Are Companies Putting Driver Facing Cameras In Their Trucks?

Point being that there is a natural evolution to it. Surveillance and privacy will erode more over time and more is coming.

Ray, we're just not sure what data you are basing your gloom and doom prophetic concerns on. Here's some actual facts about the the evolution of the use of cameras on trucks. Swift started out with both forward and driver facing cameras, but since then decided to disable the driver facing camera.

Knight started out with outward facing cameras that had the capability to record audio inside the truck during a critical event. After about a year of gathering data from accidents and critical events they determined that the audio from inside the cab was virtually useless to their safety efforts. So they disabled it.

So, the reality of the way this whole experiment has been turning out is very much the opposite of what you are afraid of. These companies are not the least bit interested in how you are looking in your leopard skin speedo. They are seriously interested in reducing their liability, which in turn means increasing your personal safety.

Ask almost any honest, hard working, driver who wants to improve his performance as a professional and happens to have a camera in his truck how that camera has affected his career. I'm on record here, and I'm saying it again for your sake, that camera has greatly improved my driving.

Hello All, I just got my CDL and have found your website invaluable. Thank everyone for their input/help. Not trying to resurrect any type of debate but I have been studying this camera thing and have a couple of new questions. 1) I have read that the cameras do not start recording until there's a triggering event and if the camera is triggered, it records several seconds PRIOR to the event. How can it provide footage from before it starts recording? It must be constantly recording and perhaps deletes after so many seconds or minutes. Don't know. Just wondering If anyone knows a little more about them. 2) Has anyone been counseled for inappropriate language? 3) Does anyone know if the video has been used in a court of law against a driver in the sad event of a fatal accident. I think they are great for safety and employers definitely have the right to use them but we are all human and in a split second may not handle a vehicle coming at us properly. My wife was a gov't agent and says that a good lawyer would subpoena this video and the side with the best lawyer generally wins. This is my concern in making my decision of who to go with. I've read about the benefits and privacy concerns so don't need to rehash that again. Thanks in advance for your help.

Think about what you just said. Who will have the better lawyer, the guy who cut me.off and got hit or the multi billion dollar mega carrier with the dash cam? a good lawyer will suponea it and a better lawyer will get the tape thrown out.

i have only know 2.people that had the cams.used. both were determined to.have been driving safely and not the cause of.the accident. they can prove the driver was watching mirrors, using turn signals etc.

people who want to see negativity will in anything.

If they have sleeper facing camera in my truck it wont be for long.They will see my hairy ass and never want to look again.

1) I have read that the cameras do not start recording until there's a triggering event and if the camera is triggered, it records several seconds PRIOR to the event. How can it provide footage from before it starts recording? It must be constantly recording and perhaps deletes after so many seconds or minutes. Don't know. Just wondering If anyone knows a little more about them.

That is exactly how dash cams work. They constantly record, and once the storage medium is full it deletes the oldest files, unless they are locked (marked save). I assume a triggering event locks a few seconds before and after, and maybe even auto uploads it to a server. At that point it is probably reviewed and a decision is made to delete it or forward it to the company (assuming an outside company is doing the monitoring).

These days with the advances in AI, a computer may review it first and make a decision on whether to have a human review it or not, who knows. They are making more advances in AI every day.

Grumpy says :

That is exactly how dash cams work. They constantly record, and once the storage medium is full it deletes the oldest files, unless they are locked (marked save). I assume a triggering event locks a few seconds before and after, and maybe even auto uploads it to a server. At that point it is probably reviewed and a decision is made to delete it or forward it to the company (assuming an outside company is doing the monitoring).

