The Windscreen Illusion
Once upon a time, a windscreen was just that: a piece of curved glass between you and several tons of rapidly approaching reality. It was passive, inert, and gloriously unambitious. Fast-forward a few decades, and this humble slab of silica is now expected to moonlight as a camera mount, a sensor platform, and — in some cases — a mobile tech shelf for the overzealous fleet installer. And here lies the irony: the more we’ve come to rely on the windscreen, the less suited it’s become for its new responsibilities. It’s a bit like expecting your doormat to double as a home security system — technically possible, but fraught with risk. In the world of HGVs, where driver-assist tech is becoming the norm and not the novelty, this misplaced reliance on windscreens has created a fascinating problem: we’re mounting critical safety devices in places designed for zero disruption. The result? A Frankenstein combination of good intentions and poor execution — visibility compromised, rules bent, and functionality left to chance. Because in our quest for convenience, we’ve somehow decided the best place to mount a vision-critical device is somewhere likely to be smashed by a stone and replaced in a hurry by someone who doesn’t know where it was to begin with. And yet, this is not a tale of malice — it’s a story of misplaced logic. We assume that just because something is called “forward-facing” it should face forward from the very front. But as with many things in life — romance, wine, and technology — the placement matters just as much as the presence.
Sticky Pads and Wishful Thinking
Here’s the thing about windscreens: they’re inherently disposable. They are, by nature, the one part of the vehicle that you fully expect to get smashed, cracked, and swapped out with the regularity of a phone case — and yet, we insist on gluing mission-critical electronics to them. It’s like deciding your family heirlooms are safest stored in the postbox. What begins as a tidy solution — a camera mounted with a neat adhesive square — quickly becomes a logistical nightmare when the inevitable happens and the windscreen is replaced. Now you’re left with a dangling camera, some frayed cables, and a mystery as to who exactly is responsible for putting it back: the glass fitter? The fleet manager? Geoff from accounts with a glue gun? And to make matters worse, the rules of the road — quite literally — don’t like this setup either. The DVSA insists on keeping driver visibility zones clear, with strict limits on what can and can’t block your view. So we’ve somehow landed in a situation where the safety camera, designed to prevent accidents, may be the very thing causing a failed MOT. But wait, there’s more. Even if the camera miraculously survives the swap, it rarely returns to its original position. A few centimetres off, a change in pitch or yaw, and suddenly your road-facing footage now lovingly documents the sky or the dashboard. The lesson here? Adhesive is not a substitute for architecture. Cameras — like opinions — are best mounted with structure, not stuck on in the hope they stay. Because safety isn’t just about having a camera; it’s about ensuring that when something goes wrong, it’s not the safety system itself that’s become the liability.
Of Windscreens and Swiss Cheese
Now here’s the part nobody talks about — because nobody wants to admit it. Once that windscreen is replaced (as they so often are, with the frequency of kettle descaling in Britain), your once-reliable camera setup turns into something resembling an insurance liability. The sticky pad? No longer sticky. The position? No longer known. The result? A lopsided lens now documenting either the bonnet like it’s the star of a road trip film or the sky like you’ve developed an interest in cloud formations. It’s the motoring equivalent of trying to hang a painting after moving house — same frame, different wall, completely different vibe. And here’s the deliciously inconvenient truth: no one knows who’s supposed to fix it. The glass fitter? He’s only there to install glass, not reposition fleet-critical optics. The technician? They weren’t involved. The fleet manager? They’ve got 47 emails about tyre pressures. The original installer? Long gone, like most useful warranties. It’s a game of responsibility hot potato — only the potato has a plug and a very delicate lens. What’s worse, if the system was hard-wired — and many are — that new glass fitting may involve dragging cables back through trim, behind panels, and through enough foam insulation to qualify as spelunking. Often, that means trapped wires, severed feeds, or something silently tugged just enough to fail 200 miles later in the pouring rain. And let’s not forget: the replacement glass may be identical in size, but the curvature might vary just enough to ruin the angle. A two-degree shift at the source can mean the difference between capturing an incident or capturing your dashboard cupholder. All of this because we asked the windscreen to do more than it was ever designed for — and expected sticky tape to handle the complexity of engineering.
