How to choose a dash cam for work trucks

Start with the truck's electrical system.

Most pickups and vans run 12V. Many heavy trucks, buses and some equipment run 24V. A camera built only for 12V may not power up on a 24V truck, or may fail early, so check the vehicle before you compare camera specs.

Then decide how the camera gets power. A plug-in adapter is the easiest install, but it takes the power outlet and usually shuts off with the ignition. Hardwiring to the fuse box frees the outlet, and it's what most cameras need for parking mode.

Decide what you need on camera.

A front camera records what happens ahead of the truck: the collision, the car that cut in, the light that was red. A rear camera adds the back end, which matters for rear-end hits and backing incidents. Some rear cameras mount inside on the back glass. Others are weatherproof and mount outside.

Measure the cable run before you buy a front-and-rear system. On a pickup or a van, the included cable usually reaches. On a box truck or a tow truck with a long bed, it may come up short, and you'll need an extension.

Higher resolution helps you read signs and plates, but glare, darkness and speed all cut into it. Treat a readable plate as a bonus, not a promise.

Plan for storage and getting the footage.

Built-in GPS puts speed and location on the recording. That's what you want when you need to show where the truck was and how fast it was going.

Dash cams record to a microSD card in a loop, overwriting the oldest footage first. A bigger card holds more days before that happens. Collision detection locks the clip around an impact so it isn't overwritten. Use a high-endurance card made for constant recording, because ordinary cards wear out. Many cameras ship without one, so add it to the order.

Ask how footage leaves the camera. A Wi-Fi dash cam sends clips to a phone app when someone is standing next to the truck. It doesn't upload to the cloud on its own. If you need live view or automatic uploads across a fleet, you need a connected fleet camera system with a monthly plan. That's a quote request, not a shelf item.

The dash cam we list.

The Kenwood DRV-A510WDP is a front-and-rear system that runs on 12V or 24V. The front camera records at 2560 x 1440 and the rear at 1920 x 1080. The rear camera is rated IP67, so it can mount inside or outside, and the kit includes an 18-ft rear camera cable. It has built-in GPS, collision detection, a 2-inch screen and Wi-Fi to the Kenwood Dash Cam Manager app.

It takes microSD cards from 8 GB to 256 GB, and no card is included. Parking mode needs the Kenwood CA-DR1130 hardwire kit, sold separately. Kenwood covers it for 1 year, parts and labor. The product page has the current price.

It's a discontinued model and these are the final units. If you're equipping a fleet, send a quote request with the count and we'll tell you what we can get.

Before the cameras go in.

Tell drivers the trucks have cameras, and check your state's rules before you record audio in the cab. Some states also limit where you can mount things on the windshield, so check placement too.

• 12V or 24V for every vehicle type
• Front only, or front and rear, and the rear cable length you need
• GPS speed and location on the recording
• A high-endurance microSD card in the right size
• Plug-in or hardwired, and whether you need parking mode
• How footage gets from the truck to whoever needs it