The California Attorney General has stated that the use of driver-facing in cab cameras does not violate any state codes, and may be used to take disciplinary action against drivers. There are a few factors stipulating when and how the video may be used, but the decision makes it clear that – in California at least – a driver-facing camera is not considered an invasion of privacy.
According to the opinion published by the Attorney General, recordings of the driver may only be used by the employer. If it is used by the employer for training or disciplinary purposes, the recording must be made available to the driver and/or the driver’s legal representative. In addition, only 30 seconds before and after an incident may be recorded and kept on file. There is no specific wording for what may or may not be considered an “incident” but they include such things as sudden breaking, swerving, or a collision.
Driver-facing cameras have been a hot-button topic since being introduced, but has been debated more fiercely since large carriers have been experimenting with pilot programs that even go as far as scanning a driver’s facial features to look for signs of fatigue.
Contrary to common belief, a driver-facing camera does not record and store hours of footage at a time. Generally they record in continuous loops and only store data when there is an incident. When the incident occurs, the camera saves the data from a set period of time before and for a set period of time after. The video is then sent to a system operator who saves and files away the recording for later viewing. Depending on the service being used, the operator may then review and/or tag the file to be passed on to the carrier for disciplinary or training purposes.
Concerns have been voiced in the past by drivers who do not want a camera that they have no control over monitoring them and recording them when they are on the job. Many trucking companies feel they have a right to observe and record employees in company-owned work spaces, but some drivers see this as an invasion of privacy – especially considering that the company-owned work space is also where they sleep, eat, and spend free time.
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Source: truckinginfo, overdrive
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So much for freedom of the open road. I got into trucking, 12 years ago, for the lack of a supervisor standing over your shoulder. Something about good intentions and the road to hell.
I’m with you Chris. When I started the relationship with a driver and company was mutual. They respected me and I them. Yea, the job still sucked, but I at least had less hassles from regulations and my bosses. Now it seems you are a risk no matter if they have reasons or not. My question is, why hire someone you don’t trust? Are these companies that desperate that they hire people they cannot trust? If you are, then you have problems a camera won’t help.
It really isn’t a trust issue it is a control issue and the people in the federal moron committee of stupid a. And is all it is I have my own personal dash cam that I use I made a statement on there site one time and they told me that I was mean the statement I made was more of a question I said how was the family going to feel if I am involved in a accident and when it goes to court and they have to watch their family member die after they did something stupid in front of a truck and caused a accident because I have the rite to a proper defense and the video is the defense
Contrary to popular belief Chris, you gave up one supervisor or boss as it were for hundreds of bosses. Every body on the road that sees you driving the truck, the people at the dock at shippers and receivers. The people , waitress and fuel clerks at the fuel desk are now your boss.
These people have the power to get you fired. They have the power to call your company and complain . It doesn’t matter if what they are complaining about is true or false.
Not me Gordon I own my truck. About to get my authority. Working for a trucking company is a no win situtation. Low money, they will kick you out of the truck on a moments notice and leave you anywhere in the country, now a camera.
Never will i ever work for a company again.
Do not drive for that company. Plain and simple. They are short on drivers already. Drive for a company that respects your privacy and you as a human being. You are not a roadside show for these idiots sitting in their little cubicles. It’s not about who owns what. If so you mortgage your house,condo so does that give the bank the right to photo you in your home since the bank owns 90% of your home? Infringement on ones privacy 100%. They start loosing drivers see how fast they take those cameras out of the trucks. It will backfire and these companies will go out of business. It builds a NO trust relations. Company trust them when dispatched with rig,load. So what’s the problem? Spend money on drivers NOT cameras!
Well said sir , drivers will never get respect if you don’t demand it from your own employer first. You are the main asset to these companies and they’re gonna abuse your rites this way no way park that truck and move on.
Yes
This is a CLEAR infringment on privacy it is unarguable. Another shining example that a lawyer can sell snow to eskimos. How on earth could this be interpreted as anything other than invasive. They already have the power to monitor brakes, speed and goodness knows what else.
Had a friend get ‘fired’ by CR England for too many hard braking events. He was a leasee!!
Big Brother is watching you.
Yes they are not only watching their listening to even when ur at home the cam is on be careful of what you say I know a couple of drivers who lost their jobs because of things said thinking the cam was off this is home for us we can’t even talk to our spouses about any personal things anymore and if you think there not sitting and watching u blow ur nose or anything else your a fool someone is watching everything how do u think they saw u with the cheese burger in ur hand if there wasn’t a hard brake or u moved ur cell phone
100 % true
Myself I can understand the reasons for this justification because we all should remember the idiot texting while driving then running over a cop car. If theyre were no idiots like that around then they wouldnt have the excuse. Do I hate the idea, yes but in all cases the only way I wiuld accept it in my cab is if it it only operates while the parking brakes are pushed in and I am rolling. Although it still shouldnt be allowed for sleepers just day cabs.
Why jusy daycabs I guess sleeper drivers are safer? I think the driver who ran over a cop was in a sleeper.
This is what you should expect if you drive for a big company. Don’t like their rules? Buy a truck and start your own company where you make the rules (the ones the government and your insurance allows you to make anyway). Or cover the camera and tell them to shove it until they fire you.
