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Damage photos at pickup and return for van hire firms

CompanyCam keeps timestamped photos of every van at pickup and return, so damage charges stand up. From about $63£47€56A$90C$88 a month, billed yearly.

At a glance

  • What it costs$92–113£69–85€82–101A$132–163C$130–160 a month

  • Worth, in extra profit or time saved in the worked example$499£375€446A$720C$705 a month

  • Pays for itselfIn about a week

  • Sign up and configure; no technical skills neededEasy to set up

Figures come from the worked example below, using its stated assumptions. Tool prices checked . How we check prices

The problem

A hirer brings a van back with a cracked light and says it was like that when they took it. Without dated photos from pickup, the firm usually gives up the argument. If 2 damage disputes a month are dropped at an average $333£250€298A$480C$470 repair, that's $665£500€595A$960C$940 a month paid out of the firm's own pocket.

What the AI does

CompanyCam stores timestamped photos and videos organized by project, works offline in a yard with poor signal, and lets you share photo reports with customers. Make a project for each van and photograph it all round at every pickup and return, including the mileage and fuel gauge, with the hirer present. If there's new damage, share the two sets of photos with the hirer along with the repair quote.

A worked example

A 12-van hire firm in Croydon has two staff doing handovers and drops about 2 damage disputes a month. They put both on CompanyCam Core and photograph every van on the way out and back in.

Before

About 2 disputed damage charges a month dropped at $333£250€298A$480C$470 each: $665£500€595A$960C$940

After

If dated photos settle 1.5 of those 2 a month: about $499£375€446A$720C$705 recovered

What it's worth

About $499£375€446A$720C$705 a month, if dated photos settle 1.5 of the 2 monthly disputes (an assumption) at $333£250€298A$480C$470 each. That is against about $92£69€82A$132C$130 a month for CompanyCam Core with 2 users billed yearly ($63 plus $29), or about $113£85€101A$163C$160 month to month.

How to set it up

  1. Start CompanyCam Core and add the second person who does handovers.
  2. Create a project for each van, named by registration.
  3. At every pickup and return, walk round the van with the hirer and photograph each side, the roof edges, wheels, mileage and fuel.
  4. If there's new damage, share a photo report with the pickup and return photos and the repair quote.
  5. Keep photos for as long as your terms allow you to raise a damage charge.

What goes wrong

  • Core allows 2 users at most; a bigger team needs Crew at $119 (about $118£89€106A$171C$167) a month billed yearly.
  • Photos only help if they're taken every time. One skipped walk-round is the one that ends in a dispute.
  • Charges must reflect the real cost of the repair and your agreement's terms. Photos support a fair charge; they don't justify an inflated one.

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Last updated October 17, 2026.