Swift Equipment

Moose, where did you hear that the 8GB is flash memory? Knowing a thing or two about embedded devices (I used to design them), the most likely case is that it has 8GB of RAM that ius used as main program memory, plus a RAM disk to hold the captured video. There would be a small flash drive used only for booting.

We had these same cameras at my last job. If they captured a clip, briefly pulling the power would cause the camera to lose the captured video clip...

 

APUs are a recruiting tool and lifestyle choice only. Not really a necessity ... You really only need to idle a few time a year, depending on where you run. As mentioned, Swift doesn't really make a big stink about idling for comfort.

 

It was an e-mail response to another Swift poster, from Richard Stocking.

If you were designing these devices, would you settle for less when more is so easy and cheap?

I'm sorry, but I don't trust Big Brother to tell the whole truth about anything.
Their words are SO carefully chosen when they are trying to convince us that these things are good for us.
What is not said says much more than what is, considering what the camera's are actually capable of.

If it is simply RAM, and can be wiped by a power interruption, what good is it if there is no signal to send the video immediately? All it would take is a simple pull of the plug to erase the evidence before it is sent.
It HAS to be stored in a lasting mode.


I have not designed embedded devices, and I'm not a lawyer either.
But I do know how I might design one of these camera's, and I do know something about twisting words around truth's. Both are termed 'creative'.

And you said, "most likely".
You don't actually KNOW, do you.
You didn't design them, and all you are going on is what you have been told.

Why don't you get one of the camera's and reverse engineer it, from the ground up.
Then you could tell it like it is.

 

APU's are great for keeping idle time low and to keep batteries charged, and to keep cool in the heat.
But the cost is too much when you only have a truck for around 500k miles.
It takes something like 300,000+ miles to get back the initial investment, not including maintenance costs.
Swift doesn't see enough advantage with that, so they just try to get drivers to idle less.

I don't stay out quite that long. Usually 4-5 weeks.
But I'm fine.
I idle when I need to, I have a Coleman cooler to keep things cold and a lunchbox oven to cook good meals with. I have a small inverter to power my computer and charge things that require it.

If the batteries are in good shape running a few things won't drain them very quickly.
There are 4 of them, so the system has some capacity.

 

I used to think that 12v stuff would drain the battery to beandip. I have a large electric cooler and when I don't idle I run two fans all night usually. One us built in to the truck, the other a Road pro I bought at a truck stop. I have yet to have any issues with my truck not cranking. It's never even been sluggish.

When I want to idle, the truck cuts itself off after a programmed period unless you over ride it. My trucks system is bypassed by pushing in the clutch. Then the lady in the Qualcomm tells me idle violation. Which sometimes this means the truck will idle till I kill it. Most of the time this means it's gonna cut itself off in a couple more minutes anyway without giving warning.

I had a Pete 386 with my last company and I'll tell you that all of Swifts trucks are big enough and comfortable enough to stay in. My last truck was 5 days tops and I was getting cramped. This cascadia is like a small apartment. Just like the rest of the industry, it is what you make it.

 

What we need is better vents in the bunk area, for both top and bottom bunks.
Vents with reversible fans (built in) that can either push air out or draw air in.

It sure would help to be able to draw air in from the shaded side and expel it to the sunny side, all from standard vents.

I don't find inside fans to be much help as all they do is move around the hot air.

 

The cameras we getting can hold 200 20sec clips before it writes over them.

And the reason I know this as fact is simple. My best friend we were battle buddies in basic training and we have been friends ever since going on 22 years.
is very high in the food chain of that company that we're getting the cameras from and I probably said too much.

 

That is a bit over an hour, as might be expected with 8GB.