I wish Americans weren’t such whiny, submissive prigs. Maybe we wouldn’t have employers and a government that felt they could walk all over us.
I don’t trust the company’s with them. Bet you could lay a rag over one.”
For the little money there pay there lucky to find someone to spend weeks at a time in a dam truck , Now want to watch them stare down a road hour after hour they are criminals
….so glad im buying my own truck
As long as it does not opperate while parked or resting, with so many bad ass drivers out there i see no problem. those crying are only the ones whom are worried they might get caught doing something dum. Hey trucking is on ly getting worse with the bull shit going on (like wrecks because of texting???? etc.) not paying attention. its only a matter of time till insurance companies give companies a break on their costs if they install them, so get ready it will only be another part of the truck to worry about. retire , or find another job!!!! the kids i see today driving should not be driving a truck. i retired early, could i ? No. did i want too? NO! but i had enough. my life is worth more then what i was making out there. (like if you dont take it >> some mexican will cheapper!!) end of story. its not a matter of being a good professional driver today, its how cheap.
I work for a carrier that is implementing cameras into our fleet. In our very first use, a driver that was involved in a domestic altercation and was unable to work. When pressed about why he had busted ribs, he blamed his co-driver, saying that the co-driver had left the roadway and was driving in the grass, throwing him out of the bunk. He forgot there was a camera in the truck. We pulled the SD card and reviewd all 55 g-force triggering events. All 55 episodes were very minor cases of bumping a concrete bridge apron, due to the sensitivity having been set too low. There was no incident where the truck ever left the roadway. The driver was lying, and almost got his co-driver in serious trouble. In this case, the camera vindicated the co-driver, and the driver with the busted ribs lost his job for making a false report.
The second use was last December, when our driver said he was going under a light and as it started to change to yellow, a pickup truck right-turned on red into our path. review of the pre-impact recording showed the light change to yellow then to red, then four full seconds later we are running the light and broadsiding the other vehicle. Our driver’s version of the accident and his actions were at odds with the truth as recorded. Knowing that we were at fault has saved us tens of thousands of dollars because we settled rather than fought a losing battle in which we angered the party that was in the right all along. It also documented a pattern for the driver, who less than ten days later was ticked for running a red light. He was then terminated.
In May 2013 we had a driver swerve in South Dakota to miss some deer. We missed every one of them, only to overturn in a ditch, seriously injuring the co-driver and causing over $232,000 of damage. There was no camera in the truck. There was no proof of deer either. Every insurance representative told us that he fell asleep and ran off the road. Maybe this 12 year veteran did, maybe he didn’t. How can we possibly know? Yet was have a quarter of a million dollars spent on an accident and only the word of the driver. So, absent proof, the insurance carrier has since substantially raised our insurance premiums by over $50,000, which is now less money to go in the pockets of our drivers. I wish we had had a camera in the truck, and the driver has told us that several times, because he doesn’t like the cloud of suspicion he’s been put under.
So there is an entirely different side to the camera question, based on our recent experiences. When I know that some of our drivers are purchasing and installing their own camera because we haven’t gotten to their truck, then I know those drivers see them as a means of protecting their word and credibility, and not an issue of privacy.
An outward facing camera would have been enough to determine the truth about the deer incident.
It was the drivers fault either way, you do not swerve for animals.
Are you sure you know what your talking about? Why would you make such an asinine statement?
when you swerve to avoid animals in the road, I’d say a majority of the time your going to wreck the vehicle your in, and cause a lot more damage than if you’d have just hit the stupid things in the first place.
If the option is hit an animal or hit the ditch, I’d probably aim for the critter.
I’m pretty sure he knows what he’s talking about. It’s the way I was trained 25 years ago. Think about it a minute and maybe you’ll get it. I don’t feel like explaining it to you.
Sounds like Swift , Prime, CRST, Werner, C R England, Knight, Stevens, or maybe J B Hunt or some other big carrier that screws drivers right & left. Pay’em a good wage for EVERYTHING they do,train’em to drive a truck instead of operating driver mills to get our hard earned tax dollars and maybe you wont have to watch’em at all times!!!!!!!!!!!
Amen IZ
Every single incident you described could have been easily recorded and seen with an outward facing camera. An inward facing camera would not have shown you a single solitary detail of information for any of those cases. It woukd have shown you the driver and the cab.
Then set an example by having the company install one in your car, kitchen, bathroom, bedroom and living room.
a forward facing dash camera would of resolved these incidents, there is no need for a driver facing cam..
from SJ a 42 year veteran, no accidents..
I worked with such a camera when I was driving city bus. I was always aware of its presence, but it never bothered me once. But then, I have a perfect safety record, never having an at-fault incident while behind the wheel.
The only people who will not want these cameras, are those who regularly indulge in unsafe driving practices:
– Use of handheld cell phones while driving
– Running red lights
– Speeding
– Tailgating
– Unsafe Lane changes
– and speeding
If drivers don’t do these things. If they instead maintain constant vigilance behind the wheel and make driving safely a daily practice, they’ll not have a problem with cameras. In fact, they’ll welcome the cameras. If there is an incident, and they aren’t at fault, the camera will vindicate them.