A Mounting Lack of Standards
There’s a curious thing about compliance — most people think it’s about ticking boxes. But in fleet safety, compliance is a choreography. It’s a ballet of placement, angle, connection, and consistency. And yet, so many camera installations resemble something done on a tea break with a hope and a zip tie. Let’s be blunt: sticking a camera “somewhere near the middle” isn’t compliance — it’s optimism in a plastic casing. What we see time and time again are installs that veer from the vehicle manufacturer’s guidelines with the enthusiasm of a teenager customising their first car. Wrong mounting surface, wrong angle, wrong height — in short, wrong enough to turn a useful piece of tech into an expensive ornament. And the kicker? Most of this is avoidable. Manufacturers don’t just hand out guidelines because they’re bored — they’re there because camera positioning has knock-on effects. Too high, and you miss bumper-level impacts. Too low, and you lose sight of road markings. Off-centre? Well, now your lane departure warning thinks you’re constantly drunk. Let’s also not forget the aesthetic crimes. Because after spending six figures on a DAF, Scania, or Mercedes, the last thing you want is a cheap-looking blob stuck on the screen like it came free with a cereal box. People underestimate how much perception matters — both for the driver, who has to look at it every day, and the fleet owner who paid for it. Poor installs erode trust in the system, and eventually in the company behind it. Because when a camera doesn’t work properly, the driver doesn’t blame physics — they blame the installer. Or worse, they ignore the camera entirely. Which is a shame, because that little lens could save someone’s life… if only it was pointed in the right direction.
So Is There a Solution
At Fir Tree, we had what you might call a “WTF moment” when we realised: for all the marvels of modern vehicle tech, nobody had bothered to design a camera that actually mounts somewhere sensible.
We weren’t asking for much — just something that could live neatly on the dashboard or headlining, close enough to the windscreen to avoid reflections, but not actually glued to it like a GoPro on a stag do. Something discreet, well-positioned, and ideally without a spaghetti mess of cables flapping about.
We searched everywhere (and we do mean everywhere — we’ve seen things on Alibaba we’ll never unsee). The problem? Most off-the-shelf cameras are designed for universal use, which is a polite way of saying: they fit nothing in particular and look ugly everywhere.
So we did what British engineering always does when faced with overseas mediocrity: we built our own.
Custom brackets, bespoke mouldings, and a camera module that’s actually worthy of the vehicles it’s going into. We used Sony’s Wide Dynamic Range sensors, paired them with a custom lens that offers a stunning 180° horizontal and 110° vertical view — minus the fishbowl effect. No more warping. No more guesswork.
The result? A range of forward-facing cameras made specifically for MAN, Mercedes, DAF, and Scania. And a few smart universal options that tuck into the headlining like they were born there. It’s elegant, robust, and — dare we say — almost stylish.
Free Advice That’s Actually Worth Something
Here’s a dangerous phrase you hear in fleet depots all too often: “It’ll probably be fine.” That sentence — usually uttered while half-looking at a skewed dashcam or a dangling cable — is the spiritual cousin of “it’s just a rattle” or “they all do that.” But let’s be honest: when it comes to safety-critical tech, probably is not a confidence-inspiring word. That’s why, at Fir Tree, we offer something disarmingly simple: a free check. That’s it. No clipboard-wielding salespeople. No dramatic upsell. Just a second pair of eyes — eyes that know what to look for — making sure your camera is where it should be, facing what it should be, and mounted in a way that doesn’t scream “DIY lunchtime project.” Because let’s face it: there’s peace of mind in knowing the system you paid for actually works properly. And that peace of mind, in the context of fleet operations, is worth far more than the cost of another bodged adhesive fix. If you’re not sure what standards your installer used — or if you suspect “standards” was a polite fiction — let us take a look. The worst-case scenario? We confirm it’s fine and send you on your way. The best-case scenario? We help you prevent an expensive fault, a compliance headache, or a painfully awkward insurance claim. Either way, you win. It’s a five-minute check to avoid a five-figure problem. And if nothing else, it’ll stop that nagging voice in your head from whispering “shouldn’t that be pointing somewhere else?”
Not Sure If Your Camera’s Fitted Right?
Call us now to arrange a quick check — or leave your details and we’ll call you back when it suits you.
📞 Call Us Now 📋 Request a Callback