Dash cams are not a new invention. Drivers and carriers alike have mounted them on their vehicles in order to have a recording of the road and drivers around them to be used as proof should they need to prove fault in the case of an accident. Recently however, some carriers have begun turning the cameras around and using them to record their own drivers.
The companies that offer inward facing dash cams bill them as “Driver Risk Management Systems” (DRMs), and claim that they can be used not only to observe unsafe driving behavior, but due to the presence of the camera, they also actually make drivers less likely to act in unsafe ways. The thought is that because drivers know they’re being watched, they’ll be on their best behavior.
The two largest providers of video DRM systems are SmartDrive and DriveCam. They both offer a front facing camera, a driver facing camera, a microphone inside the cab of the vehicle, real-time GPS tracking, and vehicle monitoring that reports how fast the truck is moving, acceleration rates, and any “near-miss” collisions. CORRECTION: When originally published, TheTruckersReport.com stated that “At any time, a fleet manager can log on and see and hear what any (or all) of his drivers are doing.” This was an unintentionally misleading statement. In actuality, even though the cameras and other DRM systems are always running, a fleet owner only has access to view camera footage after an incident occurs.
The video below is a sample of what the SmartDrive system records and monitors.
Some DRM systems act not only as a recording device, but also to inform drivers when they’re being unsafe. Drivers can be alerted with LED lights on the device when they are engaged in “risky and fuel-wasting activities.”
Both DRM companies tout the possible benefits of their systems, but even carriers that use the technologies will acknowledge that some drivers seem to have misgivings about having a camera watching their every move.
C.R. England for example currently has a pilot program with both companies. Marcus Edwards, the company’s director of corporate safety explained to CCJ Digital why he thinks some of their drivers object to having a dash cam focused on them.
“Some drivers don’t like it,” He said. “They feel the truck is their house… Some have bad driving habits and don’t want a camera.”
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Image Source: zazzle
dont think so says
…and they wonder why driver retention is a problem…INVASION OF PRIVACY!
Cary Davis says
This is not invasion of privacy. This is a company owned peice of equipment thaat you are being paid to operate. If you want privacy then go buy your own truck and do with it what you want.
There is no defference between this and having a camera in a warehouse and you are a forklift driver being observed.
You are not being filmed in your sleeper birth. Close the curtain and continue to have your privacy.
StayingBack says
Many are doing that certain thing Mr.Davis……Sounds like to me you are some kind of CEO,Safety manager or large Carrier fleet owner……
you haven’t been around long enough to comment like you do..(Yes,I have a pretty good idea of your tenure in the transportation industry)
Folks DO NOT need a camera filming their day behind the wheel……It causes even MORE nervousness and tension. A drivers day is filled with unexpectancies, Knowing they are being filmed just adds to trhe stress.
its Folks like you that we just dont need in transportation,You make things even harder than they have to be. Now Go audit some Fuel taxes or something will ya.
you sound like an insurance entrepreneur with high regards to your own financial well-being.
Charles says
Amen!
Becky says
Amen…i have a question can they listen to your conversation too??
Jim says
Well said Charles.
Frances Handrick says
True, and our Leadership are not using them in the proper manner.I know for a fact that my company is using the equipment against us, I pray day, because I know God’s protection is with me, being with the company over 20 years!
They watch my every move behind the wheel.
It is set up to use it any way they want to.
Driving under that type of conditions is very danger, yet , they wonder why so many go to their phones!
They know it is wrong, how many of their family come to work for the company? How many? So many guys trying to take good care of their families, die each year from the stress, because it is a good paying job, but they die from cancer, stress, and fatigue that comes with the cameras on them, trying to do right.
It seem like the leadership today, all they care about is their
Position, car, house, etc. It like they don’t even relate to us any more. It’s like talking to zombies!
May God, bring change in this are!
Mp says
Yea sir. Well said
b Gabe says
this guy definately says what i felt as i read this idiots statement.
Matthew says
I completely agree. Its Invasion of privacy
Frances Handrick says
Thank you, sir for that comment, because the Leaders don’t understand and seem like they do not care as long as they are getting paid. It is very stressful to be a driver not only because of the camera but the people that are in power of it, seem to want to take You out! I think would they be any different if they had to drive under the conditions, No, some would be worse! Why come we can’t work, together? Why!
Beekay says
Well said! It’s punks like that who are hurting transportation, not helping it!
Kenneth Fletcher says
Right..!
Holly says
I agree with everything you just stated!!
Romeo says
Agree
John m says
Agree and well said
David Gervais says
I agree!
BAD IDEA says
You are ABSOLUTELY correct
Carl says
Well put
Bren says
Yes! I couldn’t have said it better myself! I agree 100% 👍
Kenneth Pearson says
These cameras areba joke ive jad 25 + years in driving and im a grown ass man you ask me to do a job and that’s what i will give you . I don’t need some camera to dictate my daily job ..
Paul says
It’s unconstitutional . That’s for starters. The whole cab is his home. Not just behind the curtain.
Put a camara on yourself 24-7 let us know how you like it? A driver worth a salt lic would not drive for that company. Eventually company would defunk. O/O are making a come back!
mj says
James helwig and son has them and they will call you and safety will brief you. Their spy cams that invade you and yor liberty is gone. Yes invasion of privacy and rapes your individual liberty and freedom
Jeff says
The whole cab is not your home it’s your job !!!
supr brd says
you can leave your comments to yourself. you have never set 1 toe in a truck before. when i am offduty ((I AM NOT ON THE JOB)).i got into trucking because of the freedome of the road(a long time ago).now they want to put big brother right in my face..GO TO BED JEFF,IT’S PAST YOUR BEDTIME..you got school tommorow.get the cams out of the trucks or you will only have 2 year drivers the will kill soccer mom and all of the 8 kids.LET THE DRIVERS GET THERE OWN DASH CAM.not yours
Kenneth Pearson says
Tou must be a newbie
Nancy says
Lemme guess: day cab driver??? Lol home every night? Lol be quiet. You don’t belong in this conversation, Jeffrey!
Earl White says
Where are the classaction lawsuit on this matter with cameras?
Golf Foxtrot Yankee says
there are none…..because it is not against the law or your constitutional rights…..learn the law! no one is holding a gun to your head to work for anyone so if you don’t like the camera get a job somewhere else. and yes it is a company asset so therefore, unless agreed upon by a legal document they can put a camera in the trucks if they like. Man I love self proclaimed trucking lawyers.
Dave says
Sorry to tell you but this is my truck I bought it at kenworth, I am an Owner Operator and my company says my authority my camera forward rear and audio.
Yes invasion of privacy.
Romiro lopez says
Yes this might be your truck but I’m a client to you I drive a truck to make money you don’t have the right to invade my privacy while I’m driving if you don’t like it you should drive your own truck and see who makes money then
Kevin James Moser says
Their just trying to see some meat twinkies!!
Susan Lawson says
Well you should be able to take your 10 hour break without being recorded 24 7 . Or talk to your banking institution or anyone else for that matter the Camara doesn’t bother me
Gail58 says
Only an exhibitionist would want that
jeff says
Thank you Mr davis, for reminding me why I don’t drive over the road any longer. Alot of people enter trucking because they don’t like being micromanaged, not only that but we also like the freedom the open road gives us. Eventually the vets will retire or quit, and newer drivers won’t go for this. If I want to be watched constantly and told how to do my job I would be another pencil pusher like yourself. Luckily who I work for trust their drivers and pays way more then being over the road.
Kenneth Pearson says
Amen ..amen amen
Lisa Neubauer says
That’s not always the case I own my own truck but pull trailers for another company. That company now is making us have a camera. My husband and I drive as a team we don’t stop the truck so we have a porta potty. Im sorry but does the company have the right to put a camera in your bathroom? We also change our clothes in our truck can they have a camera in your locker room? What about if my husband and I would like some private time together do you want a camera in your bedroom? I know we have a curtain but do I want some pervert listening in on the sound system. This is our home and we shouldn’t have to feel like someone is watching and listen everything we do.
ken says
i have 1 of these in my truck and when the ignition is off so is the camera, so anybody with an apu should not have a problem with them when they are on their break.
Troy says
So they say! I’ve started my 10 hr break…motor off, privacy code entered, been still for hours, and look up and the camera light is on. Almost got fired for covering camera while on 10hr break. My question…why were they looking in while ignition off and sitting for hours?
Book Dallas says
BUT– did you know the sound stays on for 2 hours after truck is shut down.
Jp says
Exactly
Shawn says
They will make it about your safety @ first then it will become the norm and people won’t even be worried that big brother is watching them 24/7 George Orwell Big Brother
Of course your company thinks this is just fine because there are cameras everywhere in this world now just like George Orwell said there would be the watching everyone 24/7 everywhere you go you have no privacy anywhere now
Mike Townsend says
It does causes alot of tension because i have one in my truck and i know how i feel and how it makes me feel…not right at all to have this in our trucks!!
John Decker says
There was a case where an alleged pedophile and creeper liked/was employed to monitor these “Bundycams” (named after Ted Bundy, the notorious serial killer) for a company. Unfortunately, for that creeper, they were all adults but that’s the kind of loser, sick bastard, that would/could be watching you? Violations of rights & privacy, lawsuit worthy given the proper circumstances? Inquiring minds want to know!
Shawn says
Our company was considering this we are a team top earning and we told our ceo and manager if they installed fwd facing cameras we were gone i would like to see if the pencil pushers would like a camera in their offices and homes montering them all the time and watching how much time they waste and get paid for and in their homes monitered by insurance companys just in case a accident happens at their house they can review it i bet they wouldn’t be so gung ho on that
Kevin says
I am all for it all as long as all the government officials, ceo’s, jails, prisons, police, should have them installed immediately as well. Let’s hold them all to the same standard as they want to hold us to.
James Wright says
lol I thought i was the only 1 that have that….now i know im not the only one.
James Capital G. says
Its is an inward invasion of privacy..Period
supr brd says
outward has audio to.they can hear you in the bunk with your wife..you are so wrong
John doe says
You are so wrong. The company may own the truck but living in here the lay days I have a reasonable expacation to privacy. This is not a public place there for I have to give my premishion to be recorded. A where house u dont eat sleep and get changed in. If they stuck a camera in a where house I have no issue with that. If there so conserned why not put the camera outside the truck? Instead it’s right here in the middle of the window. It’s a complete invasion of privacy. Y can’t I turn it off when I sleep and am not driving?
Larry Springer says
Their is no justification for cameras in trucks they have enough stress as it is. and now that I know this is going on I will not drive. And just in case you think I’m worthless if you call Wal-Mart in apple valley CA. DC7033 mention my name Larry Springer and they will tell you I was one of the best drivers they ever had and to think I drove for Swift at the time.
Clinton Johnson says
Oh ya well if they record voice to then your private is violated cause the sound is being recorded and when I’m in the sleeper I’m free to do what ever I want I’m not being paid for that time and I’m on my PERSONAL TIME!!!!!!!!!!!!! Completely a invasion of privacy
Tracy Speirs says
Maybe it is company owned property. It is also OUR HOME. Now think about what you do in YOUR home. Yup, we do it in that truck. Especially man & wife teams.
What happened to HIPPA? Is that an old law to be thrown out? What’s next? Camera in bathroom stalls/shower?
Vitaman says
None of the above. Its all about government intrusion into our lives and setting another monitoring resource for the antichrist.
Vitaman says
Amen well said
J says
when you pay for a hotel room, they do not have camera’s in your room.
I feel with a sleeper cab, once I am on my hours down I should have privacy, the camera is always on.
Mike says
Not invasion of privacy but a distraction for night riders when a green on light and two infrared lights are in the line of sight for seeing from side to side your eyes are drawn to them lights and a few companies have been sued and lost when it was found that camerars with lights did contribute to distracted driving
Linda says
I have my own truck and I am owner operator I personally drive my Truck and the company I work for just put there camera in my truck is this allowed???
Julio says
I am waiting to get a answer for this i would like to know if there a law about this same problem
Gail says
It is illegal under the IRS tax laws. They cant tell an Independent how to do their job. They arent paying your taxes. You can go to the IRS and to tax court if need be and demand to be reclassified as an employee seeing how they are illegally treating you as one
Steven Hower says
If the camera facing inward toward the cab of the truck IS an invasion of privacy. The driver is an employee as long as the truck is moving. If you are in the sleeper you are not being paid and are not an employee. And.. As far as the privacy curtain, I have two of them however I only use the curtain that covers the windshield. I use this curtain because I don’t want people looking at me while I sleep. This curtain does NOT stop a company from looking at me while I sleep.
Bill says
Then I should be able to record and film you as well
As my body is my equipment
That does the job so audio and video when we talk.