I say make in-cab cameras a law. They’ll cut down on accidents. They’ll catch these ‘Super Truckers’ in the act and weed them out. They’ll make us safe drivers feel safer out here on the road.
I can’t count the number of times I’ve had some ‘Super Trucker’ tailgate me, or watched them tailgate four-wheelers. I have called the state police on a lot these people, taking down their license plates and everything. I am sick to death of driving with all of these other drivers who think it’s okay to be unsafe. Get the cameras and let them help us get these idiots off of the road.
An outward facing camera along with the “black box” to record the truck info is enough. Lets not have inward facing cameras.
and i suppose you think the police should be able to search your house when ever they want and the only people who disaggree are the ones hiding something
James, get off your high horse. I don’t do any of those things and I do not want a rear-facing camera in any truck I drive. You can have your EOBs and your forward facing cameras, but keep a camera out of my face. Your assertion that making these cameras the law will deter bad driving has already been disproved with drivers who block the camera. Interesting that you say you see super truckers doing these things and that you “called the state police” and you “took down the numbers”. Yeah, you pulled over to do that did you? Right.
James, Not all of these tailgaters know they are tailgating. Many think 50 feet off the back of a vehicle is not tailgating at 65 or 70 mph. They think they are better drivers than they really are. Until they are shown that they don’t use a turn signal correctly, that they tailgate, that they cannot judge a traffic light. . Stale or fresh. That they don’t check the mirror often en0ugh.
Far too many of these problem drivers don’t know that they are. The question is, how do you teach them? I’m not talking about punishing them before they are taught. The smith System. It works.
Then again society is a good part of the problem as this generation of drivers getting behind the wheel was not taught to take responsibly for their actions.
U must b the hand that gets dispatched out west in a 60mph ride in a 75mph zone,go back to driveing a city bus cause i belive u were happy there
Finally a person who gets it! Kuddos James C!
James you said ” I was always aware of its presence, ” so buy your own statement the camera itself was a distraction.
If I worked for a company that put any kind of cam facing me i would quite on the spot.
AMEN!!! So what happened trust & personal responsibility ?????
John M. I agree a FRONT-FACING camera would’ve been helpful in the cases you describe, but a camera on the driver alone would not have told you what you wanted to know. My privacy trumps the rights of a nosy employer.
You guys who are for cameras are just completely insane and I question if you are a driver at all? What is this industry becoming? Why not put a robot behind a wheel, where is the freedom ? This job is stressful enough! People, fellow drivers, please leave this companies the same day they even think about installing one of this cameras in your truck! There is a shortage of drivers as it is you have more power then you think! Save, buy your self truck and drive independently ! Hell with these companies and hell with California !
My first act with an in cab cameras camera would be to close the front curtains and spend some time with the camera running while completely naked. After that it’s not likely anyone would ever look at my footage again for fear of trauma! 🙂
LOL! Too funny!
If the day comes when I cannot find a trucking job that doesn’t do this I’ll look for something else to do. At my company they are moving to install these cameras on all their trucks to my dismay. I almost quit a few weeks ago when I got my new truck. Happily, they removed it. To my dismay many of our drivers tolerate it. Some even say they want it. It’s strange how on the forums about 90% say they are against it. In reality about 90% accept it.
Drivers, an outward facing dash camera with no microphone is enough! Having an inward facing camera with a microphone studying every facial expression for fatigue is an invasion of privacy. We don’t need somebody listening to our private conversations on the phone, or watching us undress and stuff. You guys believe that crap about it only recording 30 seconds before and after an accident? Guess what? You are definitely being lied to. Those parameters can be overridden at any time.
This industry has gone from very much needing regulating to very much being over regulated. There needs to be a balance. We’ve gone from one extreme end of the spectrum to the other extreme end of the spectrum. It’s up to the drivers to stand against this. The last time that happened was 60 years ago. That’s a difference between Americans and many European countries. Americans just take it. European citizens revolt. We need to take a greater stand.
RAY I couldn’t have said it any better myself!
Ray, are you sure the camera was removed. Possibly a different location with a pinhole cam?
Wouldn’t trust them to do otherwise. It’s a big insurance break for them to have one in the cab.
As reported by land line, truckers report, over drive and others such as Fleet Owner, the NTSB has , a couple years ago, contracted with a Virginia University that is know for it’s transportation studies, to place 500 ‘all position cams’ in 500 tractors. ‘All Position’ means the sleeper too.
What say Ye?
I got a call from safety today asking why my camera is broke LOL! When I told him the shop removed it for me he seemed surprised. I can see the writing on the wall, but I doubt they have installed a hidden camera.
Since this is a study, I don’t see a problem with it. What one has to remember is that there is no 4th Amendment violation if you sign with a company and are made aware of the fact that they are running cameras. If you, after having been told this information, choose to go ahead and work for the company, then there is no privacy violation. You always have the ability to go elsewhere and work.
At the same time, if you are currently an employee at a company that chooses to install cameras to safeguard the operation of “THEIR” equipment, you also have the ability at that time to CHOOSE if you wish to continue employment under those conditions or move to another company.
People confuse the 4th Amendment at times with things they describe as a personal rights violation rather than a companys decision to protect its risk in the event of an accident.
