A DMS camera watches the driver and detects fatigue, phone use and distraction; an ADAS camera watches the road and warns of forward collision risk, lane departure, short following distance and pedestrians. On Endeavant's DMS and ADAS cameras for trucks and buses (Avant 3, 5 and 8), both alert the driver in the cab by voice and seat vibration, and the 24/7 Control Center validates every event with its video.
This guide covers what each camera detects, what happens from the moment an alert fires until it reaches the report, whether the system works without signal, how long installation takes and which model fits each vehicle and operation.
What is a DMS camera and what does it detect?
A DMS (driver monitoring system) camera sits on the dashboard, facing the driver, and tracks the face frame by frame. It measures how long each gesture lasts before classifying the event, so a blink is not an alert but sustained closed eyes are. It detects seven behaviors:
- Fatigue and drowsiness: microsleep, closed eyes and head nodding.
- Yawning: frequency and mouth opening, an early sign of tiredness.
- Phone use: phone in hand or at the ear while driving.
- Distraction: eyes off the road and a sustained head turn.
- Smoking: a lit cigarette in the cab.
- Covered lens: lens obstruction is logged as an event, so covering the camera does not switch it off.
- Driver change: on the Avant 5 and Avant 8, the DMS PRO recognizes the driver by face.
At night the DMS camera sees by infrared. The unit carries a photobiological certificate, so the infrared light does not harm the driver's eyes, and a shield dims the glare inside the cab. How fatigue is actually measured is covered in our guide to driver fatigue detection.
What is an ADAS camera and which alerts does it give?
An ADAS (advanced driver assistance system) camera mounts on the windshield and faces the road, working as a forward-facing dashcam with on-board AI. It is a warning system that gives the driver time to react; braking stays in the driver's hands. Its alerts are:
- FCW, forward collision warning: risk of hitting the vehicle ahead.
- LDW, lane departure warning: crossing a line without signaling, a common sign of drowsiness.
- HMW, headway monitoring: following distance too short to stop in time.
- Pedestrians: people detected in the frontal risk zone.
- BSD, blind spots: on the Avant 5 and Avant 8, side cameras and radar warn when a person or vehicle enters the blind spot.
- Harsh driving: harsh acceleration, cornering and braking measured by accelerometer.
How the camera estimates distance and time to collision, and what international regulation requires, is covered in ADAS for commercial fleets.
What is the difference between DMS and ADAS?
DMS watches the driver and ADAS watches the road. DMS answers whether the person at the wheel is fit to drive; ADAS answers whether the vehicle is about to hit something or leave its lane. They work together: an unsignaled lane departure plus closed eyes describes a drowsiness event far better than either alert on its own.
| DMS | ADAS | |
|---|---|---|
| Faces | The driver | The road |
| Mounted on | Dashboard, facing the driver | Windshield |
| Detects | Fatigue, yawning, phone use, distraction, smoking, covered lens | Forward collision, lane departure, headway, pedestrians |
| On Avant 3 | Built in | Optional |
| On Avant 5 and 8 | DMS PRO with driver recognition | Included, plus BSD blind-spot radar |
What happens when the camera detects an event?
The unit alerts the driver in the cab right away: a voice warning, seat vibration from a 12 V or 24 V motor and, on the Avant 5 and 8, an alert light for noisy cabs. The correction happens during the event, not in a report the next day.
- It uploads with video: the event reaches Endeavant Cloud over 4G with 15 seconds before and 15 after, one MP4 per camera, plate, speed, time and location. The clip stays on the platform for 12 months.
- It gets validated: Endeavant's 24/7 Control Center reviews the video, confirms whether the alert is real or a false positive, talks to the cab if the driver is still at risk and notifies your supervisor on WhatsApp with the evidence.
- It is logged: who handled it, when and what action was taken. False positives do not count against the driver's ranking.
- It feeds the report: routes, shifts and drivers with the most risk, broken down the way your operation needs.
The validation service is described on the 24/7 Control Center page, and the platform where every alert is handled on Endeavant Cloud.
Do the cameras work without cell signal?
Yes. The unit processes on board: it detects the event and alerts the cab without asking a server, so the alert is identical with or without coverage. Without signal, the video stays in the unit's memory with time and position, and uploads when signal returns. That covers underground mines, high-altitude routes and dead zones across northern, central and southern Peru.
Which model should you choose: Avant 3, Avant 5 or Avant 8?
Each unit's number is how many cameras it takes. The choice depends on how much of the vehicle you need to cover and how much video must stay recorded on board. What each position covers on a freight truck or a bus is in cameras for trucks and buses; each function on its own, in anti-fatigue camera and anti-collision system.
- Avant 3, up to 3 cameras: the Avant 3 anti-fatigue camera has the DMS built in with on-board AI, a speaker and a seat vibrator, and records to its own micro SD of up to 256 GB. The ADAS and cab cameras are optional. The simplest to install; for light and heavy transport.
- Avant 5, up to 5 cameras: the Avant 5 recorder is a 5-channel MDVR with biometric DMS PRO, ADAS, BSD blind-spot radar, side and reverse cameras, an in-cab display and an alert light. It records the whole shift from every camera to two 512 GB SD cards; for freight transport.
- Avant 8, up to 8 cameras: the Avant 8 recorder adds three channels to the Avant 5 to cover cab, road, sides, reverse and dump body at once. It adds a 1 TB solid-state drive to the SD cards, built-in GPS and accelerometer, a status LCD and MIL-STD-810H certification; for mining and haul trucks such as the CAT 793 and 789.
| Avant 3 | Avant 5 | Avant 8 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Video channels | 3 | 5 | 8 |
| DMS | Built in | Biometric PRO | Biometric PRO |
| ADAS | Optional | Included | Included |
| BSD, side and reverse | No | Yes | Yes |
| On-board storage | 256 GB micro SD | 2 × 512 GB SD | 2 SD + 1 TB drive |
| Typical use | Driver behavior | Freight transport | Mining |
How long does camera installation take?
Two to three hours per vehicle, with Endeavant technicians in northern, central and southern Peru. The unit is mounted facing the driver in a bolted metal housing, so installation and calibration hold up under vibration and dust. Thresholds, sensitivity, voice prompts and users are set up the same day.
A protective case covers the connections, SIM and micro SD: unplugging the unit or pulling the card means opening it. If someone covers the lens, the DMS logs it as an event.
What does each alert show on Endeavant Cloud?
Endeavant Cloud shows the alert queue, evidence from every camera and location on one screen. Each alert carries the shift driver, who checks in by scanning the vehicle's QR code with a phone. From there you talk to the cab, request full footage by date, time and camera, replay the route and geofences, and schedule reports by email or WhatsApp. For tracking, telematics and fuel monitoring, Endeavant also distributes Ituran GPS. The platform is covered in detail in Endeavant Cloud for fleets.