Eric Newquist says
No it’s different because you can clock out at the warehouse and go home. With this is your walking around in your underwear in your sleeper if you don’t have the curtain pulled they’re creeping out on you it’s one thing for somebody to watch you drive a forklift across a warehouse floor but different when it’s pointing right at your face 24/7
Henry says
Highway facing cameras; fine. Driver facing cameras are invasive, intimidating, and convey distrust. They are promoted in the name of safety, and providing additional protection from litigation. Some people willingly forfeit their personal Liberties and agency under the righteous banner of promoting ever greater safety and protection. I for one am sick of it!
Almost any intrusion upon personal Liberties and agency can, and increasingly ARE, being pushed upon others in the name of safety, the environment or health. Driver facing cameras are a joke!
supr brd says
even with cams facing out there is still audio being recorded 6-7 sec before the light comes on,(for the idiots who want to say “stop talking when the light comes on”) talking on the phone going down the road is legal hands free(headset).talking to your doctor or who ever is private.(“highway facing cams;fine”) YOU ARE SO WRONG!!
Brian Dixon says
As far as invasion of privacy what does knowing what what we say to ourselves have to do with safety, maybe we need to put recorders in there office to know what they are saying about us company man
Mike says
Give me a monitor so I can watch those who are watching me. It’s only fair.
supr brd says
point the cam to the bunk and get you a lot lizzerd.get into some voyeurism..( HEERE KITTI KITTI KITTI )
Kathy says
My husband and I live in this rig and to know that we are being listened to and recorded is an invasion. Maybe I want to have sex with my hubby during my 30 minute break. Hell maybe I want to listen to a smut audio book. The thought of my conversation being recorded or being watched don’t set right with me. Buying my own truck is not an option. Just because I aman employee don’t mean that my employer should be able to listen in or spy on me I am not a slave I am an employee.
Candy says
I know other jobs can’t record on ur break. Or when u change clothes. I agree how this right
Bill says
Slave yes your in america…the best slave ith slave that actuly believes he or she is free wake up america you have been fooled into believing you are free.
Mike says
Well since it’s company equipment and I’m required to stay in it on my off time without pay then I should either be paid for all hours I’m in it since it is a work environment or be paid with a hotel and per diem each night I’m not able to go home.
Mike says
I’d cover the inside facing camera while off duty or on break/reset!! If I were all of you!
Mike says
1. Post trip done!
2. Off duty done!
3. Camera coverd done!!!!!
supr brd says
OUTWARD OR INWARD FACING CAMS STILL HAVE AUDIO…get 1 of those airhorns in a can and when u r offdudy and that light comes on put that can airhorn up next to the outward facing cam(that is where the mic is) and lay down on that can airhorn..(that’ll learn um)
Kevin says
Wrong when I go into a bathroom or a motel room which neither I own it’s against the law to record it
Craig Anderson says
There are wire tapping laws.the thing records what you say.so we will see
John Randomson says
It is a invasion of privacy and it’s entrapment. I have already sued a company over it and won in court from the judge. They can watch anything you are doing at any time.
Gail says
Then, you put a 24 hour surveillance camera with microphones in your bathroom and bedroom at home so that your boss at work can watch every move you make and hear every word you say, you grotesque little toad
Roger says
Myself and my wife don’t live in a factory if we work there let’s put them in your home!
Ann BEAKKE says
When you spend more time in that truck than you spend with your family, you should have some privacy. Period. If you think otherwise, good luck retaining drivers, stupid.
Candy says
It is when u got the company listening to your conversation between u and ur husband about family business. Because u don’t want to discuss it in public. It makes u wonder what else they listen to. Especially when u are off for your 10 hrs. That your time. And if u got to leave the truck on for air conditioning camera stays on
Bryon Stevens says
You don’t live on ur forklift so yea there’s a huge difference u ain’t changing clothes on ur forklift and ur wife isn’t riding with you on ur forklift big difference
Moondog says
Then expect to keep hiring more drivers…When the supply of ‘drivers’ run out, there’s always ‘steering wheel turners’ to fill the seats.
Bob Smith says
It’s quite different having a camera in your face recording you every minute you are on the clock than having a wide view of the warehouse.
Steven Hraham says
All except for the fact that it’s one foot from my face and it’s a physiological thing and not every one can deal with that sort of pressure constantly every day.
Jake says
Actually having a camera focused on YOU , sending alerts to your boss Everytime you hit a large bump is not the same thing as a camera looking generally at a warehouse. Your argument is largely based on that comparison so it is therefore invalid. Try to be reasonably rational next time.
Steven Hraham says
O yea there is a hole lots it’s like having a gun in your face all day it one foot from my face
Mike says
I’m leased on to a company that wants to put cameras in the owner op trucks as well. Their equipment is the trailer only not my truck or me!! My truck is MY warehouse and I can see it just fine thu my eyes! Is this legal? Should I be compensated for holes drilled in MY truck??
Books Dallas says
Don’t o/o have contracts? can’t do until contract is up, then do or go somewhere else.
Tom says
I’m guessing that there are execs with the company who drive company vehicles. Are cameras installed in those also?
DriverJohn says
Didn’t you know it’s do as I say not as I do.
So that being said of course the executives and the company owners do not have recording devices in their vehicles
Charles D Hoyt says
BS. I am an O/O and was told I’m getting a camera or I wouldn’t be dispatched anymore.
Book Dallas says
So- everyone with a mortgage don’t own the home, bank does, they should have same right to put camera’s in-house, after all- people slip, fall, ingage in risky risky behavior smoking, drinking ect. ect. ect.
Robert says
BS, if someone wants to spy on me then i should have a monitore to spy on them, personally i would never work for a company that has this bs, because there is no need to have a camera on a drivers face like that, and it goes to someone who the driver doesnt even work for, very disrespectful and degrading, and everyone i talk to agrees with me, i can deal with the lens on the road but not in cab, and i do think that every driver should have their own personal cam, but that differrent because it theirs, you wanna know something, a company can actually use this matter to attract drivers by not not having this BS, not me, i could never work with this bs
Ron says
There are also companies requiring owners of their own truck to install a camera in their cab to so that comment doesn’t always hold true.
Robbie says
Sounds like You want to invade our privacy. You MUST be a Fleet manager, as you wouldn’t be opening your mouth like you are doing. ENOUGH STRESS behind the wheel without MORE STRESS. A company that places cameras like this to watch you, DOESN’T TRUST YOU. Why trust a company that does that?
Scarecrow says
Driving a forklift the cameras can’t hear private conversations.
Todd says
This is an invasion of privacy, any company that needs to spy on their drivers have a serious issues with trust, I worked for a company that tried cameras, and drivers got called in for nonsense, you reached for your blue tooth, you reached for whatever, even when the driver never took his/her eyes off the road, Mr. Davis let us put a camera at your desk/work station and see how you like it
Gene says
I’ve got two words for Mr, Davis, and every driver on our roads today, SELF INCRIMINATION! As these driver facing camaras become more common so to will be the prison time for drivers involved in accidents that lead to major lots of property or life. Even if it’s not the drivers fault. A good attorney can spin a sneeze or a sip of coffee or hell, not having both hands at ten and two, sway a jury into believing the driver of the big bad loud smoke emitting road hogging semi truck as the devil and murderer of innocent motorist whom always obey EVERY traffic law. Furthermore company’s aleready have problems with driver retention so maybe they should continue to trust the men and women they vetted during pre hire and not ask them to give up their freedom with self incrimination.
Mike says
Big difference. If you live in your truck and get undressed. Camera records 24-7 plus it records audio. The best way is to not work for companies that record inside a sleeper truck. How about that lady getting dressed that got her footage on the internet.
TDA says
You’re obviously NOT a driver…..imagine EACH and every person at a warehouse having a camera directly on them all day….every day. Then you tell me that’s not an invasion of privacy. They’ve caught people changing, they’ve caught them. While stopped. The system is flawed. Period. Listening devices fine. Camera, implies you’re not trustworthy. An outward facing camera can tell on a driver JUST as easily as an inward one. Unless the driver is way better at lane control than I’ve witnessed driving.
Brent says
What concerns me isn’t the current state of the cameras, but what they will eventually lead to. Do you know that when Social Security numbers came out people were so worried that they’d be used for tracking and privacy invasion that the cards had, “For Social Security purposes only-not to be used for identification” written on the front? It didn’t take long for that to stop. Likewise when seatbelt laws were enacted they were strictly only allowed to be enforced when stopped for another violation.
This whole thing is about getting the camel’s nose in the tent. No tyrant begins with laws used for evil or bad purposes. Nobody would let them. Usually everything evil starts with allegations that children will be saved but any public safety issue will do.
Interestingly enough, if safety is what they want, just don’t have a trucking industry. You know no matter what they do, trucking will always be dangerous. Will they outlaw ice storms or lightning? Why should we allow the trucking companies to decide where acceptable levels of danger end and safety begins? I can decide that for myself-by quitting the industry. I guarantee that will do more for my safety than any camera.
Noble1 says
Quote: “Canadian court rules against driver-facing cameras”
https://cdllife.com/2017/canadian-court-rules-driver-facing-cameras/
Quote:
“An employer must be aware that, as a rule, surveillance cameras should not be used to investigate the quality and performance of employees’ work.”
Pointing a camera directly on a stationed employee is intrusive and an infringement on an employees rights & freedoms ,which renders the constant surveillance of a “specific employee” highly unreasonable .
July 22, 2019
Quote:
“surveillance must not single out a specific employee. ”
https://www.kcyatlaw.ca/video-surveillance-in-the-workplace/
Let’s keep this very simple .
The Quebec judgement on the matter wasn’t based on a “civil code” per se . The “precedent” has now been established despite the fact that it is a Quebec court ruling . The ruling was based on a Canadian constitutional right to privacy . CANADIAN PRIVACY “LEGISLATION” placed restrictions on the collection, use and disclosure of information by provincial and territorial governments and by companies and institutions in the private sector .
Therefore DRIVING FACING CAMERAS are a violation of the CANADIAN Charter Of Rights & Freedoms .
In my humble opinion ………………
James says
If you want to film a driver like they are in a warehouse operating a fork lift, then run only local drivers. You know trucks with no sleepers there is no excuse for this pathetic behavior from companies.
Verlivia Aquino says
Oh yes you are being filmed in sleeper birth.
Brian Ruby says
i before e except AFTER c!
Terry Johnson says
So if your landlord, who own your residence, wants to place a camera in every room of your apartment is totally acceptable to you ?
The average driver lives in his truck for 2 to 6 weeks and has the right to expect some measure of privacy.
In 30 years I have never met a driver opposed to outward facing cameras. Inward facing cameras are a lawyers dream of a class action law suit.
Jed says
Yeah… Garbage men tend to have to pee into a bottle during the course of a work day. It’s not very comfortable having a video camera facing you when you’re exposed.
Dils says
Ok I’m at work on my break in my cab, and I get a very personal call (could be some very bad news about a family member passing for example) and I am entitled to answer as I’m parked and not driving, I take the call and my reaction and response is recorded? and you actually agree with this? You sir are what they call a Dick.
david keaton says
It’s definitely a invasion of privacy let’s put a camera in your office
Mark says
I agree with that particular statement, however with the company i work for, the owner will show those videos to all of the drivers at our quarterly safety meetings. They also post our “smart drive” safety points for everyone to see as a humiliation tactic. This is not only invasion of privacy but also harassment.
James Holliday says
Horse crap. There is a big difference between operating a hilo in a warehouse and a semi. It is an invasion of privacy. How about you have a camera viewing you at your desk all day??
Bobby says
The entire truck inside should be private period and to think a conversation between you and your wife is being listened to is just disgusting
Nancy says
If that’s the case, why aren’t we paid that way? Why are we mostly only paid per mile? If these trucks aren’t our “home” and are only company equipment, we should get paid for our time basically living in them no??
Brent says
That response is a typical lawyer BS style response. Firstly, “invasion of privacy” here is not being used as a legal term. It’s not really even being used as a moral one-it’s being used in a procedural context. Few people here think there is a legal issue; if they did the companies using cameras would all be in court now. For example, if I have a neighbor that gawks at me night and day, they are invading my privacy and although it isn’t a legal matter, I can still do something about it-like planting shrubs or moving. I’m not going to just say, “he’s perfectly legal so I can’t do anything about it”.
Secondly, people don’t get jobs as truck drivers so they can be treated as if they worked in a warehouse, Einstein. The job is notorious for people who want to work alone and not deal with immediate authority.