I for one would love to have a video showing me doing my job properly in the event that someone caused a wreck and tried to blaim me for it!
“MY TWO CENTS”
I was sleeping and something woke me up, a green light was illuminating my sleeper. I looked, it was the truck camera with the green light on, very bright. It is not supposed to be on unless the brakes are released, but it is happening and more than once. I have pictures and videos to prove it.
What companies have driver facing cameras? Please post their names. My company does not and has stated during recent annual training that they see no need to install them (the question was asked in a internal email q&a session).
Melton does. I was talking to one of their drivers the other day. He also said that they fire you right away if you cover it up, even after going in the sleeper. They watch their drivers 24/7, naked or not.
Conway does.
Conway freight or truckload? I drive the truckload side and my truck is camera free as far as i know. It may be on the new trucks. Haven’t heard anyone talking about them at the terminals, i’ll have to ask next time I’m in Joplin.
Glad I work for a small 20 truck company. We still do loose leaf logs, and only hear from the bosses and dispatch whenever necessary. Drivers, please don’t be so guillable to think a camera facing you is for your best interest. It’s for the companies disposal to try to pin any little mishap on you and relieve them of any liability. It’s bad enough a lot of you big company drivers are working for pennies on the dollar as it is, but now they want to watch your every move? Grow some balls, and tell these bureacrats to kiss it.
^ nail -> head
I agree, trucking’s not what it used to be, but some things are better. The truck stops are a little classier, and the technology is better, aerodynamics and such. Traditionally we’ve given a lot of leeway to businesses to monitor and protect their investments, but it’s gotten a little nerdy with these in-your-face cameras.
A cab without cameras would indeed be a selling point for small companies looking to hire experienced drivers, though. Wouldn’t that be something?
It would be hard to make this apply to a driver who owned his truck. After all a company truck is the property of the company. So I can see a company being able to put camera’s in their own trucks. I am not saying its correct, but it could as easily help a driver prove fault in a accident as it could prove guilt. Workplace monitoring is nothing new, so its not targeting truckers or anything like that. Maybe we simply are facing what everyone is. A total disregard for privacy. My advice is to show your opinion of those privacy reduction when you vote. People set this policies and people can vote to make them go away. Fighting them in court is time and money consuming. Stop dealing with issues one at a time and set into motion a more fundamental change reversing these privacy reductions.
My problem with this idea is, what keeps companies from using this information to hold back pay raises. Look almost every driver out there doesn’t pay attention 10 or 20ty percent of the time as much as they should be. How many deer have I planted right under my truck late at night, a bunch. But the reality is that could have been some motorcycle laying on the ground. Most of us or just lucky, and skill might keep you out of half the problems out there at best! I’ve been driving truck for twenty year without one accident, and that’s my take!
As a female truck driver I would not work for any company that wanted to record me. Being out over the road for months at a.time. it’s bad enough. Now they want to watch what we do all the time. I dont see how that is not a invasion of privacy. This country is turning into a dictatorship. You already have the government caught spying on us using the web. NOW THEY ARE LETTING EMPLOYERS SPY ON US IN ARE DAILY LIVING OUT HERE.WERE DO WE DRAW THE LINE.
What large company in its right mind would ever install these things in all its trucks? Talk about a great way to instantly make yourself the least desirable company on the planet to drive for!
I work for a medium size carrier who is “trying ” them out. What a disaster….drivers, good drivers are fleeing by flocks. Most of us became drivers to be free, we are not conformists and this is yet a continued attempt to control the largest labor force in our nation. The camera is not tied to your q-comm or log book so any movement it senses it will come on. Many of my fellow drivers say it has viewed them for hours, things like railroad tracks, rough roads and hey easy bumping that dock or it may go off. What about off duty or sleeper berth time? It has no filter it is triggered by abrupt motion, so get up in the middle of the night and hello you are on candid camera. This practice must cease immediately, the insurance companies are starting to dictate policy in our industry, speed governors, cameras, CSA and so on….what about our health we are bombarded by our companies to be healthier and now the government is on our ass too. How about lightening up a bit so we can sit down and have a healthy meal, not a bag of Doritos and a coke on the go while the man watches us eat and so on. But I digress, stay safe brothers and sisters and remember we are on the same side the only thing that separates us is a gallon of paint.
Don’t want to deal with this idiotic idea?
Quit whining and become owner operator.
Problem solved.
I became one with 8,000 dollar truck that I am making 80,000 annual net revenue.
You are not going to make that in 2 year someone watching you picking your nose 24/7.
The only reason they do it is because you let them.
Have nice day company driver loosers.
Not that easy . some O/O c/o companies are looking into that camera crap. It boils down to insurance.
When you lease to a company they actually control your truck. Read the small print usually on page 12.
You drive it you pay for the repairs and fuel. If they tell you that it is going to happen you either do it or leave. Not a lot of difference between leasing to a carrier and being company driver to them. It just cost you more.
I for one will NOT have a rear facing camera nor a microphone in my truck. I do run 2 dash cams just for proof if anything happens. I get a wider view with two.