This is exactly how it works. The company i work for has forward and driver facing. We recently had new cameras put in because the old ones tripped all the time for small bumps in the road. These new ones we have are on a 10 second loop thats constantly recording over itself. In the event its tripped whoever watches the video will see 6 seconds BEFORE the event that triggered it, and 4 seconds AFTER. This will include audio and video (for my company). The video is then sent to a 3rd party that watches the video to determine if im doing something wrong. Even if i didnt do anything wrong that triggered the camera (poor road conditions) i could still be called about it if i was following too closely, speeding, or had a handheld device in my hand. The only time a video gets sent straight to my boss is if i manually have it record by pushing the blue button on the drivecam. Honestly i like having a drive cam and haven't been called about anything captured despite triggering it with road conditions in atleast 8 months. The new drivecams we use also have lane departure where it will click at you to warn you you've left the lane, and it will start beeping at you quite loud if your following distance is 3 seconds or less at interstate speeds. If either alarm is triggered twice within 10 seconds it will record to see whats causing the unsafe driving whether its falling asleep or distracted driving.

Grumpy says :

That is exactly how dash cams work. They constantly record, and once the storage medium is full it deletes the oldest files, unless they are locked (marked save). I assume a triggering event locks a few seconds before and after, and maybe even auto uploads it to a server. At that point it is probably reviewed and a decision is made to delete it or forward it to the company (assuming an outside company is doing the monitoring).

This is exactly how it works. The company i work for has forward and driver facing. We recently had new cameras put in because the old ones tripped all the time for small bumps in the road. These new ones we have are on a 10 second loop thats constantly recording over itself. In the event its tripped whoever watches the video will see 6 seconds BEFORE the event that triggered it, and 4 seconds AFTER. This will include audio and video (for my company). The video is then sent to a 3rd party that watches the video to determine if im doing something wrong. Even if i didnt do anything wrong that triggered the camera (poor road conditions) i could still be called about it if i was following too closely, speeding, or had a handheld device in my hand. The only time a video gets sent straight to my boss is if i manually have it record by pushing the blue button on the drivecam. Honestly i like having a drive cam and haven't been called about anything captured despite triggering it with road conditions in atleast 8 months. The new drivecams we use also have lane departure where it will click at you to warn you you've left the lane, and it will start beeping at you quite loud if your following distance is 3 seconds or less at interstate speeds. If either alarm is triggered twice within 10 seconds it will record to see whats causing the unsafe driving whether its falling asleep or distracted driving.

Just wanted to add one bit of clarity. If i use my turn signal it will not warn me ive left my lane. Its when you leave your lane WITHOUT a turn signal. Poor lane control or switching lanes without using a turn signal will cause the chirping.

Keach issues a warning:

If they have sleeper facing camera in my truck it wont be for long.They will see my hairy ass and never want to look again.

The cameras DO NOT work that way. Event triggered (refer to what Rob wrote; highly accurate).

Besides, the bunks have curtains on an overhead track, please spare us all the horror and draw them closed.

Our Company does not have Camera's but we highly recommend that drivers have dash cams facing outward.. Outward cams save drivers and companies a ton of $$ in long run.. This was for me when i had a lady take off my hood while i was in a stop eating.. The facing forward cams are suppose to be when brakes have been hit hard etc etc.. I dunno, i decided long ago i would not work for a company that has them.. Even tho camera is suppose to be shut off, and you can close the current, i like to know for a fact that my home is private.. And lets face it.. When you are out on the road for weeks at time, the cab of your truck is home.

Even tho camera is suppose to be shut off, and you can close the current, i like to know for a fact that my home is private.. And lets face it.. When you are out on the road for weeks at time, the cab of your truck is home.

Your company owns the truck, it’s their asset and are entitled to legally protect it. Has nothing todo with invasion of privacy while chugging away on your Zzzz’s.

The cab facing aspect of these cameras does not record and upload unless there is a significant triggering event. It is NOT a continuous feed, enabling real-time viewing of you while in your bunk.

If you are parked and want to ensure total privacy (because you do not trust or understand the technology), completely draw the curtains on the track surrounding the top of the windshield and/or cover the lens with a small piece of electrical tape. It’s not an X-ray or infared camera, no way can it record if the lens is covered.

A camera in the truck is a rather weak and short-sighted reason to avoid any carrier that has them. Walmart’s Private Fleet has them. If by chance they offered you a job, based on feckless paranoia you’d decline it? Seriously?

C’mon guys...this topic is yesterday’s news, growing mold, and basically irrelevant in the current environment of hyper-security and surveillance.