The driver cameras are not primarily used for safety. I’ve had one go off many times and never once has it gone off where I was even near getting into a near miss. They nitpick drivers under some ridiculous theories of psychology that putting drivers in a certain frame of mind is going to reduce accidents. Basically they try to keep drivers scared as one might be if they were walking around in a room that has a few static electrically charged items in it under that theory that a constantly scared driver is a safe driver (until he dies at age 62-then who cares). They are a way for the trucking companies to cow to legal authorities in an overregulated industry under the idea that **it rolls downhill and eventually ends up piling up on the driver.
The only solution is to stop driving trucks, leave the industry, and force both government and trucking companies to try to use automated trucks, while the drivers sit back and laugh at who they will try to blame when the automated trucks get in accidents-and believe me, they will.
Gear jammer says
Do you understand about a persons rights and the word intrusion. Being monitored via video and audio is just another way for the company to reduce money paid out for insurance and further shift responsibilities and liabilities to the driver. How many days have you driven in which you would say was a perfect day on the road? Days that you ran the exact posted speed for your entire shift. Days you didn’t forget to dim your lights or properly signal on every lane change or exit. Days your focus may have went to a awesome car or truck you pasted or even a hot gal. Days you reached into you lunch bucket to get something to drink or a piece of candy to keep you from coughing. Days you did not feel well. I would just guess the answer is none. I understand the truck is not yours but these owners are not in business to loose money. You are paid the least amount possible so these owners get max return. Understand they protect themselves and you must protect yourself. Outward facing cameras could possibly help the driver but they better be driving perfect and not doing anything wrong. People and drivers are no perfect. Nor are they machines that can be conditioned as such. Big businesses and big money have way too much control of people and there will for sure be stranger things to come. Heart and breathing monitors to detect sleepy fatigued drivers. Lol. How far will humans let this control go? The rich become richer and the poor become poorer. How many strings will you allow them to put on you the human puppet? I am very easy to get along with but we the American people have constitutional rights and we should ensure these companies abide by them. They spend millions each year on lawyers and law firms to twist wording and words so us poor ole truck drivers are keep in complete control. Slavery has long been gone but now it’s being done in very educated white collar way. A way our money can’t do anything about. Whatever race or gender you may be we must come together and keep our freedom and rights in this country. They were written to protect their most precious assets. The American people.
Ann says
A warehouse cam is not in your face. If you worked in an office you would object to having an always-on cam. I don’t feel comfortable. Personally I sing along with the radio to keep myself alert while driving, but now I can’t.
Gary Jepson says
Mr. Davis you are quite the piece of work. In your statement the misspellings are just juvenile. Go back to your corporate office and try to find another way to increase your profits without trampling on our human rights.
Derek says
Commie Bastard then hook up a dash cam to your bedroom and let everyone look at the feed, then we’ll tell you the mortgage and insurance company wanna make sure your not smoking in Bed, sound familiar
Fran says
I have no problem with the camera, but, i do have a problem with them recording your private personal conversation.and it’s supposed to be monitored by a 3rd party.not your employer unless there is an incident.
Matt McClellan says
It comes on at night when I’m sleeping. It’s on when I wake up when I change my clothes. Driving I get it. Night time that’s my personal space.
William says
This is illegal in Canada. No one challenged it here yet. And when the drivers do I know that the courts will agree that it is a privacy issue. A driver has the right to expect some level of privacy while living in that truck day in and day out.
William Thomas says
But when including audio to the mix is where the issue .. If company allows bluetooth operations via phone conversations that is a invasion of privacy.. there are no video camera or audio in a managers office!!
Douglas Dale Young says
We have to eat, sleep and everything else in the vehicles that we operate for Drive-Away companies, because the company is too cheap to afford us motel rooms, so yes, it IS an invasion of privacy.
kazysky says
Yes you’re being filmed
Ooh this driver farts all the time
Cmv says
What about when they listen to private conversation
Duane says
I know I am late to the party, but you are 100% correct. Privacy acts related to personal information do not apply to company vehicles. Would you walk down the street sharing your social security number? Then why would you do it in a company-owned vehicle?
Scott says
If you fully read the article cameras do record 24/7 and the do record the inside the sleeper and thats why I cover mine up when I go on my break. Thank God I’ll be retiring soon when I get my 40 yrs in.
John H. says
What are we in China? People want more control and power over people. If you want to control the how the truck is driven that bad then drive it yourself. Were Americans and proud of our freedoms now let me do my safety sensitive job as stress free as possible!!!
Jeff says
Why not just quit and collect unemployment Roght now you would make more money than working What these companies don’t understand is if there is a accident the driver will always get blamed and the company will be sued because of these cameras All they have to do is see you turn your head and in a court the company will always lose So keep putting cameras in the trucks
Southbound 95 says
Mr. Davis , not picking up wht your saying !!!!! Pound sand !! Like I said COMPANY’S WONDER WHY THERE IS A DRIVER SHORTAGE ??? KEEP IT UP !! YOU WILL BE OUT OF BUSNISS SOON …… IDOT
terry says
the sooner there are less driver the better so let them invade are privacy and when are they going to do something about all the other crap never, myself after 30 yrs will never drive a truck again and that is 30 yrs safe driving 5 ticket all toll 2 i earned 3 for the fun of it no driving infractions.
Donna says
This is an invasion of there privacy. Are you being filmed 24/7 in your home?
I can answer that, heck NO your not. So when you get undressed to go to bed are you filmed? Only if your doing porn. Drivers unite now. This is an invasion of your homm which that truck is while your in it. Just ridiculous. …!!!!!!!!!!!!
Cary Davis says
Silly. Do you leave your curtain open for everyone in the truck stop to see you undress? If not then you have no issue. If you do then you are not concerned about privacy.
g m says
Hey. I and my husband have that camera coming on at ALL times, day and night! Whwn we park at home it stays on for hours! It does NOT come on JUST for “incidents”! It comes on because some dufus pulls / forces out in front of us at a slower speed and THEN slows down! We gwt HIS butt chewing. It comes on several times in the middle of our long stretches of highway..and they KNOW we were “talking?”
It comes on EVERY time we stop..for ANY reason and it stays on to see what we’re doing or saying!? Are they trying to catch us naking love?
All of a sudden, a girl started calling my husband EVERY time a yone even pulled up beside us or in front of us and had to TALK? With my husband. She stopped when she realized I was listening on speaker when she called! I tried to call her once on his behalf, necause he was tired of pulling off just to call her back…the unit was malfunctioning. She literally BIT my head off and made my husband call her back…she was all sugary when HE called back.
Don’t even try to tell me they don’t abuse those cameras! 21_40 days out..that IS our home! And as for quitting..we ARE. but they have succesfully kept us from saving any money. We might be seeking legal compensation …if we even HAVE any rights anymoreI!!
belinda says
Most truck have curtain on the windows that they look out while driving…So what you are saying. jump on the bed and undress…What a AZZ. So drivers down time. in Pj’s up fixing something to eat. Got to do this outside of the bed. You want to see. WHY! would you take a trucker on if you don’t trust them. We have to turn over a 5 to 10 years driving record..Give us a truck but still don’t trust…MMM. Maybe the CEO needs help….
Tracy Speirs says
Curtains come open. Unless you have lived in a truck you have absolutely no idea about it. Go out on the road for a year, then say you’re still in agreement with rear facing cameras. Otherwise you’re just ignorant of the facts.
David McKinley says
You don’t sleep eat and expect the privacy while in a warehouse.
(Then learn the correct way to spell difference)
Then…when that is learned…read what Federal Court rulings have to say about it.
Companies doing this must make all personal aware. An employee under Federal guidelines has a right to object and leave the employer with no consequence. (Negative reports)
I hate these blogs and computers in general. Yet that’s the way its done these days…and the people that are now behind the wheels of out interstate commerce know nothing but computer and cameras…it’s what happened when big brother came in and changed our HOS and put elogs in place of paper logs (which are still required by law to be carried onboard…now how many of you young folks out there really know how to work a paper log book)
Just a thought for those who knew how it used to be when we were respected on the roads…
Eric Newquist says
No you close the windshield curtain and leave the curtain open between the cab and the sleeper to give a feeling of bigger space so you don’t feel like you’re living in a coffin. Nobody can see you from outside the truck and nobody should through a camera.
Verlivia Aquino says
Agreed
Bobby says
The entire truck inside should be private period and to think a conversation between you and your wife is being listened to is just disgusting and Cary your just a damn idiot
Fran says
That’s funny,my curtains have a cut out for the camera.so explain that too me?
David says
Donna’s right. It’s spying, likely for pure harassment purposes. No matter who owns the truck, it’s spying. If anybody thinks that’s ok, then they shouldn’t mind having a spy-cam turned on them. If the bank is the true owner of your house, then Cary D should not mind cameras in his house, bathroom, bedroom.
Ann says
Exactly
terry says
drive would unite but then the news and company would just make a joke of it look at the last stance
John Gannon says
You’re absolutely right. And it happened the other night while on my home time noticing a few odd and suspicious sounds and things in the sleeper. Turns out….tractor is wired and bugged. As you said, and I couldn’t agree more that we drivers need to stick together.
J says
find a good lawyer !! let all Truck Drivers know !! I think this is a whole new ball park for privacy.
Fran says
Amen
Romiro lopez says
If companies want to watch employees work inside of the truck then let them come drive the truck and I’ll just stay home and look for another job
Bert Clayton says
You are right. Slavery was abolished years ago, where you’re a human being and more so an American that has the right to privacy. The truck can be watched and traffic, but watching and eavesdropping on you, NO!
Anon says
Really?!? Well let’s just put cameras all over Mr. Edwards house watching his every move and see what he’s got to say about it. The camera in my truck would be broken so often that it wouldn’t be cost effective.
WI_HighwayAngel says
Well said!
Cary Davis says
And you would be without a job were it my fleet you were deliberately damaging. I would also report this as a preventable “accident”.
StayingBack says
You should NOT damage others property..Cary is right.
But dont put yourself in that situation in the first place……….as long as you guys adhere to these companies policies, Its your own fault.
I guarantee you drivers 1 thing, If Cary Davis had a camera watching him all day long while he was auditing his drivers fuel taxes or figuring out his drivers pre-planned hauls, He would NOT like it . Nor would he have it.
are you guys Truck Drivers?..Or just a bunch of “well i dunno what i really wanna do” people?
Cdamouse says
Hey staying back, how ya doin? Just making a comment…my mother and father in-law and my husband are drivers. My husband and father in-law individually have more miles under their butts driving backwards than probably Cary Davis driving forward in his lil car…
What they don’t realize is, especially in a coffin sleeper, you have to have the curtain open to get dressed, there is just enough room for the bed and nothing else.
Howard Bailey says
Yes Mr. Davis, intentionally damaging company property would be and should be grounds for termination. However, willfully violating your employees constitutional rights and civil liberties is also a crime. My advise is to block the inward facing camera but do not block the outward facing camera. If this then becomes an excuse for termination or other backlash against the driver, then we’ll see you in court.
jake says
it is unlawful to record anyone’s voice without consent. I’m not a truck driver , so I assume they consent to this ? if so each time their voice is recorded they would have to give consent again, unless they habe agreed that all conversations can be recorded at any time and full disclosure of this was gave . it’s law non- debatable
6 years law enforcement .
Mike says
And that’s why you have a driver shortage.
Tom says
There is no such in your world as an unavoidable accident. I’ve seen both sides as a driver first and then manager. From management’s side…. Simply making the choice to come to work makes that accident avoidable. And the write up given to the driver… Waste of trees
Robbie says
My guess, is that YOU will be running the routes, as NO PERSON in their right mind will.have any of the BS YES, I DO DRIVE for a Living too!
terry says
hate to say it but you are just arguing with a company man and by the sound of he has little or no experience
Brent says
Some of these people would not mind if they lived in a glass house. Actually the person probably doesn’t do anything wrong at all, and their particular person suits cameras. But other people’s life situations are not like that, and they can be perfectly safe drivers.
If driver cameras were the answer and this wasn’t just picking on truckers, we’d not only install them in trucks, but also in all cars and make absolutely sure every driver on the road was obeying all traffic laws at all times. Imagine that. Any law that would make every ordinary citizen a criminal many times a day is excessive law.
ConcernedCitizen says
I can see where driver facing dash cams could be seen as useful by companies. However inward facing dash cams (with microphones as well) seems to be an invasion of privacy in all but day cabs. Sure there are some idiots out there but I’m sure the vast majority of drivers must be doing something right, otherwise there would be far more truck related accidents. Unless truckers like to be watched (can’t help but think Big Brother), drivers need to nip this in the bud.
sudon't says
Why are day-cabs any different? If the company wants to see unsafe behavior, the camera facing the street will do that job just fine. The company doesn’t need to see the driver, nor hear what he may be listening to. Jeez, many of us got into this work so we wouldn’t have some dick watching over us and micro-managing our work all day in the first place.