I concur that driver facing cameras are not effective. Any guy that has a woman in his life will generally have most, if not all of his intentions misread off his face by her. So what makes you think some troll viewing the file will be able to do the same? Since I have to drive a meat wagon for the time being I don’t need the cameras when there can be up to 60 pairs of eyes seeing everything I do and also all the stupid things the two and four wheelers do. It’s so bad that I recommend the company install cameras to the front and to the rear of the vehicle. To date they haven’t. We also have bad driver’s also.They are constantly banging up the vehicles, so I bought one and use it when I work. Was ambushed one day by the head dispatch and terminal manager one day. Wanted to know if I hit the fence post because it was knocked down and my vehicle had “rub” marks. I said no, still wrote me up and sent to district off for termination review. At my hearing, witch took five minutes due to me showing the video that cleared me. Asked why I didn’t show the video before. Because mt attorney said not to. This is with the fact that I have had no claim my entire carrier of over 35 years. Got a big apology, sorry bonus and the terminal manager was fired. It’s so bad out there now that I won’t drive without may camera on, even in my own car. Don’t get me started on all the knuckle draggers that wear a badge and gun. Camera saved me more than once.
In short, NO TO IN WARD DRIVER CAMERAS…
I dont want a camera in the truck i drive but if the man who owns it wants one in there there isnt anything i can do about it. All i could do is quit. But since i dont have anything to hide i will just deal with it. I for one have way more important things to worry about than my boss watching me drive.
Far too many drivers really don’t understand the problem. Camera ??? Big deal I can live with it.
That is the problem today. No guts to stand up. Here is how it could go.
That driver facing camera will record you for many hours. It will record your body language, your facial expressions.How you hold the wheel. how and what you say on the CB. Some clown in the office will see that and figure you are not paying attention and are distracted. He will see you checking your mirror often. He or she doesn’t and thinks your distracted. No raise in pay or worst case you get fired for being distracted. That clown that does this more than likely has no training to do it. They themselves are not safe drivers and don’t drive a truck.
You will be recorded sneezing. If you sneeze more than two or three times in succession you will be considered distracted and unsafe and it WILL be logged and saved for future viewing. If there is another incident it will be part of your undoing.. Past history in their minds can get you fired and you did nothing wrong. You set a president whether you know it or not. It is for nothing but absolute control.
I am not a sit down, shut up and do as your told kind of person.
I would NOT have a rear facing camera in the truck I drive!!! Simple solution install one and I move on.
What companies are doing this? I guess it wouldnt matter because the yes man/woman crowd in the trucking business will fall for anything because they stand for nothing. 29 years for me on the road and hung up the keys last May and dont miss it a bit.
Congratulations.
I worked for a company in Richmond Va. that was putting those cameras in trucks of drivers that had high incident rates.One driver was told that he was recorded on a hands free cell device for 8 hrs out 10 hrs driving,If he was recorded talking on a hands free device again while on duty driving he would be terminated.
Just refuse to drive for those companies and it will go away.you have the option to leave.I would take it.
Lets look at the truth in this matter….and must i add i have 25 plus yrs in the industry.
.here is the bottom line…this is being implemented because of ONE WORLD ORDER….THATS IT AND THATS ALL…you will and i say with emphasis YOU WILL NO LONGER HAVE THE RIGHT FOR JACK to say, or privacy in your life…..in all areas of your life….get ready because its coming……yours truly: bonafide truck driver.
I guess that I should take the spycam out of the terminal manager’s office. Found out that the load they paid me 6000 for actually paid 14,000. Am I wrong to turn it around?
I hope they like seeing me wearing my Victoria secret thong:). After seeing that I’ll bet they remove the camera.
out-facing drive cams are ok, but in-facing cams are not. the company i am with uses them and it feels like i am a prisoner in the truck, which keeps me in a constant state of anxiety while driving. ALSO, contrary to the article, i know for a fact that my boss can access “footage” from the drive cam from 2 days ago whether there was an “incident” or not. today, we had to access footage from wednesday morning to prove to a customer that i indeed serviced their store after they had claimed that i had not. there had been no incidents to activate the red light on the drive cam, yet we were able to access it and prove my case.
it’s a sad state that our country is in when we have to sacrifice peace of mind and privacy to fight off the liars and greedy wolves in order to prove that the majority of us are actually doing our jobs properly.
I think you’re talking about outward-facing cameras being the ones that are always recording, that’s pretty common. In the article, I said that DRIVER-facing cameras only store recordings when an incident occurs.
If you have a driver-facing camera that’s recording you 24/7, I’d be interested to know what company is providing that service, as it’s likely violating your rights. The recent ruling in California only allows 30 seconds before and after an incident to be recorded.
i cannot say for certain that the driver-facing one is accessible for extended lengths of time, but our front, rear, and driver-facing cams are all connected to the same head unit that is mounted on the upper windshield, so i would assume that all three positions can be accessed for the same time periods. the on-dash monitor also displays all three points simultaneously.
Sounds like that driver-facing camera might be violating your rights. Just something to remember in case someone ever threatens to use the recordings against you.
so what’s the camera doing when the led is blinking red and green in the middle of the night?
The solution is simple. STRIKE. If drivers don’t take a stand, nothing will change. They know that drivers won’t strike, and they will do as they please. So the only thing you can do is live with it. I’ve been on the road 20 years. It gets worse every year.
