Are Companies Putting Driver Facing Cameras In Their Trucks?

I was replying to this below....

Cornelius wrote:

unfortunately cargo theft claims have been on the rise from what I see on my side of things

This camera being discussed here, only covers the front of tractor and if driver facing, in-cab. Will not be able to detect anything going on behind the trailer. A really good lock can deter a thief, they will go for the path of least resistance.

A lot of companies are starting to put satellite trackers on there tractors.... but the camera in the truck is also a good thing because some of those thief are so brazen they still the whole truck.... one of my colleagues clients had 2 trucks stolen in one day ... that camera would have come in handy

Meant in their trailers

A lot of companies are starting to put satellite trackers on there tractors.... but the camera in the truck is also a good thing because some of those thief are so brazen they still the whole truck.... one of my colleagues clients had 2 trucks stolen in one day ... that camera would have come in handy

Like taking an emergency dump? Bringing a wife along for an overnight? Our freedoms are being eroded in the name of safety, and it is beyond me how people can allow this to happen. What next an automatic suspension for going over 7 mph? Trust me this is just the beginning for alot of people. It will indeed get worse as we give more and more.

"Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety." Ben Franklin

So I have been jumping here and there reading this and that (no real beginning or ending in everything I have read so far). I saw in one post that companies may put cams in their trucks, as in the cabs. So far as minuses go this is the worst to me. I would never be able to pick my nose or sing out of tune knowing I am being watched and the idea in itself bothers me. I can deal with the biggest bummer which is not being able to carry my sidearm on the road, but being watched, that's just too creepy.

Two things, Ray. First of all, this whole cry about liberty is entirely misplaced. You're on company property and talking about a camera facing into a publicly view-able area, not a camera mounted watching your bed. And while I've been known to need some emergency movement downunder, I am willing to bet you cash money that no matter how big of an emergency, your company will not be happy finding out about you doing so in their equipment -- camera or not.

Second, your alarmist attitude about how 'this is only the beginning' is quite a reach, and if you knew anything about this industry you'd probably say it's quite a while too late. We can be pulled over without cause, be searched without cause, are monitored by GPS, are unable to take routes of our choosing, are forbidden from going on the majority of roads in the country, have increased penalties for violating the law, have significantly higher standards for licensing, and are required to submit to the government accounting of every minute of every single day showing what we were doing, where we were doing it, and how long we were doing it for.

Why? Because we're pulling 80,000lbs, are as tall and long(or longer) than a house, and can literally kill numerous entire families with a single twitch of our hand. Every single one of those regulations, every single rule your company has, is at its root to avoid us using that 40 ton killing machine to its full and devastating potential. If other drivers have made bad choices resulting in me needing to be on camera while doing my job, all I have to say is I apologize for my singing but feel free to sing along.

Dan, very well said my friend! Excellent summary of the realities behind the monitoring that truck drivers are subjected to.

"Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety." Ben Franklin

Interestingly enough, the liberty old Ben was enjoying was earned by countless men who were giving up their freedom, their homes, and leaving their families to live in tents while starving, freezing, and dying of wounds and diseases to fight the wars that gave him that liberty and freedom he so cherished.

Our economy and luxuries today are enjoyed in no small part because of the hard work and sacrifices that truckers make. We're the lifeblood of this economy, quite literally if you will. There's a price to be paid for that. Not only do most truckers leave their home, family, and friends to live on the road and work the equivalent of two full time jobs, but they risk their lives in one of the most dangerous jobs in the nation today.

As Dan pointed out, we're doing dangerous work while surrounded by millions of innocent people every day. You have to expect to be monitored and held accountable for your actions. To discipline someone after the fact is too late. You have to be proactive to make sure drivers are doing their jobs safely.

I'm confident that if you received a phone call that someone you are close to was killed by a truck driver you'd want to know all you could about the accident, including whether or not it could have been prevented. That's the key here - prevention.

You have every right to say you refuse to be monitored while you're working. But you won't be given a dangerous job that puts the lives of innocent people at risk. Some jobs call for people who are willing to go above and beyond the commitments most people would ever consider. You have to decide if you're up to the task or not. Most people are not. There's no shame in that.

Dan wrote:

Two things, Ray. First of all, this whole cry about liberty is entirely misplaced. You're on company property and talking about a camera facing into a publicly view-able area, not a camera mounted watching your bed. And while I've been known to need some emergency movement downunder, I am willing to bet you cash money that no matter how big of an emergency, your company will not be happy finding out about you doing so in their equipment -- camera or not.