Scott says
the reason I came into this is the street 50 some years ago because I couldn’t stand to have someone looking over my shoulder watching everything I do I will never drive a truck for anyone not even myself that has to have a camera electronic logbook or any of the other electronic devices no way let them get their inexperienced stupid non English speaking drivers and put them on the road in my place see how many accidents they have I have never ever had any kind of charger accident not because of log books in Camas but in spite of all that junk
michael says
Agreed! Quit over ‘elogs’ now cameras too? By all means LET THE CONNECTED ROBOT drive the truck GOOD LUCK with that and I suggest better get the drug induced zombie four-wheelers OFF THE ROAD first!
Cary Davis says
Then you should hang up your hat now. E-logs are here. Get used to it or get out. The issue I see is you thinking you cannot be replaced with someone willing to be compliant.
StayingBack says
No they’re not Cary………..Only in your head they are. Large carriers that hire warm bodies will continue to use E-logs…..
Independent carriers like myself that know the streets, get the job done right the first time without a need from executive idiots like yourself pushing an ‘E-Log’…Now, Go Audit some Fuel Taxes.
Only thing good you may be able to do in transportation
Big Brother Exposed says
Your probably one of those guys that drive a company vehicle and talk on your cell phone without hands-free device and it’s against company polices for the truck driver to even be on his phone. Let me guess no cameras in your company vehicle. Much less your office
Robert says
Have you ever heard of a thing called wiretap law maybe you should look it up
Zip says
……..and WHAT FLEET MIGHT THAT BE? I don’t suppose you have the stones to tell us do you?
Ron says
Really, all companies always are crying for drivers and can’t find and or retain them once they find them. I hear the all the time from my company, and I have one of the easiest driving jobs you could ask for. Pays as good as anywhere else I’ve found doing similar work.
jack says
I have a friend who hit someone a few weeks back.He was driving down the road and a car was stopped on the side of the road.As he passed, someone from the car stopped just walked right out in front of him.HAd this driver not had the camera,he would have been wrote up and fired, had plenty of lawsuits against him, and wouldn’t be able to ever use a CDL again.DUe to this camera, it recorded the entire accident and the driver was not fired, and was told since there was traffic on the next lane over and he wasn’t able to move to the left, nothing would have prevented this accident.On the other hand, cameras in the cab do make you feel inferior.Its like big brother watching you the entire time you are in the vehicle.
Rudy says
You need to re-read the article. A inward camera is showing the driver, not outside to see if any accident was his fault. Hence the name INWARD.
don lanier says
No cam pointed into a cab is needed to defend anyone from a lawsuit, this is a babysitter device thinking that they will prevent someone from having a beer AFTER work, or from picking there nose, do we really need cams and microphones recording your every word, your private conversations with your wife, galpal, or anyone. Men get up and use a bottle at night for the bathroom, where can you go in the truck to get away from a nanny cam….this is intrusive and not necessary at all, point it out the window, no microphones, I welcome that then you see what a driver faces daily….but into the cab, NO DAMN WAY, No babysitter needed…
Cary Davis says
Yeah because it couldn’t possibly show/record a driver texting, talking on a hand held cell phone, being distracted, road raging, falling asleep or anything usefull like that could it?
Doc says
Yes, it would show plenty. So would a continuous web cam feed from your computer at your desk and cameras in your cubicle. How about keystroke recorders so HR knows what you ALMOST sent in an email. Placing a phone call home to the wife using your personal cell phone? Or are you selling client information to competitors? Luckily the mic under your desk will catch all the verbalized details too. Timed bathroom breaks to ensure optimal productivity, mics and cams in the urinals to catch possible trading of proprietary information. Who knows what libelous and policy violating talk happens in the lunch room, at the smoking bench, or in the company parking lot? Good thing that’s all surveilled, recorded and stored. Give your employees the perks of company phones and laptops to keep them productive at home and on “vacation” and data mine everything they do with it to look for those misdeeds. Company car? More mics and cams. Home office? Surely you don’t mind if we put this surveillance package in your home, good worker.
You can’t trust any of those nasty employees, right? They’re out to steal and they are a liability. If only the Board of Directors could do it all themselves. Cameras in the Board Room? That’s an OUTRAGE!!! I’ll talk to my congressman over dinner to make a law against that.
Q says
Well said!
Russ says
Perfect response.
ampsway74 says
That’s right and just like that on guard it s a distraction. Hence I taped it up. Plus I feel that although it s a company truck I am out here for 5 to 6 weeks this is my house away from my home. Doesn’t matter if it only saves events it’s the point of having it there. Seems like companies don’t trust there driver’s. Well if these companies stop hiring anyone that can breathe. Maybe that would help. And we’ll said
soda pop says
If a driver has a good dmv record then he/she should be exempt from the baby cam — the ones that cause problems should be recorded —
YES we can be replaced but only with inexperienced drivers – all of you e- generation people are pushing out all the good drivers and all over stupid stuff like this..
Books Dallas says
Ok- I’m driving down the road and I’m staring at the camera like it stares at me ( not constant but enough to let them know I’m watching back ) and a accident occurs… who’s fault is it? mine cause I’m not constantly staring at the road or theirs for it wouldn’t have happened if it were not there to begin with?
Big Brother Exposed says
Once again. Your pointing out all the facts that you yes you sit in your office waiting for something negative to be sent from 3rd party minimum wage idiots to criticize a driver. I bet you have stressed to your drivers it’s not anything against trust of the driver but protecting him haha. All you pencil pushers use the same excuse but we all know the real reason. Don’t you have to go polish up your golden knee pads rumorg has it your boss is expecting you real soon
Kathy says
Most of us that have been doing this job know about safety and use it. There are some of us that do have million plus safe mile awards and such. I for one don’t use my phone when I’m in traffic nor do I use my phone unless it is with a head set. I don’t talk on a CB radio. I do listen to books and music. Again I don’t use them while looking for my pick up or delivery nor in traffic but onthe open road I don’t see anything wrong with it. You Cary Davis must not have a clue what life of being a truck driver is. I mean a real old school driver one that stays out for 6-12 weeks out on the road moving that freight those of us husband wife teams need to take care of our marriages and families and we don’t need some sniveling kid listening in to see if we have arguments or sexual activity we do so get over the slave control crap
g m says
Ya but…INSIDE TOO!?
David McKinley says
That was watching down the road…not the driver. Its a shame now with all the ambulance chasing attorneys you feel compelled to protect yourself in this manner.
Down the road is 1 thing…watching me watch the road won’t happen…
Books Dallas says
And where does the audio come in… So, we called you in because we here you go off in near misses with vehicles that cut you off and feel that you have a anger management problem… so where does this all end?…and WE feel your Honor, that he needs to be locked up cause he is clearly a threat to the public….don’t laugh…it’s all about control…and by the way Mr. angry truck driver, do you own any guns?
Charlie Money says
To have ‘Spy-Camaras or what-ever’ anyone wants to call them, watching the driver’s every move and listening to every conversation or sound in a Truck’s Cab,” Is clearly an Invasion of Privacy”. ‘Privacy, which is protected by the United States Constitution and other States’ Laws.
However, these camaras can provide valuable data and keep drivers alert. But there must be a ‘Balance’.
The Over-The-Road Drivers live in their Truck…so it’s just the same as their Home; thus should be protected by laws that protect people in there own homes. Remember, “The Home is a Man’s Castle. ” Therefore, he is entitled to ‘Privacy’.
Perhaps rules could be made that would allow the ‘Camaras’ to be turned-on and off at certain times. Such as during ‘hours of service…first 10 minutes of a Trip and while driving in Big Cities’. Then to have the Camaras-off at all other times. Of course other such rules that are sensable , reasonable … fair and just.
But at ‘NO Time’ should a Trucking Company force drivers to ‘Sign Waivers’… No Man should be forced to Sign-Away-His ‘Rights’. Because if Companies want ‘total robuts’… then they should go look for some and hire them.
Cary Davis says
‘Privacy, which is protected by the United States Constitution and other States’ Laws.
Please show me this reference in the U.S. Constitution. When you work for someone, are using thier equipment, are in their warehouse, in their office, privacy does not apply there.
Privacy in these situations would be reserved to the restrooms. As long as you work for someone else there is no privacy. Many jobs are recorded for safety reason, from warehouses, to banks…. You have a skewed idea of what is legal and what is not.
Mohan says
If a driver goes to work for company “A” and said company has no inward facing camera’s.
Later on company “A” suddenly tells the driver to bring his truck into the shop .
He goes away .. see’s his truck is out hops in and bam , wtf is this.
Company “A” has changed the terms of his employment without agreement.
Who has rights to these video’s.The driver is the star right. Did any of these drivers sign a release .? Is it a condition of employment ? was it? driver does not agree what now? Who owns the video of the drivers face ? Will they get A check if its shown repeatedly .
When the truck is parked is there a reasonable expectation of privacy regardless of a curtain?. I don’t see forklift driver’s nor office nor dock workers living on the lift’s.
You think they forced to wear a camera hat as they leave to go home. Ie unpaid activity.
Of course the easiest solution is just to go work for someone else right. You as well as most of corporate america, seem to have a skewed idea of morality.
Robert says
So long as you’re being exploited by someone else then why not be entirely exploited, right?
Justin says
The company I work for uses cameras we lost 10 drivers in the first 2 weeks due to them getting harassed about dumb nit picky things that us truck drivers del with on a daily basis but since the boss has never driven a truck in his life he has no clue what we go through.
Scott says
Your not in their warehouse 24/7 like a truck. They already know where I am, how fast I’m going and what gear I’m in and if they want to point a camera outside, I’m fine with that. I will never have one facing me when I’m driving. I have enough stress with everything else that is being put on me. No thanks
Gail58 says
With your logic, landlords should be able to place video cameras and microphones in their rental apartments. After all, it belongs to them, not you.
David McKinley says
Like to argue don’t you Cary…?
For some reason I don’t think you even have a dog in the fight.
Its just you being a punk…and you have that right…I fought for your rights too…just like the others on here.
And for your help…I just remember an off hand Federal Court case (this is what’s called Case Law…you can try it if you like.) And couple were in “what the law calls the ‘cover of darkness’ when they were arrested for need acts.
The court ruled that the couple were ENTITLED TO BELIEVE THEIR RIGHTS TO PRIVACY WERE INFRINGED UPON” when officers approached with flashlights.
Hmmmm…the Federal court agreed with the defendants and the charge dismissed.
Some things that YOU seem to thing about the law are just from your flat screen tv or whatever new device you may claim. But rights to Privacy extend well past your non lawyer perspective.
So…if you continue your bantering…it’ll be known that you know nothing…
Julio says
Okay what about if i own my truck and i am leased on to a company and they are telling me that to work here i mosg put a camara in your truck
Books Dallas says
Really, then everyone on any job should have a “go-pro” on their head…hooked up to the same type of voyeur truck watching system.
John says
Never, ever, ever in my truck. Just sayin’
If you wanna see me pick my nose, marry me.
Lisa says
Triple “like” lol.
barton van buskirk says
i think its a great idea. they want to see what really happens out on the road. the blame will be put in the right direction. camera puts you and your dispatch to receivers on notice ..i want a sticker for my truck” sais if your within 20 feet of this vehicle you are being recorded” it will be like a moving 7/11..lmao
Timmy says
If all goes wells barton , you’ll be first on the list to get one installed. P.S. we need you to slip by the terminal before the end of the day. Thanks Tandem Transport
William says
Facing out is one thing. Facing in? Invasion of privacy, even in a day cab. Microphone too? I don’t think you need or want to hear my conversations. Is this not just as bad as NSA?
Gail58 says
They want to hear if you are bad mouthing the company.
Books Dallas says
Truck drivers are the governments guinea pigs, just like back in 86-87 when they wanted to implement the drug test, first they had to give you a 30 day notice before test…well, that lasted about a year, then it was same day, now after notice you have three hours… I was there… I remember telling people and the reaction was ” no way they can do that ” and “that will never go nowhere” same with cams, they start with us and in a few years they’ll be in all vehicles… built in…so you will have no control…out of sight-out of mind… the loss of freedom and our rights ALWAYS begin in the name of SAFETY…
Sam says
Great, just what every driver needs is an opportunity to star in their very own Truman show. If I’m going to be a movie star then I should get a big raise in pay to go with all the celebrity. If not then I recommend that drivers walk away from these companies ASAP.
duke8076 says
Sam is right..Companies want to do things like this they can drive their own trucks..
Roadghost says
It will all be good until some Edward Snowden type starts posting those recordings on YouTube and it ruins a driver’s life and a huge lawsuit is launched against the company. Same old trucking industry, ask the world of your employees and expect to pay nothing. It’s the most scrutinized job there is. The best advice is don’t become a truck driver.