Mount two cameras on dashboard of a truck cab; First one driver-facing and the second just the opposite direction, traffic-facing. I’m pretty sure it will not violate California state code.
Try that crap with me and the camera will be focused on an empty seat.
I second that.
it sounds like major companies are nit picking for a reason to fire drivers. or rather to refuse raises. any ways, if they don’t trust the people they are hiring. then why bother hiring them. plus california states the footage can be used for training. when did truck drivers become free actors? I bet some time in the future. trucking companies will try to use the footage for a tv show. that’s where I see it being a problem…
The best way to combat these things is to not work for a company that uses them. If the company I work for told me they’re gonna start using ANY camera inside the truck I’ll turn in everything and find a new company to work for.
If it is instilled upon drivers to be videoed while driving, etc. than I would expect those supervisors, dispatchers, compny safety officers and anyone else involved must have one in there face also. Lets monitor their work. See how often they screw off. Heck have the politicians who vote on this issue be videoed too. See how long that lasts! I am for videoing forwards even side and behind truck. To watch you is a violation of privacy, no matter what california says! Everywhere u go you are videoed, monitored and scrutinized!! At least let the driver keep his dignity and privacy!
The driver facing camera reminds me of the news programs where they use the ‘Nanny Cam’ to watch and wait for the Nanny to do something that is not tolerated by society. Not just injuring a child but to do things that most parents/people deem illegal immoral or such . A company uses surveillance to protect themselves and their business. You really think its there for your protection? I have a great safety record,21yrs no tickets and lifelong no at fault accidents. However I feel that in any situation, it lands with the attorneys involved to always argue with any shred of reasonable doubt (no matter how bogus it really may sound or be) to protect and exclude their clients from liability. You as a driver with a camera in your face are gonna be the scapegoat!
Are there any rights that CA isn’t trying to take away from people? That state needs to float off into the Pacific and never be heard from again.
God I am glad I am making the move to be an owner operator in a few years. I am preparing for it atm instead of jumping into it. I would quit on the spot if they want to put inward facing cameras on my truck. I want to start my own company that takes care of its drivers and show these large carriers that a buisiness that rewards and takes care of it’s employees would be 10x more profitable than this micromanaged crap they pull. Will running my own buisiess be easy no, however I am up for a challenge.
PM me when you get started.
so what is the camera doing on a
DriveCam with forward/rear facing lenses when the led is blinking green/red at night or day?
Will they have camras in stores monitarring employees so they say why not drivers who could kill an entire family or a bus load of them. I think NSA is the reason for this.
I’ve been in this business 20 years from when Qualcomm first got started. I’m ready to retire at the end of this year. Travel? Buy a Tesla and travel the country for free. Seriously. An EOBR/ELD is an invasion of privacy. Any kind of camera is an invasion of privacy. Screw trucking and screw all the low lifes that continue to come into trucking without a clue or a backbone.
This industry is in the toilet. Everyone SHOULD quit their trucking jobs today! Its legal to quit. Its not a strike if you quit. You can make more money in construction. You can make a lot more money in healthcare. You can make even more money in the energy field.
If you work for a trucking company and have EOBR’s/ELD’s and cameras facing you, you should be taking home 100K/year after taxes and you should be home at least once a week for a couple of days. If you are not making this kind of money, you are getting screwed. Screw these trucking companies. Go out and buy a truck and get your own authority. If anyone complains about you, it doesn’t matter. You aren’t required to have cameras or an EOBR/ELD. Used trucks are cheap and at least you can do as you please.
Seriously these trucking companies are on crack if they think that any descent competent person will work for them with all of their BS.
I’ve read the stories where cameras were to the driver’s benefit, but unless that camera is 100% in the driver’s control, its an invasion and flat out unacceptable.
I’m so glad retirement is actually visible and secondly I’m so grateful to the good Lord that none of my kids decided to try trucking. There’s an easy fix for all this crap, it’s spelled S-T-R-I-K-E. Driving rig should not equate to surrendering all your basic constitutional rights and priveleges. Can someone point me to the trucker drinking fountain and can I eat at the counter in this diner?
This post really resonates with me.
U have know privacy know matter what u drive or who you drive for! I was terminated after 14 yrs with a “family” owned company for posting a few rants on Facebook!! The rants were not, NOT, directed at any one person or group of people, nor was my former employer mentioned. There were a series of rule changes that had been implemented over the last few weeks that had me very frustrated and I was simply blowing off some steam. It seems they would’ve rather have me keep my emotions pent up inside and drive 600+ miles through the recent bad weather we have had in the northeast than to vent my frustrations, “get it off my chest”!!!! Yes I accept responsibility for my actions, but really everyone has no privacy!!!!
I’m all for forward facing cameras. A fellow driver friend of mine was working for a company that has the driver facing camera and while driving down the road one day he gets a phone call asking him why he is smoking in his truck?? He reminds them that he has paid his deposit to partake of his habit and why would they ask him about this now after a year of employment? They tell him that they saw it on camera. He had no problem with the camera thing as the company explained it to him, but it seems that they may have lied to him since there was no incident that triggered the camera to come on…just someone spying on him. Needless to say, he quit. He’s been a safe driver for over 20 years with no accidents and has safe driving awards from previous companies. He’s also retired military and knows how to follow rules. I, personally, think that if you can’t trust your driver then you need to screen them better and perhaps hire them to work in house so you can observe them prior to turning them loose with your equipment. Driver facing cameras are an invasion of privacy no matter how you cut it. If you disagree, then put one in your bedroom at home and let everyone see what you’re doing at all times or better yet let’s just all live in glass houses. Forward facing cameras and black boxes are enough.
