SWIFT In Cab Cameras

Atilla, don't let something like this throw you a curve.

It's funny how truck drivers can learn all kinds of new skills and keep on sharpening them with each new day, yet they very seldom seem to have any appreciation for critical thinking skills. Stop and think about what you are assuming. Now think about how many drivers a company like Swift has out there on the road. Do you think it even conceivable that they would hire an entire force of new workers in the office just to watch all those drivers out there staring out their windshields holding on to their steering wheels? Do you realize how many thousands of people it would take to monitor all those drivers every moves? And who in their right mind would sign up for such a ridiculously boring job as that?

Come on guys, in cab cameras have been around for years, it's really not anything new. They have come and gone and now they're back again. Here's how they work - much like a dash cam they run on a continuous loop and nothing is saved unless something critical happens like a really hard break, or an impact to the truck. Then you might have a ten or twelve second section of time before that critical event that could be reviewed by safety that may very well save your job in an event that wasn't your fault. Now, of course it could very well cost you your job also if you were doing something like facebook on your phone!

They are not going to be watching you in your sleeper and they really could care less about your constant daily activity as you drive that rig down the road. This is something to protect you and them in the case of an accident.

I know it sounds a little creepy at first, but they are paying you to work for them and they have every right to see what you are doing on their dime, especially in the case of an accident in a vehicle that is capable of some very serious damage to the motoring public.

Trust me, they cannot afford to have a bunch of folks watching your every move, nor are they the least bit interested in such a thing.

Based on everything I've ever heard about Swift, there is no doubt in my mind they would do something like this.

Come on guys! You are quickly falling off into the nether world of foolish truck drivers who are always crying foul at every little thing they here about the evil trucking empires. I can't believe what I'm seeing in this thread. We deal in truth here and not hearsay and innuendo.

Based on everything I've ever heard about Swift, there is no doubt in my mind they would do something like this.

Come on guys! You are quickly falling off into the nether world of foolish truck drivers who are always crying foul at every little thing they here about the evil trucking empires. I can't believe what I'm seeing in this thread. We deal in truth here and not hearsay and innuendo.

Phases http://postimg.org/image/f4plx7fbf/4cae40b3/

Old School I have always valued your wisdom above all others here, and agree with everything you said. I also think you are letting this one slide to easily. I understand exactly how the tech works. This video states "we can monitor your subconscious bad behaviors and work with you on correcting them." That from the same people who tried to make my JIT load late today because they did not correctly adjust the computer clocks for AZ time change. You are letting this go way to easily.

Thank you Old School. That is exactly why I hang out around here and use TT for the information I trust most.

Attila, My take on this is that the one constant is everything changes. Look back twenty years, qualcomm , e-logs, strict medical cards, all changes. Trucking is always adapting. Profit margins are so slim and competition is fierce, and insurance companies will continue to drive many business decisions. As a former safety guy, I see it as only an improvement. If those in-cabs catch even a handful of drivers texting or falling asleep and get them off the roads, that makes it worth it to me. Sure, the SB is your home and I can understand not having anyone intrude there. But the drivers seat, thats the office and I've worked in plenty of offices with cameras before. And like Old School said, and I can personally verify having worked on the "screen" side of cctv before, nobody is watching you sit there. I do want to thank you though for bringing up an interesting discussion point.

That from the same people who tried to make my JIT load late today because they did not correctly adjust the computer clocks for AZ time change. You are letting this go way to easily.

I stand resolutely by what I've stated.

Can you not hear yourself now trying to make the company look like they don't have a clue about what they're doing? Any time I've been inside the buildings at the large carriers it seems to me like it is an orchestrated chaos. There is an awful lot going on inside there where the dispatchers are dealing with constant problems on every hand. As a driver we've got to realize when they've made a mistake and help them get it right, which I'm sure is what you did in the case you mentioned. There are so many things that can get mixed up and go wrong when dealing with tens of thousands of loads going every which way and that's not even to mention all the problems that come along with drivers, weather, traffic, breakdowns, re-powers, and well, you know all the things that can arise in a single day out here - it can be, and often times is, like mayhem.

Swift didn't get to be at the top of the food chain by being idiots nor by screwing their drivers. What ever they do with these in cab camera systems, I'd be willing to bet you that you never even notice a change in your job. But it will be up to you to decide if you are going to stick around and prove my prophetic theory right or wrong.

SWIFT has been very good to me. Sure they have had a few WTF moments but the vast majority of my time with SWIFT has been positive. I never said they were morons. They have thier moments but by and large I like the system they use and mostly understand and agree with the employment terms. This latest development is bothering me.

I understand that completely, just trying to get you to look at it a little differently than the typical trucker would do. Taking a look at it from some different angles may help you from making a rash or poorly thought out decision.

Thats what im doing here, i am ****ed but i will cool off before i make a action. Maybe im getting old, but the thought of a camera in my face 14 hours a day makes my stomach turn. I don't know about you but that camera will affect my driving. I'm not sure if it will be positive, negative or a mix, but it will affect it.