Second, your alarmist attitude about how 'this is only the beginning' is quite a reach, and if you knew anything about this industry you'd probably say it's quite a while too late. We can be pulled over without cause, be searched without cause, are monitored by GPS, are unable to take routes of our choosing, are forbidden from going on the majority of roads in the country, have increased penalties for violating the law, have significantly higher standards for licensing, and are required to submit to the government accounting of every minute of every single day showing what we were doing, where we were doing it, and how long we were doing it for.

Why? Because we're pulling 80,000lbs, are as tall and long(or longer) than a house, and can literally kill numerous entire families with a single twitch of our hand. Every single one of those regulations, every single rule your company has, is at its root to avoid us using that 40 ton killing machine to its full and devastating potential. If other drivers have made bad choices resulting in me needing to be on camera while doing my job, all I have to say is I apologize for my singing but feel free to sing along.

Thanks for writing that Dan. I have responded to my share of uninformed camera rants...it's tiresome trying to reason with unreasonable people.

You hit all the nails on the head... except maybe for one, I want to add something. Freedom.

Ray,...our newest "newbie", unless you are forced to drive for a company with an operating drive cam against your will, and if they fully disclose its presence and operation, requiring your signature authorizing consent, your freedom is intact, not violated one bit. It's their truck and they have every right reason and justification to observe you while you work. Not like they are hiding this fact or disguising it, it's right out there in the open.

Two choices, move on, or pull the curtain when you are not driving. Really easy concept.

I have seen what these monsters can do when they crash, more than once. I know what it feels like to have my freedom compromised when a knucklehead trucker is texting while passing me +15 over the limit, failing to maintain their lane...you my friend, haven't.

And until you do,...please step down from you soapbox and focus on getting your CDL. The camera has nothing to do with that...

Personally, I am against the driver facing cams in most of the current setups. Correct me if I'm wrong, but the ones I'm aware of are mounted somewhere on the dash, or hanging down in front of the windshield and facing the driver. The problem that I personally have with that, is that vehicle is also assigned to you as your living quarters. Now, I completely understand the Trucking companies wanting to monitor their drivers while they are driving. But having a camera permanently facing the area you sleep in is, quite frankly, a little creepy.

So here are my thoughts on how it should be. If the companies want a camera monitoring the driver, the camera could be attached to the ceiling of the cab, directly above the driver and pointing down. It would still have full view of the driver, but restricted view of the living area of the driver. I believe that is really everyone's biggest problem with them, correct? It's not about being watched while doing your job, so much as it is having a camera that you are not in full control of, pointed in the area that you change clothes, sleep, read books, wash your pits on days when you can't shower. That is the part that makes me feel uncomfortable as a person.

Why don't these anti-camera people ever get upset that they're on camera 95% of the time they're in public? Every store, restaurant, gas station, amusement park, sports venue, public transportation, major sidewalk, and major intersection is heavily monitored 24/7/365 by cameras. From the time you leave your front door until you return to your home you're on camera almost continuously. Why doesn't this freak these people out?

They're ok eating and shopping and going on vacation with their families and doing it all on camera. But to put one in the truck? That's just outlandish somehow. It's not until they're being paid to drive someone else's truck and put in a position where they could kill innocent people at any given moment that their "freedom instinct" kicks in and suddenly now they demand their privacy.

Pretty baffling.

That would obstruct the view of the face, Chris, which can tell a lot in the event the camera needs to actually be used. You know what a better solution is aside from actually driving responsibly(which I suspect is what ACTUALLY is behind a considerable amount of the objections... play Angry Birds on your own time)? Curtains. Most companies supply them pre-installed. If not, you can get ones designed for that purpose for about $200. Or you can get a sheet for $5 at goodwill and some velcro tape for another $5 at Walmart. $10 and the supposed 'problem' is solved.

I'll also note that while you're right about you not being in full control of the camera, there's someone else not in full control of the camera. Who? The company. Do you think you folks were the first one to raise these 'privacy' concerns and that it didn't come up at all in the design phase? The cameras aren't designed to be able to be just turned on to spy on you. They're designed to activate ONLY when triggered by critical events. While I'm sure this may come as a shocker to you, I don't care what you're doing in that sleeper, it isn't going to be causing a critical event. :P