1. Start With the Blind Zones, Not the Cameras
Map the vehicle's blind zones first, then buy cameras to cover them. A rigid delivery van typically needs two: rear-view and right-side (the cyclist-side door zone in urban Europe). A bus needs front (for the stop zone), rear, and door-side. An articulated truck or harvester wants four plus a reverse-dedicated channel. Count before you shop: the camera count determines the monitor, the cabling, and the budget — and undershooting by one camera is the most common and most expensive spec mistake.
- Van: rear + right side (2 cameras)
- Bus: front + rear + door side (3)
- Truck/harvester: full perimeter (4 cameras)
2. Screen Size and Split Modes
The monitor is what the driver experiences. A 7-inch split screen showing four cameras at once makes each quadrant too small to judge a gap — better to split 2+2 with priority switching. Our TM7 runs dual cameras on a 7-inch panel; the TM4 and TM1036 run four into a 10-inch-class screen with quad, dual and single views, plus automatic full-screen switching when reverse engages. For buses, a 10-inch monitor mounted at the pillar survives vibration better than roof-mounting a TV-sized panel.
- 7-inch: 1-2 cameras (vans)
- 10-inch-class: 4 cameras with quad/dual/single views
- Reverse-trigger full-screen switching
3. Night Vision: The Three Classes That Matter
Truck work starts early and ends late, so night performance separates systems. Basic IR: monochrome after dark — fine for a floodlit yard, poor on a dark rural road. Full-color night vision: dedicated low-lux sensors that hold color in near-darkness — the standard on our TM4's cameras. Starlight-grade: the TM1036's sensors resolve color from starlight alone, which is what long-haul routes through unlit regions actually need. Budget accordingly: the camera class drives the system price more than the monitor does.
4. Power, Trigger and Recording Backbone
Commercial vehicles run both 12V and 24V — the system must auto-sense or it will fail on the first mixed fleet. Reverse-trigger wiring (the monitor flips to the reverse camera when the gear engages) is standard on our monitors; on trailers, confirm the cable run length before ordering, not after — we stock extension sets to 15m. Recording: all TM-series monitors loop-record every channel continuously with G-sensor lock, because the footage settles the liability question that live views cannot.
- 12V/24V auto-sensing
- Reverse-gear trigger wiring
- 15m trailer cable runs
- Continuous loop recording with G-sensor lock
5. For Fleet Buyers and Dealers
Fleets buy these systems on per-incident economics: one settled sideswipe claim pays for the unit many times over. Dealers in the commercial-vehicle space should hold three SKUs — a 2-camera 7-inch entry set (TM7), a 4-camera standard set (TM4), and a flagship 4-camera with starlight night vision and voice control (TM1036) — which covers van, bus and premium fleet demand from one supplier. All ship 12/24V-ready in neutral packaging, MOQ 1 pc, with the reverse camera also sold separately (ACAM) for retrofits. Wholesale sheet and dealer pricing on request.