Thought leadership: keeping van drivers safe across Canada

Warren Di Marco, CEO at Brigade Electronics in Canada, discusses how Brigade is supporting the growing number of van drivers in the country to keep safe.

What issues do van operators face in Canada?

As working from home has grown in popularity, buying habits have also changed. People no longer need to leave their houses as often and, therefore, have naturally started to prefer the speed and convenience of online shopping compared to having to go out and visit individual stores to find what they need.

This is a major growth area in Canada and the e-commerce market in the country is expected to grow to $103 billion dollars by 2025. As a result, more and more vehicles will be required to fulfil customer orders and deliver goods to homes – the majority of these vehicles will be vans operating in residential streets.

This presents a variety of challenges for van operators. Drivers visiting residential streets will need to be even more vigilant of vulnerable road users, such as young children who might be out playing or elderly individuals who might be trying to cross the street. Of course, drivers can never predict when or where people will be or situations that might happen.

Residential areas are more likely to be built-up, so there is a greater chance van drivers will have to navigate narrow streets, get past parked cars or maneuver in tight spaces, meaning there is a higher chance of damaging the vehicle. Additionally, drivers will be carrying potentially valuable products, so protecting these items from damage and theft will also need to be taken into consideration.

How will Brigade Van help to assist van operators in Canada?

Brigade Van has been specially developed to address the ongoing challenges faced by van operators and offers quality products at competitive prices.

The Brigade Van portfolio is quick and easy to install and features some great additions to our product range. These include a high-definition ‘mirror monitor’, which clips onto the van’s existing rear-view mirror, a number plate camera, and our Mobile Digital Recorder vehicle CCTV, which is ideal for protecting your vehicle from potential theft and vandalism – an extremely important feature when transporting high-value goods to customers.

Are there any specific regulations for vans in Canada?

There are no governmental regulations yet, but large courier companies operate their own standards for van fleets. The majority of the bigger names require their contractors to meet a list of safety measures that asks them to fit certain devices to their vehicles before they are allowed to operate under their brand name. This is important as it not only ensures that fleets are operating as safely as possible and that drivers are supported, but it also helps to protect companies from theft, damage or reputational harm due to failure to operate vehicles safely.

For vans fitted with Brigade’s MDR (vehicle CCTV, digital video recorder), there are additional benefits. The devices can support drivers in their training, and act as a deterrent from thieves and vandalism.

How do you think Brigade Van will change the future of road safety in Canada?

I believe that, due to the ever-increasing popularity of the e-commerce market, it will become a mandatory requirement in Canada for vans to be fitted with safety devices as standard. We’re already experiencing this with reversing alarms on trucks and other large vehicles, so it is only a matter of time before vans are incorporated into these requirements. 

Brigade Van will be launched in Canada in February 2023. 

For further information about Brigade and our range of commercial vehicle safety products, please contact us.

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