look at Your Delivery Route First](https://trinitytrucksales.ca/phil-aitkens-bi-weekly/gas-or-diesel-in-your-next-medium-duty-truck-look-at-your-delivery-route-first) Oct 12, 2026, 8:28:20 PM [Read the article →](https://trinitytrucksales.ca/phil-aitkens-bi-weekly/gas-or-diesel-in-your-next-medium-duty-truck-look-at-your-delivery-route-first) [![Lease, Finance or Pay Cash for Your Next Delivery Truck?](https://trinitytrucksales.ca/hubfs/AI-Generated%20Media/Images/Blue%20Crane%20Truck%20At%20Building%20Centre%20Lot.png)](https://trinitytrucksales.ca/phil-aitkens-bi-weekly/lease-finance-or-pay-cash-for-your-next-delivery-truck) ## [Lease, Finance or Pay Cash for Your Next Delivery Truck?](https://trinitytrucksales.ca/phil-aitkens-bi-weekly/lease-finance-or-pay-cash-for-your-next-delivery-truck) Oct 9, 2026, 10:42:53 AM [Read the article →](https://trinitytrucksales.ca/phil-aitkens-bi-weekly/lease-finance-or-pay-cash-for-your-next-delivery-truck) [![Spec the Truck Your Drivers Want to Drive](https://trinitytrucksales.ca/hubfs/Completed%20Deliveries/Roll-Offs%20(Kargo%20King)/HHDS%20Photos%20%20(A4%20(Landscape))%20(37).jpg)](https://trinitytrucksales.ca/phil-aitkens-bi-weekly/spec-the-truck-your-drivers-want-to-drive) ## [Spec the Truck Your Drivers Want to Drive](https://trinitytrucksales.ca/phil-aitkens-bi-weekly/spec-the-truck-your-drivers-want-to-drive) Oct 7, 2026, 5:09:21 PM [Read the article →](https://trinitytrucksales.ca/phil-aitkens-bi-weekly/spec-the-truck-your-drivers-want-to-drive) Trinity Truck Sales Inc. Phil Aitken — President  |  (289) 527-4345  |  [phil@trinitytrucksales.ca](mailto:phil@trinitytrucksales.ca) Copyright © Trinity Truck Sales Inc 2026 [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/phil-aitken-a9b96819/?originalSubdomain=ca)    [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61561022720417) ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Phil Aitken", "url" : "https://trinitytrucksales.ca/phil-aitkens-bi-weekly/author/phil-aitken" }, "dateModified" : "2026-10-16T12:42:31.396Z", "datePublished" : "2026-10-16T12:42:31.000Z", "headline" : "Dashcams, Telematics and Your Next Insurance Renewal", "image" : [ "https://trinitytrucksales.ca/hubfs/AI-Generated%20Media/Images/Dashcam%20View%20From%20F750%20Truck%20Cab-1.png" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://trinitytrucksales.ca/phil-aitkens-bi-weekly/dashcams-telematics-and-your-next-insurance-renewal", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://trinitytrucksales.ca/hubfs/Building%20Centre%20Truck%20Program%20Logo.png" }, "name" : "Trinity Truck Sales Inc." } } ``` ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "jobTitle" : "President", "name" : "Phil Aitken", "worksFor" : { "@type" : "Organization", "name" : "Trinity Truck Sales Inc.", "url" : "https://trinitytrucksales.ca" } }, "dateModified" : "2026-10-16", "datePublished" : "2026-10-16", "description" : "Commercial truck insurance keeps rising. 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