Trailrunner says
Someone should do that to put an end to that program. I wonder if anything is done when driver health issues arise. Like working too many hrs and going irate in the truck because you boss is being an ass or they are disturbing you on off/sleeper time. Can we also use these videos to bring lawsuit against the company. Put everything on speaker phone and you may be retired sooner then you think. Can we bring verbal abuse charges against dispatch personal and the company in lawsuit. Hey wait a minute; this could be a God send for drivers.
Southbound 95 says
O’yeah it’s a good idea !!!!! Bite me !!!!!! Would you people want cameras in the home watching every move ya make ???? Bite me !!!!! This truck is my home !!!! Bite me !!!! There isn’t and will never be a camera in my truck !!!!!! Bite me !!!
Books Dallas says
It won’t be easy, I have dentures…lol..
Will says
” The best advice is don’t become a truck driver.”
Short. Simple. And oh so true.
Chance Way says
Amen!!!!!
duke8076 says
the industry wonders why the driver shortage…lol..
Lone Wolf Mcquade says
The hat on the top says it all! “Don ‘t spy on me, bro!”
Screw these companies, I say! And they day there is a shortage of drivers.
🙁
ampsway74 says
I want that hat
Brandon says
TransAm Trucking now is installing DriveCam in all the trucks….
StayingBack says
yeah? and Trans Am trucking will have few to no drivers too
Charles says
Yup, they will be going belly up. I had one in the truck for a company I worked for which I’ll leave unnamed but I was fired for putting a piece of tape over the inward facing camera when I was on my 10 hour break. I never could get a logical explanation as to why they were turning the damn thing on to see what was going on when the truck was parked for 10 hours. Yea big problem there. I should have sued the piss out of them for wrongful termination but I left it alone because I had to find another job fast and the hassle wouldn’t have been worth the effort.
Books Dallas says
How could a jury vote against that? a million dollar lawsuit… $650.000 after lawyers…$210.000 after taxes…$140.000 in the bank (should cover time to find another job)… maybe worth the effort…
duke8076 says
I was told JBS Carriers has them..
Outdoorsman says
I bought my own camera – and got into an accident. The video showed the other driver was (technically) at fault for the accident (no citations issued)… but I was terminated for ‘Safety Violations’ when the company went back through the video for a period of time – leading up to the accident.
It didn’t help that I ‘knew’ the camera was there – it’s easy to forget it’s there. In 10 hours of driving, day after day, a company ‘will’ find any number of reasons to terminate a driver for not following ‘protocol’ / safety practices… like not using 3 points of contact to get into the cab, pulling away from the dock without a safety belt on, rolling through a stop-sign onto a side street from a driveway, wearing a blue-tooth headset and appearing to talk on the phone while waiting for traffic to clear (when phones aren’t permitted), or not seeing a car approach on the left side of the trailer (where there is a double-yellow line) – before making a left hand turn, and ripping off the cars bumper with the trailer tires.
Yeah – I did that. I gave them the video to prove it. I deserved to get canned – just for the stupidity of it all – not the least of which was trusting that the company would only use the video to prove the other driver was technically at fault.
jonp says
As if England needs another reason to not drive for them.
Ray says
LOL!
Yep says
+1
Ray says
Wow, too much info …
Ray says
jonp, I think it’s obvious he doesn’t do it while driving.
Ray says
This is a complete invasion of privacy. Never, never, never will I permit this. Not for a single minute. The dash cam facing out is fine, but don’t point it in, and no microphone. The day I can’t find a job where this doesn’t happen is the day I do something else.
don lanier says
I would not work for any company that places a camera and microphone in the cab with me, this is absolutely an Invasion of Privacy, If you hire dummies that cant be trusted to operate the rig in a safe manner, you deserve what you get, Try MEN who speak english, can read english, and have a verifiable safety records. They would get real tired of watching nothing because I would tape over it, how many cameras would need to be disabled before they got the point. The Cab is my Home, my office, and if they cant trust you to go out and do the job safely you really think a camera is going to change someones habits, I DOUBT IT. Are we grown ups or do we really need nanny cams to make drivers out of drivers….this is another reason Ill soon be retired, between the regulations and now a babysitter cam, this is no longer trucking….
Books Dallas says
Your absolutely right, but it’s not for driver’s like you and me or anyone that’s been out there for years… I believe they’ll take the risk of us quitting cause not many years left and they know the future crop of drivers are millennial electronic snowflakes that couldn’t put down their I-phones for a hour let alone ten even if someone else’s life depends on it…sad…
JennaH says
I am assuming Jonp you must be in a day cab, and have never been sent to a site to load where there IS no place to go, say the middle of a strawberry field, or a military base where you’re not allowed out of the truck without an escort.. The idea of a camera in a truck isn’t bad, but one that watches the driver, is. Do you want a camera watching you while you sleep, while you eat? I am not proud of some of the things I have had to do in the truck, even as a woman, but you do what you need to when you have to do it.
Marsh Wise says
This is effed up. I will never work for ANY company with an inward facing camera and mic. No. I have 28 years of experience and a clean CSA. I’ll find a job. And if not, I don’t wish to be in such a profession anymore. IF You require that kinda thing, you better be prepared to pay me $50. an hour.
Thom says
So you would allow this for the right amount?
Reminds me of a story I once heard about a dinner that a very rich, very old man was attending and sitting next to him at the table was a gorgeous young woman. Having decided that he had to have this hot little number he began to ply her with wine and an offer of a million dollars if she would consider sleeping with him. She finally agreed to the terms but a few minutes later the old man leaned over and asked her if she would sleep with him for twenty. Astonished and indignant she asked him “what kind of a girl do you think I am? ” and he said to her “I think we have established what kind of a girl you are, now we are negotiating the price.”
Books Dallas says
Starring Robert Redford…
Tony says
This is a bunch of crap. We have camera’s in our trucks and the camera is not on the driver ALL the time. It is on only when activated by a critical event. This article is a typical example of the author not being aware of the technology. Get a clue.
Yep says
Really, Tony? Is that what the company told you. ‘Cause everyone knows that no one in the trucking industry would EVER lie.
No red light doesn’t mean that the cam is (absolutely) not rolling. Just saying.
Mark Triplett says
Drivers in Bowling Green, Ky are self terminating their employment with a certain trucking company there. They were not informed that inward facing in-cab cameras were actively recording whenever the ignition key was turned to accessory or with engine running. They received warning notices concerning the use of a two way communication device. The employer explained this information was garnished via the in-cab recordings. This employer does not allow the driver to use any two way communication device while the vehicle is in motion – PERIOD.
Tony: This employer records their drivers ALL the time.
The “clue” you speak of is what exactly? 🙂
In the Cab says
My understanding from visiting drivecam.com and from my companie’s information, the drivecam unit in powered and recording continuously to an internal hard-disk. The disk retains about 1 hour of video and audio footage. An “Event” is triggered through a motion censor in the unit which could be from hard braking, a bump, quick lane change, or impact. This “Event” is a recorded segment 12 seconds before and 8 seconds after that is uploaded from the onboard hard-disk through wireless transmission to the DriveCam Company for review, then can be forwarded to the subscriber company (your Supervisor).
I would imagine after a serious “Event” the company could connect a network cable to the drivecam unit and download the whole hard-disk for review, or maybe anytime they would want to I guess.
I am NOT a fan of drivecam, but I do need a paycheck until something better comes my way.
I am willing to bet the Tanker Driver that hit the cop cars on the side of the highway in Arizona killing one, is not a fan as well. Footage showed his phone in mid-air during the impact of the crash, he was on facebook looking at girl pics.
jonp says
” It is on only when activated by a critical event. ”
To do what at that point, listen to you scream like a Nancy? What you said makes no sense. Turning on a camera AFTER an event is a waste of time and misses what led up to the event that might be useful to the company in a court of law.
Think before you type, Tony.
James Capital G. says
I just got hired in with a certaIn mail carrier as contractor. Driver manager pulled up live feed of a driver, This was so I could see my own recorded footage of a log tuck loosing one down the highway
Books Dallas says
Makes me wonder why all trucks don’t have “interlock”… “Now…blow hard where we can see you”…
Charles says
You are somewhat correct. The camera can be triggered by a number of events. ex. braking to hard. However the camera is always rolling when the ignition is on but cylcles and only in the event that it is triggered it will save the previous minute (? I don’t remember the exact length of time) of data prior to the cause that trigged it and continues to record and send that data back to safety via the QC. But for shits and giggles, if they feel the need to check on you then they will do so at any given time they wish as per the QC, they have the ability to turn it on (you know when they need to bug you when your alseep and the QC auto shutdown) and capture a segment of footage for review. They tell you only what you need or may be allowed to know but I’m sure theres more to it than they say there is. As in another comment I made for a company I worked for and was fired for having a piece of tape over the inward facing camera while I was shut down for my 10. No logical explanation as to why they turned it on when the truck was parked.
Paul says
Yes it is. I drive for a company that nailed me for a cell phone event and there was no critical event turning camera on. They had me sign a document stating if it happened again I would be terminated. They turn cameras on driver’s from time to time to check on there behavior.
Gail58 says
Duh. That camera rolls 24/7. How do you suppose that it records the 10 seconds PRIOR to the accident if it isn’t on???
labo capo says
Have you guys thought about self driving cars ? Do you realize that in five years (maybe eight) trucks wont need drivers ? Another entire labor field gone…A bunch of horse blacksmiths…looking for tires to patch…
Charlie says
And you believe that?
duke8076 says
technology wont be good enough for that in 8 yrs..
Richard says
Perhaps auto manufacturers should consider putting these surveillance devices into cars and light trucks. At the very least, I would imagine it would drastically reduce the amount of accidents due to idiots using their cell phones and texting.
I’ve always hated this bitter irony: MOST professional drivers are superior drivers to their 4 wheeler counterparts. We have more experience, our vehicles have more weight and size, and often have dangerous cargoes. It requires quite a skill set to operate a tractor-trailer. There’s a lot at stake if we are involved in an accident, not to mention that our livelihoods depend on it.
As we all know, statistics prove that in the vast majority of accidents involving 4 wheelers and semis, the 4 wheeler is at fault the vast majority of the time….and YET….WE are the ones who are treated like the irresponsible children, not the 16 year old kid who has just received his license, or the impatient people who just finished work and are racing to their cabin at the lake on Friday afternoon, forcing the oncoming car into the ditch because they ‘need’ to pass everyone in their way.
I would love to see 4 wheelers held to more accountability for all the bs they force the truck drivers to endure. It’s enough that my truck tells my boss if I’m speeding (not just on the highway, but in reduced speed zones also), or have a hard brake application.
I have no problem with outward facing cameras, but one that monitors everything I’m doing, AND recording my conversations…no way. I’d be moving on from a company that employs this technology.
Island Driver says
I have been driving with the Drive-Cam for 1.5 years now, two times my supervisor has been alerted to “low risk” incidents.
One time a car in front of me suddenly stopped in the middle of an intersection for a pedestrian who was not entering the cross walk. I had to lock up my breaks. I was told I was following at a 3.5 second distance and need to be at 5 second distance, on a scale of 1-10 it was rated a 2. Although my supervisor was not concerned with my actions leading up to and during the camera being activated the program requires him to “coach” me on the incident. He was able to see the stupidity of the person driving the car. It would be nice if these cams were in the “4 wheelers” and insurance companies could see what kind of drivers they are giving coverage to.
The second incident happened while sitting at a red light behind a dump truck. Traffic began to move then suddenly stopped, like most stop and go traffic. The brakes on the truck were stiff and the truck shook when stopping, it triggered the cam. My supervisor told me the company had two low speed collisions at that intersection in the same fashion and just wanted me to be aware, he was not concerned but since the cam was triggered he was required to “coach” me on this incident.
The Drive-Cam can protect good drivers. It would be great if it was used to expose the horrible drivers in “4 wheelers”. I would be in favour having the Drive-Cam in all vehicles on the road.
sudon't says
Dash-cams are great – as long as they’re pointed out.
jonp says
Yes, I don’t think the point here is the outward facing camera’s. It’s the ones pointing into the cab monitoring your every move.
Ron says
This article completely misrepresents how these systems work. THE FLEET MANAGER CANNOT SEE WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE CAB AT ANY TIME, AS STATED HERE. In fact the CCJ article it claims to have used as a source for the information actually states “The only footage that makes it out of the truck are short clips when risky driving events occur.” I don’t know how that could have been misunderstood by whoever wrote this article, but it’s a major error. If you want to read the real article that actually states the correct facts, then click on the CCJ link below the article.
