Dash Cams: Good idea or Not

Discussion in 'Experienced Truckers' Advice' started by DLKeur, Feb 19, 2014.

  1. hardworkinman

    hardworkinman Light Load Member

    Great vids man! Thanks for fixing!
    Crazy, that guy who nicked your passenger side looks like he forgot he was towing a trailer, what was the outcome of that incident?
     
    Last edited: Feb 19, 2014
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  3. TomOfTx

    TomOfTx Road Train Member

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    I anticipated him cutting in front of me as I saw him in my right mirror cut across a few lanes of traffic prior to passing me. I just didn't expect him to move over while half his trailer was still next to me! :)

    He didn't stop initially. About a mile up the road traffic came to a stop (rush hour) and I pulled along side of him and yelled out that he hit the front of my truck. He pulled off at the next exit and we took care of the matter. The damage to my bumper was minimal, only a few scuffs. I gave the video to my safety department and it was ruled a non-preventable incident.

    Yeah, I think the guy forgot for a second he had a 30 foot flatbed behind him! :) The dash cam helped a lot, especially if I had been unable to catch him!
     
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  4. DLKeur

    DLKeur Light Load Member

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    You guys & GALS are awesome. Thank you SO much. And I like the idea of the three cams set to panoramic, one on each mirror and one on the dash. Forrest is a good driver, so no worries there. And he certainly isn't a technophobe. I think he doesn't want to spend the money. But, the way I see it is that it's no different than insurance, in this case, career insurance.
     
    Last edited: Feb 19, 2014
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  5. skateboardman

    skateboardman Road Train Member

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    lord jesus, did you read the post man, heck I even said I was only half serious, you are wrapped to tight. LOL
     
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  6. DrFlush

    DrFlush Road Train Member

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    OK, I'm sold, I'll have a dashcam in the next couple days.
     
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  7. TomOfTx

    TomOfTx Road Train Member

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    Exactly! There can be many nightmare scenarios where such a dash cam could prevent not just losing your job, but your freedom as well.

    Imagine for a second, you are driving down a dark highway with no one on the road, then a vehicle passes you and moves into your lane back in front of you, that vehicle suddenly sees a deer in the road and panics, slams on their brakes, you do not have enough time to react and you rear-end the other vehicle, the occupant(s) of that vehicle are now dead from the impact of you rear-ending them, the police arrive and the only other witness to the accident is in the other vehicle and they are dead. Now, you are in a position where proving your side of the story could be difficult. You may be facing manslaughter charges and many years in prison. The video from your dash cam could be all that saves you from your remaining years being spent in prison for something you did not do. Scary! You never know what could happen at any given moment, so to me, the few hundred dollars I have spent on this equipment is well worth the money! It doesn't hurt to have for other instances that may not be as much of a nightmare as well. To me, I will spend the money and sleep better at night! :)
     
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  8. Roadmedic

    Roadmedic Road Train Member

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    The db4 dash cam by dieselboss was only 134.00 and then I bought another 32 gig card for under 25. Hardly a large sum of money to protect one from another driver and your job.
     
  9. DLKeur

    DLKeur Light Load Member

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    Okay. So, let's say I was going to try to buy a dash cam for him for his birthday which is coming up soon, what would I need to get? TomOfTx mentioned a Blackvue DR500GW-HD And, Truckinchic suggested not just the cam on the dash, but one for each mirror. What do I need to buy to do this so that it's the least possible hassle for him to install? Thanks ahead of time.
     
  10. DLKeur

    DLKeur Light Load Member

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    This is one of my fears. Not due to deer or moose, either, but just dumb, stupid 4-wheelers. I deal with this kind of nonsense on the highway here everyday. Monday, I swear people were totally off the wall, turning left on red across 4 lanes in front of me and the like. And they weren't even aware of the cars they all but put in the ditch.
     
  11. DLKeur

    DLKeur Light Load Member

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    A db4 dash cam. Okay. Looking that one up, too. Thanks, Roadmedic.
     
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