Put on your Richard Nixon mask & begin each trip with “I am not a crook!” I recently viewed a You Tube video describing why so many Russian vehicles have dash cams. Insurance. I think being viewed on camera makes all drivers ‘high risk’. We take a hand off the wheel constantly to do things other than shift. Eating, drinking, smoking, adjusting the heat, changing stations or CDs on the stereo, holding the CB mic, open/close windows. As to the privacy, the cams will likely be pointed at the driver seat, and you can close the curtains on the berth. As to getting fired because you “look sleepy” , I seriously doubt it. If you’re rollin’ with your chin on your chest, I seriously recommend it. We are held to a higher standard and are under close scrutiny without cameras. Some companies have “spotters” in cars & pick-ups driving on the truck routes to watch their own trucks & drivers.
It is simple DON’T drive for them immediately go and apply to another company and tell them why , When they can’t keep drivers they will pull the cameras . And before someone says it is not that easy keep in mind drivers are in demand , I would also let the new company I’m going to work for why I left the old company that will put it in there minds that if they try it you will be leaving them also.
These cameras they are talking about arent just cab facing they also record the road. Im not a fan of this idea but im guessing there installation is inevitable
Well, at least we’ll finally know if he really “ain’t got no panties on”
~sorry, couldn’t resist
I’ve been driving since ’78. I left a fairly large co 2 mnths ago cuz of the elogs and all the bs. Went to a guy with 6 trucks. Turns out he’s even worse. Running ragged, balled up LL logs all over the floor. BUT he’s using comet tracker. In other words, e logging me from his end. When the non humorous dudes in bad suits come in and grab his computers, i’m screwed.
So, back to co A. But driver facing cam is my line in the sand. I’ll walk immediately.
As for o/o’s, i know a lot of them with elogs cuz the co they’re leased to makes them.
It’ll be no different with cams.
I’ve lived too long. If i were a young pup, trucking now, would be the last thing i’d get in to.
Jus sayin
And Ray~i hope you lead the march and walk if they put that bastard back in.
I definitely will. More of us have to take a stand.
LMAO!!! That was good!
There is no way in he’ll I would ever drive for anyone that has a camera in there truck to spy on me, so let’s give them a show drive naked!!!!
You’ll have to play this one again, Sam. But in all fairness, these huge companies that promise the moon and throw you a rock, well now. I’d be willing to bet that they wouldn’t bother to use that footage to let a driver defend himself, no way. Just like any DA, you have to destroy any exonerating evidence. For instance, if D. Driver had a company dashcam in the truck, I’d bet all of the footage of the “incident” would have somehow disappeared in short order.
Me, I have a dashcam that records for quite some time, HD with a 34 gig card, and the sound. Can’t wait to get a system together to do the entire exterior of the truck. But, it’s MINE, and ALL MINE, including the truck. MAYBE I’ll put one in to see myself, but I will be the one in control of it, not some yoyo that goes home every night and cuts off every truck he sees out on the road while he’s doing it.
Some of those outward facing cams only grab a frame. So, as you can suppose, some four wheeler jeteyes in front of your rig, the thing grabs it, and you are the one holding the bag. Not my kind of deal, so I got my own dashcam. (Play that game, will ya) Try that crap on me, it’ll be on.
I’m starting my own trucking company, and the one thing I will RECOMMEND to my drivers is to have a few cams, and some driver run logs that are electronic. They exist, and will stand up in court. (Give me a download once in a while, will ya?) The company I work for has good paying freight, and they don’t ask me to do the impossible. I have actually turned down loads that would have been iffy to make with no ill effects.
As for using an $8000 truck to get a return of 80k, way to go! Just give that baby the proper TLC and it will run hard for as long as you want it to. Why use a Mercedes to pull a boat when a beat up Chevy will do? Plus, the dashcam just needs a 12v hookup, not an ECM.
5 minutes of me singing praise full volume, talking to my self, and “talking” to God will be too much for any CSA person to handle for very long.
This is bull shit! It most certainly is an invasion of privacy. That camera is recording 24/7, voice also, so they can listen to all your personal phone conversations too! BULL SHIT! Not in my truck!!!
As usual, the real reason trucking companies would want such devices in their trucks is to achieve lower insurance premiums, and if possible, weed out the worst drivers, so the issue is safety and also not regarding safety, but ultimately lower costs–and that’s what really matters.
When government spouts safety, the intention there is to gain revenue from and more control over the little people (that’s most of us). The State of California (the government, not the land), run by communist socialists, has no compunction about lowering a(nother) boom on the heads of truck drivers who are unfortunate enough to have to drive in that place.
Those who think that cameras watching our every move is a good idea, are those who don’t mind living in a tightly-controlled environment, unlike how the U.S. used to be. They don’t realize that since we are not free and have no rights (at least Big Brother no longer recognizes our inalienable rights), that there is no limit to the restrictions BB can place on us. We will see more and more rules and regulations, until only the most robotic and desperate people will want to work under such conditions.