Samuel Barradas says
I apologize for the error. The fact that real-time GPS, MPH, and other truck data is available at any time to the office, and that the in-cab recording is always on, were combined in my mind to incorrectly believe that real-time cab recordings were available to the office. Correction forthcoming, article will be updated to reflect the changes. Thank you for pointing out my error.
jonp says
What would or does stop the company from looking at any footage it wants for whatever time frame the company cares to look at?
Paul says
I guess you have never heard of Matheson Trucking than. They haul US mail and I work for them. And yes they record you from time to time and I was nailed with a cell phone in my hand without causing camera to have a critical event.
Patrick says
Actually, the carriers CANNOT just look at the video whenever they want. They can only see short clips of when an accident happens or unsafe action happens. So in the end, assuming you drive well, there may be a total of ONE minute of footage per month. Most people who have problems with the cameras, dont understand them or are driving unsafe.
Samuel Barradas says
I apologize for the error. The fact that real-time GPS, MPH, and other truck data is available at any time to the office, and that the in-cab recording is always on, were combined in my mind to incorrectly believe that real-time cab recordings were available to the office. Correction forthcoming, article will be updated to reflect the changes. Thank you for pointing out my error.
Yep says
Maybe that’s how the cam works today… but what about “tomorrow”. You know what they say. Give them an inch and they’ll take a mile.
sudon't says
Just because they don’t, doesn’t mean they can’t. And it certainly doesn’t mean they won’t. There’s no technological barrier to stop them from turning on the camera anytime they like and viewing the video feed in near real time. As we see so often in other areas of our lives, once they start, they can’t seem to stop. Soon as we accept, or get used to one level of privacy invasion, they, (they, being anyone granted the authority to do so), will always push for more. You can be sure they’ll eventually invoke 9/11 at some point, as they continue to chip away at our privacy.
Patrick says
Actually, there IS a technological barrier that prevents this from happening. I understand wanting privacy, but I would say that when you are on work time and on work property, why should you be immune to being supervised. When you are on your rest break, close the curtain if you are that worried.
Charles says
BS. Explain why I was fired for taped over the inward camera while I was on my 10. They can pull a clip any time they like for review from their computer other wise it has to be triggered by an unsafe event.
Patrick says
I cannot speculate without details. It could have been the camera was set off by something like hitting the rumble strips while you were doing something you obviously should not have been. Honestly, the people that mostly have a problem with this, are the ones doing things they should not be. I am not saying that is your situation, it could have been something unfair, I dont know. I only know what I have experienced and I know that a lot of individuals look at this as a protective tool (saves careers in some cases) and learning tool to improve at what they choose to do as a living.
Jocko says
Every so often, you hear the argument “If you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear,” in order to justify increased and invasive surveillance. This argument is not only dangerous but dishonest and cowardly, too. The argument is frequently raised in debates by pro-big brother hawks.
There are at least four good reasons to reject this argument solidly and uncompromisingly: The rules may change, it’s not YOU who determines if you’re guilty, laws must be broken for society to progress, and privacy is a basic human need.
1) The rules may/can/do change: Once the invasive surveillance is in place to enforce rules that you agree with, the ruleset that is being enforced could change in ways that you don’t agree with at all – but then, it is too late to protest the surveillance. For example, you may agree to cameras in every home to prevent domestic violence (“and domestic violence only”) – but the next day, a new political force in power could decide that homosexuality will again be illegal, and they will use the existing home cameras to enforce their new rules. Any surveillance must be regarded in terms of how it can be abused by a worse power than today’s.
2) It’s not you who determines if you have something to fear: You may consider yourself law-abidingly white as snow, and it won’t matter a bit. What does matter is whether you set off the red flags in the mostly-automated surveillance, where bureaucrats look at your life in microscopic detail through a long paper tube to search for patterns. When you stop your car at the main prostitution street for two hours every Friday night, the Social Services Authority will draw certain conclusions from that data point, and won’t care about the fact that you help your elderly grandmother – who lives there – with her weekly groceries. When you frequently stop at a certain bar on your way driving home from work, the Department of Driving Licenses will draw certain conclusions as to your eligibility for future driving licenses – regardless of the fact that you think they serve the world’s best reindeer meatballs in that bar, and never had had a single beer there. People will stop thinking in terms of what is legal, and start acting in self-censorship to avoid being red-flagged, out of pure self-preservation. (It doesn’t matter that somebody in the right might possibly and eventually be cleared – after having been investigated for six months, you will have lost both custody of your children, your job, and possibly your home). In addition, this point assumes the surveillance even has correct data, which it has been proven time and again to frequently not have.
3) Laws must be broken for society to progress: A society which can enforce all of its laws will stop dead in its tracks. The mindset of “rounding up criminals is good for society” is a very dangerous one, for in hindsight, it may turn out that the criminals were the ones in the moral right. Less than a human lifetime ago, if you were born a homosexual, you were criminal from birth. If today’s surveillance level had existed in the 1950s and 60s, the lobby groups for sexual equality could never have formed; it would have been just a matter of rounding up the organized criminals (“and who could possibly object to fighting organized crime?”). If today’s surveillance level had existed in the 1950s and 60s, homosexuality would still be illegal and homosexual people would be criminals by birth. It is an absolute necessity to be able to break unjust laws for society to progress and question its own values, in order to learn from mistakes and move on as a society.
4) Privacy is a basic human need: Implying that only the dishonest people have need of any privacy ignores a basic property of the human psyche, and sends a creepy message of strong discomfort. We have a fundamental need for privacy. I lock the door when I go to the men’s room, despite the fact that nothing secret happens in there: I just want to keep that activity to myself, I have a fundamental need to do so, and any society must respect that fundamental need for privacy. In every society that doesn’t, citizens have responded with subterfuge and created their own private areas out of reach of the governmental surveillance, not because they are criminal, but because doing so is a fundamental human need.
Finally, it can be noted that this argument is also commonly used by the authorities themselves to promote surveillance and censorship, while rejecting transparency and free speech.
Dev says
My dash cam light has been red for the last two hours and I am on my 10 hour break. So tell me how this wouldn’t bother you. and to who ever says it only records for 20 secs. No it doesn’t it’s 90 secs at least.
Taures15 says
I just flat out wouldn’t drive for any carrier with this policy of using dash cam on driver! Good idea for use on road view but that is all..
Karen Ricardo says
Voice recording is illegal.
sudon't says
Only if done surreptitiously, and/or without consent. Once you agree to work in front of the camera, which is what you’re doing if you don’t quit, it’s all perfectly legal.
jake says
nope , must be fully disclosed that they will and can be recorded at any time.
Razzmatazz says
I think we should have cameras pointed at the people that come up with this shit. How about pointing some at bankers and senators in the back rooms making deals that crash our economy or cripple our government. There’s where we need some interdiction.
We all know 4-wheelers are the cause of most wrecks but they keep putting the screws to truckers to make it look like they’re addressing the problem. It like your cat knocking over the flower vase so you kick the dog. Over and over! WTF!
Charles says
Nailed on the head bro!
curtis says
a camera like that would make a nice cap holder so, why not put a camera on the back door so that the driver can spend all day glued to the tube. I use mine to watch the 4 wheelers go speeding by. this rear door camera up 10 ft. is soon to be 3 yrs old with almost no safety concerns eg mainly just don’t use it to change lanes.
Susan - Texan in AZ says
Unfortunately, sometimes the cameras can tell more of a story in case of an accident. An AZ highway patrolman was recently killed by a big rig as he sat in his car, blocking the right lane of the interstate due to a breakdown ahead. The driver of the rig with in/outward facing cameras recorded the accident. The screen depicted his speed as being 65 (on cruise control), staying in the right lane (no move over even though there was no traffic in the left lane) and never hitting the brakes when he hit the cop. The inward facing camera showed the driver was looking down at something for 10-20 seconds, then just before impact jerked his head back. The driver claimed he was looking at his mirror and never saw the car stopped in the right lane.
Suspecting the driver of texting (federal violation?) his cell phone records were subpenaed. It was worse than texting – phone records showed he was looking at porn and female escort web sites on his smart phone right up to the moment of impact.
I realize that cameras faced inward are a huge invasion of privacy, but in this instance the circumstances of a fatality became proof due to that inward facing camera. If companies began doing this unilaterally, I’d expect that they’ll lose more drivers than improve safety records. However, I don’t know why the camera would need to remain “on” while the driver is taking his mandated off-duty/sleeper-berth time or during loading/unloading tasks. How many times do dispatchers _really_ want to see their drivers peeing into a bottle while going down the road? Maybe if they DID see that, they’d understand that the drivers are pushed so hard they have no time to stop for personal breaks, and why the drivers constantly b**ch about it. (My own BF is an OTR driver, and I hear it allll the time!)
Ray says
This just shows that idiots will be idiots whether or not they are in front of a camera. Even without that evidence the driver would still have been at fault
Flip says
Even without the inward cam his phone records would have been obtained. He was doing something terrible behind the wheel of a truck. But as a driver that can see down into cars on the road I would estimate 85% are distracted by these same devices too. As we become connected we must find ways to make these connections easier and less distracting!
Millions of Americans still smoke even though it’s bad for you. The same thing applies to handheld media devices but on a much larger scale. We are addicted to these devices and just banning them won’t make us safer.
Doug says
Between the gooberment & the trucking companies, they will make trucking so Unatttractive, no one will want the job.
Rob says
Anyone surprised that England is testing this?
Charles says
Ha, England is behind in the times. These cameras have been in use for several years now and a bunch of companies have already had their fleets equipped with them and those are the ones I avoid like the plaque after having delt with the BS once.
fordconvert says
i know im late for commenting on this. you see, i just got home from my regular job. i sold my rig very recently to avoid the draconian HOS rules and the oppressive “law enforcement”. i took a job at a sanitation company as a roll-off driver and recycling collector (glorified garbage man). we have drive cams in our trucks and they really suck ! i hit a small pothole with a rear tire while turning at 5 mph and that set the camera to record for the rest of the day. yes, once it is tripped, you are being monitored by DriveCam observers, and YES, my boss and my foreman CAN access that cam and watch at any time if they choose. the camera is always recording, but the “observers” get the heads up to actually watch once you have hit a pothole, truck may be at what they call an unsafe angle, or if you have to stab the brakes. simultaneously, the boss and foreman gets an email alert and can watch if they’d like.
i recently had to stab my brakes to avoid rear-ending a semi who had to stab his brakes to avoid rear-ending the vehicle in front of him who had to stab his/her brakes to…. I got back to the shop and got written up for a “near-collision”. i got my ass chewed and they said they were going to use the clip in our next safety meeting as an example of “following too closely”. i told them that instead of chewing my ass, they should have told me “good save” !
Cuda says
Roehl inside camras in some of there trucks also.
WING says
Everyone missed the biggest opportunity available to make this NOT happen!
Did you not Park It when the government shut down?
Rob says
WT*!, Seriously? I’ll sit at home and collect unemployment before I drive a truck with inward camera and microphone. This is absolutely assinine instead of sinking money into inward cam and mic, how about put that money into improved driver training? Makes too much sense though. Somebody should YouTube CR England’s driver training program.
Jude Ossowski says
I’m thinking the new camera would just give me another place to put my hat. Just imagine an11 hour recording of the bugs walking around inside what I wear on my head. Oscar material!
ironage says
Between low pay, never getting home when promised, overbearing CSA regulations and now this…..i can’t help wondering if they aren’t purposely trying to run EVERYONE out of this profession. Very strange.
calambert says
NOT ONLY JUST YOUR COMPANY CAN SEE YOU BUT ALSO OUR GOVERNMENT OH YEA ! THEY ALREADY HAVE THEM AND WILL BE ABLE TO ACCESS ANY COMPANIES CAMERAS ALSO LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT CAN SPY ON YOU ! THIS IS NO BS ! They will be spending alot of money trying to keep these cameras in trucks if they they install them.
lexmark says
All of you screaming about invasion of privacy need to take a deep breath and realize something; the cameras are intended for use in the workplace, which just happens to be a vehicle. There is ZERO expectation of privacy. Your employer can put a camera wherever they want except restrooms.
It might not be right to do it in an otr truck but there’s nothing you can do about it except quit. Besides, according to the article, footage is only viewed in case of an incident. Do much driving from your sleepers?
Charles says
Words from the horse’s mouth. “Anyone that is under safety review can and will have randoms clips extracted for review even when the camera hasn’t been triggered.” Curtsy of my previous employer.
T Owens says
What else will they think of. I’m almost out of response as I posted to the report about uncle Obama to mandate hair folical drug testing. Good grief! Few years ago a company safety prick always ragged on me about my idle hrs. I tried calmly many times to explain that I do live in there heap for up to 3 mos at a time without my accrued home time. I explained if its hot I run the AC. If it cold I run the heat. Simple as that. Well they don’t understand. So I told the prick to load his frickin office in his minivan n sit in the parking all day n work without idling to keep comfortable. Then take his time off sleepin in the back also without runnin creature comfort. His response was ‘ that’s just rediculous!!! U expect me to work n live in a van?!!’ That just shows their mentality or I should say lack there of. Now they want to video you. I swear its becoming more of a police state politically and professionally. Someone is always waiting (now watching) intently to bust your balls!
