Quick answer: Gas station video monitoring means an operator watches your forecourt, pumps and store cameras live during the hours you choose and alerts you to drive-offs, pump tampering, loitering, a clerk alone with a problem customer, or cash procedures being skipped. Digital EYE connects to the cameras you already have. The standard plan is $600/month for 8 hours a day, 7 days a week, up to 4 cameras; stations with more cameras or 24-hour coverage get a quote, because that needs more operators.
What makes gas stations different from other stores
A fuel station is two businesses on one lot:
- The forecourt — open, often poorly lit at the edges, with customers who never come inside. Risks include drive-offs, pump damage, card-skimmer tampering, vehicles parked for long periods, and fights or harassment at the pumps.
- The store — the same cash, tobacco, lottery and alcohol risks as any convenience store.
Many stations also stay open late with a single clerk. OSHA's guidance for late-night retail (Recommendations for Workplace Violence Prevention Programs in Late-Night Retail Establishments) is aimed at convenience stores, liquor stores and gas stations, and lists the exchange of money, working alone or at isolated sites, and the sale of alcohol among the risk factors. Monitoring does not replace those safety steps, but it means someone is watching when the clerk is on their own.
What our operators watch
Before monitoring starts we agree a written checklist with you. For a gas station it usually covers:
| Area | What the operator looks for |
|---|---|
| Pumps | Drive-offs (plate and vehicle captured where the camera allows), people handling pump panels or card readers, damage |
| Forecourt edges | Loitering, vehicles left running for long periods, people approaching the store at closing |
| Store entrance | Opening and closing times, who enters after hours |
| Register | Drawer counts, safe drops, refunds and voids with no customer present |
| Clerk safety | A clerk alone with an aggressive customer, a crowd at the counter late at night |
| Back of store | Deliveries, dumpster area, back-door use |
When something matches your escalation rules, we alert the contacts you named with the time, camera and a description. You decide whether to call the police. We provide operations and loss-prevention monitoring, not on-site guards.
Camera placement for fuel stations
The cameras that make forecourt monitoring useful:
- One wide view per pump island, high enough to see vehicles and people, not just roofs.
- An exit-lane view at a height where plates are readable in daylight and under your lighting at night.
- Entrance, facing in.
- Register, overhead.
- Tobacco and beer areas.
- Back door and dumpster area.
Lighting matters as much as cameras: a camera pointed into bright canopy lights at night shows silhouettes. When we review your screenshots we tell you which views work at night and which don't. Our gas station security guide covers skimmers and lighting in more detail.
Skimmer checks and pump routines
Card skimmers are installed inside or on top of pump card readers. Monitoring can help in two practical ways:
- Watching for people opening pump panels or spending a long time at a card reader without fueling.
- Checking that your staff do their scheduled pump inspections, on camera, and logging when they were done.
Remote monitoring cannot inspect the inside of a pump, so the inspection itself still has to be done by your staff.
How attendance software helps stations
Night shifts are where no-shows and early leaves hurt most. Digital EYE's workforce software:
- Verifies each clock-in and clock-out on camera.
- Alerts you when a shift starts and nobody is behind the counter.
- Turns verified hours into payroll, with overtime calculated.
- Stores incident reports and clips in one place.
It is free for 6 months, then $50/month. See camera-verified attendance.
Choosing your monitoring hours
With 8 hours a day, most stations pick one of:
- Late evening through the early morning, when one clerk is on and the forecourt is quiet.
- Closing through opening, for stations that close overnight.
24-hour coverage is possible but is quoted separately. Our guide to overnight gas station monitoring explains how to choose.
Frequently asked questions
Can you read license plates of drive-offs?
Only if your camera is positioned and lit well enough. We will tell you honestly whether your current exit-lane camera can capture plates at night.
Do I need new cameras?
Usually not. We connect to your existing DVR or NVR with view-only access. You may need to re-aim or add a camera for the pumps or exit lane.
Can you watch the forecourt and the store at the same time?
Yes, up to 4 cameras on the standard plan. Stations with more cameras get a quote for the extra operator time.
Do you call the police for a drive-off?
We alert you and your nominated contacts with the time, camera and vehicle details we can see. You decide whether to report it.