And So It Begins

I am not going to rehash my feelings on this "safety" technology, but, this has just shown up on our employee web site (company name omitted on purpose)

Our Driving Concern is Safety, and we are constantly exploring new technologies to help us operate more safely and efficiently. That’s why we’re testing out a new camera system and other technology on some of our equipment.

Several associates from our Truckload, LTL and Supply Chain Solutions teams have volunteered to participate in a pilot program using this new dash camera technology. The forward-facing cameras can help protect our team from false accident claims. A few drivers have also chosen to voluntarily activate the in-cab cameras, which can assist with coaching to further improve safety and fuel-efficient driving habits.

The cameras only send 20-second video clips of “triggered” events, which include manual recordings by drivers and incidents from hard braking, collisions, sudden acceleration, swerving, etc. The video footage provides a clear, objective look of these triggered events and assists our team in finding opportunities to make improvements.

Other associates are testing out new collision-avoidance systems and a distracted driving solution as well. The collision-avoidance systems provide both lane departure warnings and front-end crash prevention measures. Meanwhile, a group of safety coordinators and other leadership have volunteered to test distracted driving tech that locks out handheld smartphone use while their vehicles are in motion.

Participating associates will provide feedback to our safety and leadership teams before we consider adopting any of these technologies on a broader scale.

This is an exciting development as we introduce new technology to help protect us by preventing accidents, reducing injuries and improving safety, all of which helps us secure our future!

. . . and BLAH BLAH BLAH . . . spoken like true bureaucrats (What? You thought ALL bureaucrats worked in government?? Think again . . . ) Prime equips their trucks with the "Lane Departure" technology along with the "Collision Avoidance" crap too . . . the first sets off "simulated" bumper-strip noise to simulate the strips on the side of the road - only it sets off the noise at ANY hint of a lane departure even when there are no lanes . . . irritating at best and just plain drive you crazy irritating at the worst . . . HOWEVER, the "Collision Avoidance" technology is going to get someone KILLED . . . it will suddenly decelerate the tractor when it thinks you are getting too close to the vehicle in front of you (especially when you REALLY NEED that momentum to get up a hIll) and will actually APPLY the brakes if it sees an immanent collision - like the bridge abutment you are no way going to hit but the CA thinks,"OMG! We're all going to die!!" I've had that happen so many times I could spit! Just think what will happen to your control when you are coming into a curve (when it "sees" things like bridge abutments) and it's snowing and now YOUR BRAKES ARE BEING SLAMMED ON BY A DAMN MACHINE! Think I'm kidding? Think again . . . the bung holes who come up with this stuff don't drive for a living or they wouldn't be so anxious to foster them off on drivers who do - unless they stand to make a bundle as such "smart" technology don't come cheap, ya know??

Jopa

I'm probably in the minority, but I like the lane departure system (I rarely set it off, and turn it off when it gets confused by construction. I also like the collision avoidance radar system. It's only on when the cruise control is on (so never in snow, since I don't use cruise control then obviously). When I come up on a vehicle going 1 or 2 mph slower, I just push the gas pedal with cruise on so I can get closer than 350 feet before I move over to pass. So, I like both. In fact, when I got my truck, I had to clean the scrap from the tape on the lane camera that the guy who had the truck before me put on it. They're just tools, and more helpful than harmful, at least in my opinion.

Turning off my phone or having a camera on me all day...that's another story. I use my phone to play music, and to talk to people with my Bluetooth. I don't use it in traffic, construction, etc. And the idea that someone can decide what mistakes you're making by looking at your face? That's a little iffy at best. They've got enough telemetry on the truck to figure out how you drive.

I'm probably in the minority, but I like the lane departure system (I rarely set it off, and turn it off when it gets confused by construction. I also like the collision avoidance radar system. It's only on when the cruise control is on (so never in snow, since I don't use cruise control then obviously). When I come up on a vehicle going 1 or 2 mph slower, I just push the gas pedal with cruise on so I can get closer than 350 feet before I move over to pass. So, I like both. In fact, when I got my truck, I had to clean the scrap from the tape on the lane camera that the guy who had the truck before me put on it. They're just tools, and more helpful than harmful, at least in my opinion.