They r like blood thirsty vultures who can’t wait to fire you for petty bull. We are all human and are not perfect, we are just tryin to do our job to survive and support our family’s.
I would never submit myself to the humiliation of a inboard camera. They can kiss my dirty ol butt. I am no saint and do spur of moment things that may not be tolerated but in the end I deliver the product efficiently in timely manner with safety in mind. Never had a at fault accident and no tickets in about 21yrs. I guess they’ll ban emailing while driving next. Dammit. Well gotta go I’m almost at my drop site. Hahahahaha
Dava Serbantes says
I am a good driver, but the second they put a camera on me, I am GONE!
Larry says
Outside the truck, I get it. Inside the truck NO WAY!!! Roehl Transport have them inside some of there trucks also.
ED says
Ok drivers, now is the time as it has been for a while since the electronic intervention of logs to sing that Johny Paycheck song , tell these carriers to “Take this job and shove it!”
I’m making 100K plus a year with government contracts, what are some of you doing operating for these low life companies? Most of you are very smart, educated, and good people, why risk your life for pennies a mile ?
Good luck to all.
Charles says
Because not everyone is fortunate enough to be able to get that kind of financial help due to credit ratings and most don’t have $50-100k laying around to start a business. Then there are those that just simply aren’t business material.
StayingBack says
Hello EVERYBODY!
I started driving in 1983……Here are my thoughts and true beliefs
NO CAMERAS either in or out!No insurance cameras either,,,Just exoneration cards
Truck Drivers should be truck Drivers…Not civilians NEEDING a job
Truck Stops that Cater to Truckers.(Hot coffee ready when I sit down after a long day)
Trucks that were born to work..(Not these plastic electronic staste of the art financial disasters)
I myself STILL to this day use early style tactics in my workday..I help stranded motorists/truckers….I give a ride to someone in need (Knowing the risks are higher today I still turn my cheek on the risk to help)
My truck is a 1987 peterbilt 362 I pull a 1995 Great Dane flatbed and i am NEVER in a hurry.
I’ve enjoyed this job for many years..and will NEVER adhere to any unreasonable laws…….
I believe in customer service and Getting the job done right the first time………
Through the years..I have seen Some improvements..But many changes have been for the worse..Roads have become easier to drive..But Attitudes,Greed,selfishness have overcome society and has entered the transportation industry…….
Would anyone like to hear more?? Meet me at the Truckstop,We’ll talk over a cup of coffee and a smoke.
To all you REAL Drivers out there….I need not explain ,You already know. For those who need further explaining…Unfortunately,You’ll never understand
Books Dallas says
A truck stop where you can have coffee and a SMOKE….where??
Nick says
Good Letem watch…. to save them in a lawsuit start raising the driver wages… The companies using this are the puppy mills…its gonna hurt them more than save them….
Keith says
Any time a company spouts “safety”, what they really mean is “lowering their liabilities”. Since people are fundamentally dishonest, and sometimes unreliable, companies sometimes resort to using cameras to provide a record of events, so that if they must blame a driver for something, they’ll have proof of his culpability. Most company wanks don’t care whether their workers live or die, but they certainly don’t want the workers to cause the company to incur any liabilities–extra costs don’t reflect well on their performance, and the shareholders suffer.
To those who view spy cams as only beneficial: You have never known freedom, and your acceptance of another slave tool is further evidence of your scraping obeisance to your masters. You’re so grateful to have a job, you’ll accept any demeaning thing they lay upon you. You’re actually behaving according to plan. Well done, slave!
I drive big-truck and I don’t want or need a nanny–haven’t needed one for a long time.
Charles says
Amen. They are just big government and corporate ass kissers.
jonp says
“The only footage that makes it out of the truck are short clips when risky driving events occur. The clips show what happened before, during and after an event like a sudden lane change, a rapid acceleration or deceleration or rolling through a stop sign. ”
How would a company know you rolled through a stop sign and look at the tape of that “risky driving event” (which it is) without monitoring you all of the time? No brakes are hit, no sudden jerks of the wheel, no sudden stops etc.. nothing to generate interest in that period of time
Tony V says
In the name of safety? No. It’s more in the name of productivity and company compliance. I can’t wait to hear about the first driver being fired for bad talking the company over the CB.
JimmieA. says
actually we had a couple of drivers let go because they were showing the camera their “social index finger”……I mean really!
Gail58 says
I know someone that happened to.
Carl Lawson says
That’s easy …..oil and gas field operation heavily monitor cb transmissions in and out of drill/fraction sites…..believe me…it’s already happened with us…another fired for Facebook comment company found damaging to its image……
Trucker Kel says
I want to see cams in office cubicles at work, then….ordinary offices, and other jobs. See if the guys at Jiffy Lube are doing it right. And how about cams on every politician to see if we are getting our money’s worth!
slickbackdriver says
So who is going to use “Spy Cams” on the Employers?!!!!!
Cindy says
Schneider users them, voice records too, but no worries, they tell us” ScSchneider agreed to never use them in cab”,yea well they lie. And lie. AND lie. And laugh, all the way to the bank.
KB says
Not a trucker, I can see a camera facing out, but a camera facing in is an invasion of your privacy. There are way to many piss poor managers and companies (no matter the industry) that think micromanagement is a good management style. In all actuality it is substandard performers who are in above their heads and should only have power over a mop and a broom, as they have zero people skills, zero understanding of real management and probably have more mental issues then then the average person. Seems we have allowed the mediocre to rise to the top and they do nothing , but promote a nanny state due to their own insecurities…My view is truckers need to strike more or kick their union leaders butts for not supporting them.
Tony says
Along with my OTR experience…granted it’s only a couple of years…I have been a paramedic for nearly 14 years. Some of the agencies I’ve worked for have put monitoring systems in their vehicles which are used for emergency response. These devices not only record, but give warning tones when you are exceeding what they consider safe braking and turning. The greater the g-force applied during a braking or turning maneuver, the faster ans higher pitched the tones are. You have to log into the system and so it records your driving and any “overforces” recorded are held against you and can ultimately result in losing pay and your job. As an instructor I’ve always warned drivers to ignore the tones. The reason being is that I’ve investigated many a crash where the driver hit another vehicle or curbed the rescue unit and killed a tire (usual outcome), and once a pedestrian, because they were forced by the traffic conditions to steer harder…causing the “bitch box” to make more noise. This intimidated the driver and out of fear of discipline made the wrong choice. These devices do not record the context under which the “overforces” were experienced. Drive cams only record 2 possible views, and thus do not come even close to documenting the overall picture of an incident. They’re “gotcha” systems that the company can use to reduce liability by placing it on the driver whenever possible. They do not increase safety. Instead they induce anxiety and adversely change driving habits, causing a driver to over think instead of relying upon experience and training to evade the emergency.
Flip says
Well put. I agree 100%
dizzyzion says
This is a blessing to owner ops everywhere. E logs, low pay, and cameras yes talk about shooting yourself in the foot no wonder I have been making good money lately. LMFAO!!!!!
JRV says
To all concerned drivers; Get a full copy of the Patriot Act signed by your dearest Mr. Bush. After you read it ALL…you will Learn what’s actually transpiring in our beloved Nation. The fact that quite a few of our states petitioned congress to be separated from the Union is very troublesome.
Something BIG is brewing and it will affect US ALL!!
JimmieA. says
As a fuel hauler, our company been have these cameras in our cabs for a few years.
It is a double edge sword……on one hand it has literally save our financial butts from lawsuits multiple times….on the other hand, it will change your driving habits because if you brake too quick, turn too hard or lean too hard on a turn for any reason the camera will record. a few seconds before and several seconds afterward. We had one driver suspended for a week for poor judgement.
Most of the time we will get a warning or two….
In our case, it was the insurance company that pushed for the cameras…they even paid for them instillation and all.
longtimegone says
Lost my job due to drive cam policy… first they install the drive cams, second they initiate the drive cam policy, to keep every thing legal, (you sign & agree to the policy or there’s the door if you don’t like it…) Oh, by the way, they only record events that activate the camera, such as braking too hard, turning too hard or sharply, the camera is not recording while you are sitting still. Put a small draw string cloth bag over it when you stop…. Company Drive Cam Policy can be anything such as set the camera off 5 times in 2 months and it is automatic termination…. by the way the company that terminated me failed to see that I drove their trucks for ten years without an accident… go figure…
StayingBack says
Thats a Goddamn shame..10 years? Then just like that huh?
frickin irregular route trucking companies just do whatever they want dont they.
longtimegone says
I want to see cams recording all the stupid crap 4 wheelers do around us, and have the data automatically sent to the State’s Highway Patrol network computer servers for ticket execution !
All in favor say AYE !
Tom says
I’m a driver and it’s coming with cameras in all trucks. Trucking company’s get discounts on insurance and we all know it’s all about the dollar for the trucking company. The trucking companies will all put them in about the same time so that the driver that wants to drive won’t have as many choices to change jobs to a new company. Companies are all organized they talk to one another look at what they all do that is basically the same job application, same pay, same rules basically. They are more organized than any union ever was.
Captain Sweatpants says
What will put a stop to this is when attorneys for insurance companies sueing the trucking companies subpoena these recordings and prove the trucking company at fault. Statistically, most times it won’t be the truck drivers fault, but when it is, the trucking company will be forced to produce the recordings, essentially defeating themselves in court. Of course the other thing that could change this is drivers like myself who would never knowingly drive a truck with a camera.
Mopar Man says
I also drive for a company that uses DriveCam, that records the driver and has a microphone in the cab, as well as a view out the windshield. During orientation they tell you that the camera is there for your own protection. So far, I have been “written up” for drinking a soda while driving, and another one for talking on my c.b. radio while driving. Thanks for the protection!
It is also a strong company rule not to talk on a cell phone while driving, not even a hands free one. What confuses me, is if you don’t have a c.b. radio when you are hired, they will buy you one. The last two that they bought were Cobra 29’s that were BlueTooth equipped. How can you tell if a driver driver is engaged on his cell phone if he is using the microphone?
curtis says
I have a DIY camera on my trailers door, I vice grip it on along with a 44 Lbs. battery on the floor. its going on 3 yrs soon with the last 1/2 going to a wireless signal making it all much easier to setup. It seems like its the only one in the country but it very nice especially at night. unlike above no one seems to careless about it.
Flip says
One problem with the inward facing cams is that it changes the drivers behavior behind the wheel. Drivers afraid to record a Drivecam even will not apply heavy breaking when needed in order to avoid being recorded.
The stress and accountability of driving a big truck is already unbearable. When you add an inward facing cam it becomes a constant distraction to a driver that has enough distractions already.
Drivers need help! Not discipline from people who aren’t in the driver seat or never have been.
One mistake behind the wheel of a truck could cost you your life or someone elses. Stress is a major factor in this profession. It is unjust to use inward facing cams.
With the lack of fair wages in the industry and bosses that are on witch hunts to make names for themselves, trucks will soon be driven by robots! Which I’m sure many of these greedy corporations are investing in already.
Sam S. says
Anyone know of any trucking companies that are against the inward facing dash cam or does not use it? I drove OTR for 4 years back in mid 90’s, joined the military to have that experience and to be able to tell myself i did my part, even if it was just doing alot of pushups and repairing helicopters in the homeland and on deployments. I recently got out of the military and was considering going back into trucking because I loved it. Now I’m hearing and reading all this about inward facing dash cams?!!! WTH!!? I can understand outward facing cams. hell…. put cams on all four corners of the truck and have it recording 24/7 to a harddrive that constantly keeps 30 minutes of current video deleting anything older than 30 minutes worth (saves hard drive space) and if theres an incident like hard breaking or whatever…. sensors tell the camera to “snap shot” that 30 minute …15 minutes before and 15 minutes after, saving that into a seperate file for upload to the company. There is absolutely nothing that the inward facing cam will tell you that the outward cams won’t. Outward cams can tell if the driver had an “out” during an incident. They can tell you if the driver had sufficient or insufficient amount of time to react. if the driver had sufficent amount of time to react and had an “out”, why didnt he/she take it? well… driver may not have been paying attention for whatever reason, doesnt matter why… inward cam will tell you why… but no matter what that reason is…. it’s too late and it’s the drivers fault. If the driver had sufficient time to react and DID, than this would also be reflected on outward cams as it would show the driver avoiding the accident. If the driver didnt have sufficient time to react, it would show on outside cams, who gives a shit what the driver is doing in the cab, if the driver isnt paying attention….it’s the drivers fault no matter what. if the driver IS paying attention then there would be no major incidents unless it was humanly impossible to avoid,(which can happen). anyways, I’m typing waaay too much lol. I agree with outward cams, I don’t agree with inward cams. I like my sense of freedom and privacy and aim to hold onto that the best I can. Unless i find a company that does not use inward facing “spy” cams…. I won’t be returning to the trucking industry…
Dave Stout says
Put a camera facing me in my truck, I’m done, I would quit right then. Period. Done.
