Detect early signs of driver fatigue using AI-powered behavior monitoring to help prevent high-risk incidents before they occur.
Overview
Fatigue Detection uses AI to identify signs of driver fatigue by monitoring multiple behaviors during a trip. When fatigue-related behaviors are detected, Motive generates a safety event to help fleets review, coach, and take action before incidents occur.
Fatigue Detection helps fleets:
- Identify early signs of fatigue: Detect behaviors such as face rubbing , stretching, and yawning before they escalate.
- Reduce false positives: Uses multiple behaviors to confirm fatigue-related risk.
- Understand fatigue progression: Combines multiple video clips into a single event for easier review.
- Prioritize high-risk events: Classifies events by severity (Low to Critical).
- Respond to critical situations: Highlights severe events like microsleep for immediate action.
Fatigue Detection is part of Motive’s AI-powered Safety system and integrates with existing event review and coaching workflows.
What Fatigue Detection monitors
Fatigue Detection tracks multiple behaviors that indicate different stages of fatigue:
| Behavior | What it detects | Phase |
| Rubbing face | Prolonged face touching, rubbing or fidgeting | Early warning (Low) |
| Stretching | Arm stretching, neck rolling, or large movements | Early warning (Low) |
| Rubbing eyes | Eye rubbing or pressing to relieve strain | Predictive (Medium) |
| Yawning | Open-mouth yawning distinct from talking | Predictive (Medium) |
| Lane swerving | Unintentional lateral vehicle movement | High risk (High) |
| Microsleep | Eyes closed, head drooping, absence of movement | Critical |
How Fatigue Detection works
Fatigue Detection uses AI models on supported dashcams to monitor driver behavior during a trip.
- Fatigue events are generated when multiple fatigue-related behaviors are detected within a short period
- Microsleep triggers an event immediately, even without other behaviors
- Each event includes video clips, driver context, and detected behaviors
- Events are reviewed and validated before appearing in the Fleet Dashboard
Severity levels
Fatigue events are categorized by severity to help prioritize action:
| Severity | Description |
| Low | Early signs of fatigue detected |
| Medium | Signs of fatigue or reduced alertness observed |
| High | Fatigue may have impacted vehicle control |
| Critical | Driver may have briefly fallen asleep or lost focus |
Device compatibility and requirements
- Supported device: AI Dashcam (AIDC-54, dual-facing)
- Not supported: AIDC-53 (road-facing only), Smart Dashcam, AIDC+ (planned future support)
- Firmware: v55 minimum (v58 recommended)
- Subscription: Safety subscription required
- Driver-facing camera must be enabled while in motion
| Note: If the driver-facing camera is turned off or driver face blurring is enabled, Fatigue Detection may not function or may be less accurate. A caution icon will appear in Admin Settings for these scenarios. |
Enable or disable Fatigue Detection
Fatigue event detection is enabled by default. To update settings:
- Log into the Fleet Dashboard
- Click Admin → Safety
- Scroll to Unsafe Behavior Detection: Beta and click Edit
- Enable or disable Fatigue using the checkbox, then click Save
Viewing Fatigue events
To view Fatigue events:
- Go to Safety
- Select the Events tab
- Use the Behavior filter to select Fatigue
- Click an event to view details
Event details include:
- Multi-clip video with autoplay (navigate between sub-behaviors)
- Severity badge (Low, Medium, High, Critical)
- AI-generated event summary with fatigue incident count
- 12-hour driving history and prior fatigue events
- Speed range, duration, location with map
- Driver details and recent safety events
For Critical (Microsleep) events, a red banner appears:
"Driver appeared to briefly fall asleep while driving"
| Note: The Critical event banner is visible for up to 12 hours after the event is recorded and will automatically disappear after that period. |
With options to Call Vehicle or Start Live Stream.
| Note: Two-way calling is only supported on AI Dashcam Plus (AIDC+). This functionality is not available at launch and will be supported in a future release. |
Omnicam footage: If Omnicam is installed, click the configuration icon next to the navigation toggle to request footage for all sub-events within a Fatigue event. This menu also includes options for Omnicam requests and autoplay settings.
Alerts and notifications
Fatigue events can be configured for alerts:
- In the Platform dropdown, click Alerts
- Click Create Alert
- Select Fatigue under Type
- Configure alert settings (email, SMS, WhatsApp, etc.)
- Click Save
| Note: In-cab alerts for Fatigue Detection are not available at launch and will be introduced in a future update. |
Driver coaching experience
- Fatigue events can appear in the Motive Driver App automatically if auto-coaching is enabled
- Drivers can review the event, watch multi-clip video, and read coaching tips
- Behavior Insights note: "Fatigue isn't included when calculating your score"
- Pro Tip provides guidance on recognizing fatigue signs, taking breaks, and adjusting cabin environment.
Drowsiness AI vs. Fatigue Detection
Fatigue Detection and Drowsiness AI are separate features that can run at the same time. Fatigue Detection is currently available on the AI Dashcam (AIDC-54), with support for additional AI Dashcam platforms coming soon. Once Fatigue Detection is available across all platforms and in-cab alerts are enabled, Drowsiness AI will be retired. Both features can run at the same time, giving your fleet full coverage as Fatigue Detection expands to additional platforms — and allowing time for your team to adapt workflows and coaching processes before any transition.
| Feature | Drowsiness AI | Fatigue Detection |
| Detects | Excessive yawning (3 in 2 min) | 6 behaviors across 3 fatigue phases |
| In-cab alerts | Yes | Coming soon |
| Devices | AI Dashcam (AIDC-54), AI Dashcam+ |
AI Dashcam (AIDC-54) AI Dashcam+ coming soon |
Beyond detection: Building your response to Fatigue Events
Every fleet operates differently, and the right response to a fatigue event depends on your team's workflows, driver relationships, and risk tolerance. Here are some things to consider as you build your approach:
- Start by reviewing all video clips within the event to understand the full picture before taking action.
- Consider how severity should shape your urgency, a Low event may warrant trend monitoring, while a Critical event likely calls for immediate driver contact.
- Think about how fatigue events fit into your existing coaching process, many fleets find that framing these conversations around driver wellness rather than discipline leads to better outcomes.
- Use patterns over time, not just individual events, to identify drivers who may need schedule adjustments or additional support.
FAQs
Does Fatigue Detection work with road-facing-only dashcams?
No. Fatigue Detection requires a dual-facing AI Dashcam (AIDC-54). For road-facing-only fleets, use Lane Swerving AI to monitor fatigue-related driving behavior.
Are in-cab alerts available?
Not at launch. In-cab alerts are coming soon.
Do Fatigue events affect Safety Score?
No. Fatigue events are available for review and coaching only.
Does Fatigue Detection work at any speed?
Most behaviors are detected above 5 mph. Lane swerving detection typically requires higher speeds (around 50 mph or more).
Can I customize Fatigue Detection settings?
No. Configuration is limited to enabling or disabling the feature at launch. Additional customization may be supported through discussions with your Customer Success Manager (CSM)
Does Fatigue Detection replace Drowsiness AI?
No. Both features can be used together. Drowsiness AI will be deprecated in a future release.
Is Fatigue Detection available on AIDC+?
Not at launch. Support for AIDC+ is coming soon.
What happens if the driver-facing camera is off or blurred?
Fatigue Detection will not work if the driver-facing camera is off. Detection accuracy is reduced when driver face blurring is enabled.
What is the difference between a Fatigue lane swerve and a Lane Swerving AI event?
Fatigue Detection uses individual swerves as one of several input behaviors. Lane Swerving AI requires multiple swerves to generate a separate event.
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