Turning off my phone or having a camera on me all day...that's another story. I use my phone to play music, and to talk to people with my Bluetooth. I don't use it in traffic, construction, etc. And the idea that someone can decide what mistakes you're making by looking at your face? That's a little iffy at best. They've got enough telemetry on the truck to figure out how you drive.

Now that I think about it, you are right about the cruise control and being on in the snow (a big time no no) but I'm almost sure I've had the crash avoidance kick in without being in cruise control mode - but that could just be my faulty memory . . . I just abhor those clever people who think they know better than you from afar what the proper "response" should be . . . just my paranoia working overtime I guess . . .

Jopa

GTI has the lane departure system and I find it annoying particularly in snow and construction. .

I was hoping to get responses from actual users... And did. I appreciate the feed back and really hope my colleagues are not "yes men" and truly put this crap to rest in our company. Time will tell.

I was hoping to get responses from actual users... And did. I appreciate the feed back and really hope my colleagues are not "yes men" and truly put this crap to rest in our company. Time will tell.

I started driving in '93 and I can honestly say I can't think of a single "safety device" they've come out with in 20 years for trucks that has helped much of anything. I seriously think the actual rumble strips have probably saved countless lives over the years. Those are a simple, effective solution to someone who falls asleep at the wheel or is distracted by something and doesn't realize they're drifting onto the shoulder.

The collision-avoidance stuff - complete garbage. The lane departure stuff - complete garbage. If you want to have truly effective collision avoidance technology you have to be able to determine accurately which objects are actually vehicles. The only way you can do that is for all vehicles to be able to communicate with each other and detect signals coming off each other. If you want truly effective lane departure technology you have to know for a fact where the lanes are. The only way you can do that is to put some type of sensors in the roadways.

This type of technology is totally doable and someday it might get done. But I had cr*p beeping at me for 15 years and none if it was worth a nickel.

I'm all about safety and I know these technologies can be made useful but there are a lot of missing steps that have to be taken and nobody seems prepared to do that anytime soon.

I was hoping to get responses from actual users... And did. I appreciate the feed back and really hope my colleagues are not "yes men" and truly put this crap to rest in our company. Time will tell.

I started driving in '93 and I can honestly say I can't think of a single "safety device" they've come out with in 20 years for trucks that has helped much of anything. I seriously think the actual rumble strips have probably saved countless lives over the years. Those are a simple, effective solution to someone who falls asleep at the wheel or is distracted by something and doesn't realize they're drifting onto the shoulder.

The collision-avoidance stuff - complete garbage. The lane departure stuff - complete garbage. If you want to have truly effective collision avoidance technology you have to be able to determine accurately which objects are actually vehicles. The only way you can do that is for all vehicles to be able to communicate with each other and detect signals coming off each other. If you want truly effective lane departure technology you have to know for a fact where the lanes are. The only way you can do that is to put some type of sensors in the roadways.

This type of technology is totally doable and someday it might get done. But I had cr*p beeping at me for 15 years and none if it was worth a nickel.

I'm all about safety and I know these technologies can be made useful but there are a lot of missing steps that have to be taken and nobody seems prepared to do that anytime soon.

Exactly.

I have the on guard collision avoidance and agree. Present form it sucks. I had mine malfunction with ice on it and beeped constantly, now that's distracting. It picks up shadows of overpass's and the like. I hate it.

I have the on guard collision avoidance and agree. Present form it sucks. I had mine malfunction with ice on it and beeped constantly, now that's distracting. It picks up shadows of overpass's and the like. I hate it.

Yeah, i like relative quiet when I drive. I usually have the sat radio on some talk station, the qualcomm volume all the way down and even put my phone on a low setting. If I had beeping, rumple strip sounds, the brakes being applied without my foot, and, on top of that, had a freaking camera pointed at me, it would be my que to step out of the truck. I love driving for the serenity and freedom. That would be gone in this scenario and so would I. Not my company so I could either get on board or jump ship. I would have to jump.