Furthermore, when you hear that “safety” or “saving lives” is at the heart of the matter, does it not strike you as contradictory, in light of the fact that it is legal for people to kill their babies? And soon, old, “useless” people will be sacrificed to the god of Modernism. Apparently, man has become God, and decides whom should die and whom should live. (Those who have forfeited their lives after committing heinous crimes are not included in the discussion.) So, really, just what value does human life have, anymore?
So, anyway, the largest trucking companies are usually helping Big Brother lord it over us, with all their nanny devices and myriad of rules, coupled with lower pay–driving is increasingly undesirable to most folks, and it’s no wonder, I say.
How should I put this????? The camera is not the problem. It the people behind them and how they really use them. Like I learned. Much like your dac record. The footage follows you. And permantly damages your life. And yes they can be edited to highlight the minor mistakes. Rather make a driver look back to a prospective employer. Preventing the driver from getting work or a better paying job. I made no mistakes. And found out that my previous employer realeased the footage to a prospective employer for a local job. Preventing me from getting work to pay the bills with. So now I am pressing charges against the previous employer for harrassment,retaliation, deplumation of character. Plus a few more thing under the labor laws.
Driver facing cameras ARE an invasion in homes. OTR teams/drivers LIVE in their trucks weeks to months at a time. Next everyone will be forced to have cameras in their houses.
If you can’t trust me as an employee DON’T HIRE ME!
I have been driving since the late 1970’s without a chargeable accident, and have seen a steep decline in the quality of drivers entering this industry. One only needs to go to a truck stop and look at some of the drivers we have today. I have seen many of friends , and good drivers, leave this industry and have gone one to do other things because of the lack of respect, over burdensome regulation, over cellist law enforcement, collage educated idiots placed in management positions over them, just to name a few. And now they want to stick a camera in our face and they don’t care how we feel about it. And then they don’t understand why there is a truck driver shortage. Well let me explain it. There is not a truck driver shortage! There is a shortage of quality people who are willing to put up with the crap like having a camera in your face all day. I forbid my son to be a truck driver and I’m damn glad I did. So if there are any young people out there reading this that are thinking about a truck driving career let this be a warning to you. An accident is no longer an accident it is manslaughter and you not only risk your life and limb on the hi ways you risk jail time. The hi ways are so congested these days you will spend hours of unpaid time just sitting in traffic. or waiting to have your truck serviced, or sitting in a truck stop waiting for a load, not to mention the unpaid time sitting at shippers and receivers who will treat you like a second class citizen. You will be part of the largest industry in the world yet you will have NO representation. Anything that can be blamed on you will be. Yes there are some good truck driving jobs out there but the reality is that they are few and far between and damn hard to get. First you will have to get ripped off by a truck driving school and then you will spend years put up with untold buckets of crap to get the experience to get a decent job. And now thanks to the anti terrorist Patriot Act of 2001 you will be monitored 24 hours a day weather you like it or not. If you were a suspected terrorist living in the US and not an American citizen could Home Land security come to your house and put cameras in it to monitor your behavior ? Can they put a camera in your bedroom facing your bed and tell you if you don’t like it you can put a curtain up but we can still here what you say ? I think people would call that a civil rights violation, and be protesting in the streets!! so if you are a young person thinking about becoming a truck driver I have only one thing to say to you. GET A REAL JOB !!!!!!!!
WRONG!!!! These cameras are live fed, anyone, at anytime can look in on the driver, even from a smart phone, these cameras DO NOT come on just because of some accident or hard braking, Trucking companies are getting sued left and right, they are an invasion of privacy, let’s put one at each desk of these so-called upper management fool’s at these companies and see if they like
A man who FAILS to assert his God Granted Rights deserved the abuse that befalls him!!!!
moderation??? Do all you jokers realize that FREE SPEECH is SACRED in America??? Huh ???
I hate to say it but trucking companies can be very rotten groups of people. The inward facing camera is subject to an abuse of power in my opinion. The same people who can view you continually if they please have no professional ethics and lack integrity. Trucking companies think the can ignore the Amtrak rule and refuse to properly withhold a driver’s pay to the wrong state. In fact they think they treat drivers any way they please. The pendulum swings in both directions
It is time employment laws are re-evaluated in my view.
Wouldn’t work for co. With facing cameras.outward cameras great inward violation of privacy.college don’t.ake you smarter just a better lyer. I won’t be fooled by there so called genius.niether should you.
This a lie my company told me I couldn’t cover the camera at any time. I change clothes and I bathe sometimes in my sleeper I don’t have sleeper curtains because they were removed!! I didn’t realize I had a a recording device on me.. the camera records all the friking time!! This is invasion of my privacy!!!
Now with the updates on our current camera system in our trucks not only can the company watch you they can listen as well
Originally they said that if something is triggered like pot hole or hard breaking that it would record
Now they are watching at will
So what if I have to adjust my jeans and my pecker falls out
Is the company going to fire me for indecent exposure because a female supervisor was watching and she is offended
Really what’s next
You can thank California attorney general
So he is on my list to oust next election