Dash Cams: Good idea or Not

You mainly want to have a dash cam with a wide angle lens. You could mount a dash cam like the Blackvue on the headliner inside the truck so that it would show the view of the left and right side mirrors as well. What I like about the Blackvue is you can connect your phone/tablet wirelessly and use as a viewfinder. This helps a lot when positioning the camera.

 

dieselboss is a member here and he has posted samples and the website shows one as well.

Here is a youtube.

 

She probably didn't even care about the pro and cons, but just wanted to know what type of dash cam to buy for her hubby. and some good thing to tell him about how great the gift is. Lol.

 

Boy, oh boy. I haven't even read any responses yet and a dollar to a donut and big cup of coffee says your very legitimate question started a whirlwind. LOL.

Preface: Professional OTR Commercial Motor Vehicle Operators specializing in large and heavy CMV's running across the US and Canada (AKA The American Trucker) tend to be very independent types to start with. It's one of the draws to trucking to the independent, frontiersman/woman type of personality. You got a load, a horse, a wagon (or two or sometimes three), provisions for the trip, resupply and repair if necessary along the way. It starts here on X date at X time and ends here on X date between X and Y times. Best of luck, be safe and call me if you need me. The rest is entirely up to you. The road, the load, equipment, a job and nobody looking over your shoulder every minute telling you how or when to do what.

Very romanticized (we do have hardships we endure) and ideal for independent, self-sustaining people who don't fit well in traditional situations. We cluster at waypoints and socialize among ourselves and those that serve and support us to satisfy our human social needs (think talk and handshakes - not the dirty stuff. That yuck is a tiny, TINY minority, despite the typical stereotype). A driver's lounge or the counter at a restaurant at any truckstop in North America is one of the most interesting places in the entire world and many a Social Psychologist has written their Doctoral thesis on the subculture of the American Truck Driver.

SO! You are quite likely to get responses ranging from "darned great idea, wouldn't be without one"!, to "I'd sooner rot in Hades and I'll quit the day they force me to"!, and a whole lot in-between. It's because our industry is changing and it is changing so FAST. The I.T. has made more changes in our industry in the last 5 years than it did in the previous 50 and a LOT of us old hands are struggling to adapt to such fast paced changes. All we had to adapt to before were new roads and diesel equipment technology which moves at a SNAIL'S pace compared to the I.T. world. The computer, satellite, 3G, 4G, Internet, smartphone, Qualcomm, PeopleNet, Federal, State - the WHOLE I.T. revolution has finally taken solid root in trucking and it's been a real challenge for a bunch of folks, not only driving the horses, but in the office too. The change has come with a LOT of kicking and screaming too. Change is VERY hard, especially change that is VERY easily perceived as controlling or monitoring or "babysitting" grown men and women that are by their very natures, fiercely independent. It is what it is, though, and here's my dime (used to be two cents - HEY, keeping up with inflation and the times - LOL.)

There IS a risk. You make a human error, smack a minivan with a bunch of kids in it (GOD ALMIGHTY forbid - but it CAN happen) and send them spinning into the trees or worse and it's ALL on video. Cancel Christmas for the next decade - their attorney will own you. Seven figure payout at trial and there will be NO settlement before. It's going to a jury and the opposing attorney will put it on social media for the whole world to see, if it's not already there; which it probably is, which is probably what tipped him off to subpoena the actual "dash cam" footage in the first place. Me personally? If I did it; I own up to it. I'm not perfect but I don't do anything on purpose or without thoughtful knowledge beforehand that; "this might bite me" and never anything I think might bite someone else. If it bites me; I own up. I did it. It's my bad. I'm grown and I accept my responsibility. The consequences to me and mine are what they are. I made that bed. We'll have to sleep in it. I go where I'm supposed to and if I want to go somewhere else in the company truck - I ask. I got no problem with electronic "babysitters" as long as humans make the call on what the E-Log or dash cam says. Video is just as likely; more so, probably, to clear me as hang me because of the way I drive, which is to keep the 90% of untrained, uneducated non-professional drivers I share the road with for 11 hours a day, from making contact with me. Their fault or not. Accidents - even NON-preventable ones would , SLOW ME DOWN. THEY WOULD DELAY ME. THEY WOULD COST ME MONEY BECAUSE I COULD HAVE BEEN DELIVERING INSTEAD OF TALKING TO AN OFFICER. Duh!

The other drivers are 80% of our accidents. I got NO problem with insurance dash cams. HELL, might make me an even BETTER driver. Kinda like an All-Star Football team reviewing game footage so the best know how to zig and zag in new situations to be even better. Maybe it's best we think of it like Coaching an All Star team rather than Big Brother. Plus we figured out a way for my wife and family to see what I'm seeing real time. That's pretty cool. It's like having all the good things you like about a family member rider; without having to share the small space and getting cranky when it's downtime. LOL.

SO: I'm PRO.

My wife and I actually have learned to make lemonade outta lemons - which turned out weren't lemons at all. We just thought they were. Beats a poke in the eye with a sharp stick - that's for sure.

Be safe, have fun and remember:

The Captain of the Ship is the one behind the wheel.

Night All.

 

Im a new driver been on the road for a month and a half solo. Ive had a dash cam since day one....last week I was driving in arkansas and a dry bulk truck passed me and a HUGE chunk of ice flew off the cab of his truck and smashed my driver side windshield.....the camera didnt catch the exact impact but it did catch the noise as well as all the broken bits of ice exploding.

Needless to say, I was able to send the video into my safety department. I dont think they could have faulted me anyhow but as a new driver I want to be able to cover my 6.

 

Na really, I use my cell phone I have it mounted up for hands free use of course .

 

Mine paid for itself within 6 months by preserving my safety bonus: I had a sheet of ice slide off an oncoming trailer and break my headlight. When I called it in to safety they were clearly skeptical of my story and probably assumed it was a parking lot or rear-ender incident. But I gave them a link to the video and all was well:







The cam is Diesel Boss's db4 (at the medium quality settings -- 20fps & 848x480 -- large sd card lasts about 34 hours on those settings)
http://www.dieselboss.com/camera/car_truck_rv_camera_dvr_hd1.htm


To the OP: Dieselboss does have some multi-camera systems available too, but they start getting more pricey...