Mike says
I totally agree, wished I would have known then what I now know. I would have had my own ride. It’s just all a game anymore. A bunch of cut throats.
MJ says
The only argument I need to make against it is I don’t want a camera facing me, and I can go work somewhere that doesn’t have cameras.
George says
I’m 57 been with same company 20 years now. They put these dam cameras in all the new trucks now I’m in one. And it’s an automatic transmission No clutch. I am not a fan of these cameras pointing in. Facing out is fine. And why do they need to hear everything I’m saying. So far they haven’t said boo to me my driving record is A+ I use my blue tooth when I talk they say nothing. I close curtain at night so no camera don’t know if they can still hear really don’t care. Conclusion I’m to old to start over at another company unless I have to I get 5wks vacation I’m home every other night get 2,850 every wk home weekends so I can’t get to bitching about camera. But if I was younger and didn’t have the gravy job I have now I wouldn’t put up with this crap for a minute. It’s wrong don’t care what they say. Stay safe people.(Empty pockets ). Out.
Derick D says
Companies have a right to how their vehicles are being operated however when a camera is turned on the driver and outside the cab the company doesn’t care if the other party involved is at fault. They only care if the driver is doing something wrong possibly leaving the driver out to hang because all they have to so is put another driver in the seat. As far as privacy is concerned there are state and federal laws that do apply when using monitoring devices. #1 The person being record must be informed that they are being recorded. Recordings are only allowed to be recorded so many minutes before and after an event has ac curd. It is illegal to record voice at any time without giving notice. Most drivers conduct legal personal phone calls wile on the road mostly due in part because of their work schedule. He or she could be talking to a spouse, a doctor or a lawyer. Listening in is considered illegal wire tapping. A driver can be subjected to termination by his or her employer simply for not liking what they heard specially if its not work related. It is a gross invasion of privacy in any persons personal work space. Any company who feels they are above the law when it comes to privacy should be prosecuted to the fullest extent. Between law enforcement forever putting the squeeze on drivers, companies pushing their drivers to do more and go faster, 800 numbers on the back of trucks giving road rage motorist ammunition and now camera’s and microphones I can’t see why anyone would want to drive a truck!
Tami says
Great perspective!
Christopher says
No union no voice, this is just useless noise. Swift drivers should strike. 22000 drivers parking for just one day would bring the corporate office to its knees.
Tami says
This statement is accurate: “At any time, a fleet manager can log on and see and hear what any (or all) of his drivers are doing.” My husband works for a company that uses Smart Drive…
Nick1 says
In my opinion I do believe driver cameras
Are a privacy issue because according to the DOT a mandatory 30 minute break can be done while sitting in the driver seat and a lot of trucks have curtains that go from one side of the truck to the other witch by law then becomes a personnel space witch
Then infringes on your privacy I think that if u have to use cameras on your drivers then why even have them as an employee why not just get rid of the bad drivers in the first place swift for instance uses these driver cams but they also have between 59 to 65 fatalities a year and also a high turn over rate but as every body knows any one can
Now become a truck driver if they want it is no longer a industry that cares about wether your a safe driver or not they only care about pushing the loads for the profit and on top of that companies like smart drive are weezleing there way in so that when it becomes mandatory to have driver cams they stand to make a fortune for life because technology evolves over time witch previous cams then become old and require newer updated versions and also I heard some one say it’s just like working in a wharhouse were u have cams watching what u do but what every one seems to forget a lot of drivers work on the road for months on end and don’t go home after there shift we retire to our sleeper witch is our truck witch in turn is our home away from home so in conclusion I believe that privacy is the issues and drivers should stand up and say no to our big brother once and for all
Matt says
We have had a Pilot Program for the SmartDrive and DriveCam now for 6 Months. They are NOT recording all of time, they do run all of the time on a loop but do not recorded have . It takes a significant amount of G-Force to activate the recording. In 6 months we have not hhad a Camera record while a driver was off duty. I can say that it has helped now 2 drivers from being at fault for accidents in which they were accused by the other vehicles drivers involved. It has also caught some very unsafe driving of some driver and in 2 incidents showing drivers wrecking trucks from distracted driving in both cases causing $25,000+ in damage to the Power unit (I should add both drivers claimed that steer tire failure caused their accidents which was proven as being false). The majority of the drivers don’t mind because they are good drivers and have nothing to hide. The other drivers who buck on the idea are generally the drivers that are unsafe in which do not need to work for our company or any other company for that matter. I assure you that there are more companies that will go out of business due to losing their insurance than Companies who will go out for drivers not wanting to drive a truck because of a camera. The same drivers who complain about this, complain about the aerodynamic equipment put on trucks, and complain about E-logs, and complain about everything else. The trucking industry is evolving like it or not. Lastly, buy your own equipment and run it how you feel fit (there are more people who fail at this than Companies).
Pentuck says
Obviously you don’t drive a truck
Gary says
Those cameras can be accessed at any time on a live feed ….I know that for a fact been in our office and seen the feed of the local drivers that are forced to use these systems…management was monitoring 4. Drivers at once driving…loop it may…but it can be monitored live.
Vicki says
There is absolutely no need for you to record what a driver is saying or listening to. What exactly is the point of that? Total invasion of privacy. The outward facing camera is enough. I could even see the use of inward, but as for recording sound, no way. And as for “just pull the curtain at night”, are you kidding me. Trucks now come with front windshield curtains so that you don’t have to be boxed up just in the bunk. So there goes that theory of yours. It is an invasion of privacy whether you see it that way or not. Get in a truck for just one week and see how you enjoy it, being watched and listened to. I guarantee you’ll see it’s not right.
Gail58 says
Only a twisted exhibitionist would consent to an inward facing camera.
OLGA says
My mom is working for a company that recently stated they would be recording and watching her. She feels very uncomfortable because she also has diabetes and has to take medication and occasionally eliminate urine into a container which I found out is a “normal” practice for many drivers. She feels she might get seen in a compromising position and has become embarrassed she says sometimes the heat of other states becomes unbearable so she might change into a spaghetti strap (big deal right) she’s a woman in her 50s who is very conservative but happens to love the road. Is there anything I can do to help her does she have any rights? This was her dream and because of stereotypes and other things she never had the courage I personally encouraged her to follow her dream and she’s the happiest I’ve ever seen her. She’s considering leaving because of the new demands. Does she have any rights? Where is the line of personal privacy and policy? Should I get her a lawyer and should it be a sexual harassment lawyer? We as women have things that need to remain private and because a few bad drivers messed up the whole lot shouldn’t get punished. What should we do?
Nicola says
My husband has just been fitted with one of these inward facing audio, 24hr surveillance cameras. He is an over the road trucker….and I have just written to the office of the privacy commissioner of Canada after coming across an artical by legalline about audio surveillance in the workplace http://www.legalline.ca/legal-answers/cameras-and-audio-tapes-in-the-workplace/. Which states “recording private communications without the consent of those speaking or without legal authority, such as a warrant issued to police by a judge, is a criminal offence. In Canada surveillance cameras can ‘only’ be used to record video, not audio communications. If there is a reasonable expectation of privacy, then permission or legal authority must be sought to record or listen in on conversations using electronic devices.
april says
I say all drivers should do what my husband and I did..I peeled the blue off a Pepsi bottle..stuck it over the camera..placed a dime behind it..then taped it there with blue tape..bought an iPod..set it to play take this job and shove it..on a contentious loop..with the volume on Max…we have yet been ask anything by our company..lmao!..record that!!
ken says
if everybody would comprehend the story they would know how the companies are getting around the privacy laws, the camera manufacturer sends the audio/video to the company after an “EVENT” happens.
j. Swanson says
I am a truck driver and I can spell. Dash cams installed by a company are designed to see failed driving abilities in a driver. Since companies want perfect drivers who never make a mistake I suggest they start looking real hard because they are going to have to. I have driven truck for more than 30 years and to me the added stress is over the top. We deal with crazy car drivers who for the most part have a deathwish. The job is stressful enough with out the added bonus of having the company you work for scrutinize everything you do throughout your 10 to 12 hours behind the wheel. I am leaving the industry and wish all you who drive the best. When companies become this desperate to find good trustworthy drivers there probably aren’t many out there.
Bubba Gump says
Camera’s area in our trucks now and I hate them with a passion! I am trying to buy my own truck. Sitting in a truck stop now and the damn thing is sending video for no reason. I HATE THESE CAMERAS!!!!
Elizabeth Swenson says
These cameras do not record everything that is going on during said “alleged” incident so are giving incorrect info, from which your boss is making erroneous (false) assumptions. Just be sure to make a note regarding circumstances. Right, like how can I do that safely while driving? These are a safety threat, very distracting……we are called in to the office all the time to show us our videos and get a lecture, over things that didn’t even happen because the camera can’t possible record everything that is going on…..contact your local labor board and have your facts ready. This is so wrong on so many levels…..
eastbound down says
You truckers could solve the whole problem in one WK.. Got a copy on me pigpen?
Its called a strike!!remember when truckers had the stones to strike? Remember convoys? Remember when u felt proud to be a trucker? Rally the troops, and stop the insanity.
Walt says
According to what this chucklehead just said a landlord would have the right to put in camera’s, because it’s his house!
Lady truck driver says
It is a big time invasion of privacy especially when it’s in the back bonk and the driver suppose to have his down time to sleep and relax. A company shouldn’t be watching a driver sleep not when he is changing his clothes. Those cameras should be only put on the front not in the back!!!
Gary says
After 28 years of safe driving…it’s no more than Invasion of privacy…no way ever will except this technology…it will no doubt cost me driving for my current fleet..but I will not be micromanaged by a damn fleet management that doesn’t have no idea how to even release the brakes….
John says
I am 38 year truck driver with no chargeable accidents – it is my understanding that ,prior to the 2001 USA Patriot Act, incriminating a driver by sticking a camera in his face was considered a violation of your right to privacy along with incriminating you with your ELD or cell ph – Now whats ironic about the Patriot Act is that it was designed for the purpose of thwarting terrorism, not adding in the incrimination of America’s truck drivers by spying on them. Now imagine if Homeland security wanted to put a camera in a suspected terrorist home and bedroom to monitor there behavior? Yep – Civil rights violation
Jeffrey says
That was NEVER the intent of the Patriot Act. It has ALWAYS been about the money. Perhaps you should read it again, just saying.
Javier says
It’s the most unsafe feature that any truck can have. I’m a truck driver and before I have to slam on break pedal my first thought is the camera, the second it is if I have enough cushion distance to don’t break hard, after that anything. Those devices add stress and unhappy to operators, increase the risk of accidents and take the attention of drivers from road to camera. Now attorneys have good fuel to sue both, carriers and truckers.
Robert W Green says
Three words: Hostile work environment.
Ryan says
If you feel it’s okay just because they “own” the truck then it’s okay for your landlord or bank that your making house payments to, to add a camera in your bathroom, bedroom and kitchen for your “safety”.??
I think NOT !!
Niel says
Ridiculous glad I’ll be retiring soon
Scott says
My company already monitors the engine and location just about everything on the truck . I don’t need the extra scrutiny from someone in the office. No thanks
Max says
The camera is recording sight and sound 24/7 (which is only way it can back up 8
seconds) and which can be monitored at any given point in time! (Much like the camera’s and microphones on Phones, Lap Tops and Tablets.) The camera is being used primarily to see “what the driver did wrong,” by people who don’t have the proper skills, experience or ”forensic” training to make such determinations, whereby sabotaging the drivers untarnished driving history by way of DAC, based on their own personal bias opinions and or the biased opinion of their co workers.
When an incident does occur however, the individual driver should have the right to ask for and receive a copy of said recorded incident, which presently is not an option.
The next logical progression is to devise a demerit system so they can take away money depending on how many times the camera records and saves a discrepancy. Now they want us to use a company smartphone “AP” so they can “spy on us” while we are out of the truck as well… welcome to the socialist society of American trucking!
The long term affect may prove to be paranoid, distracted drivers who will become unsafe accidents waiting to happen. Time will tell, as it always does!
I am in process of petitioning my company for our “right to privacy” and individual freedom be restored by removing the current installed camera’s and replacing them with outward facing camera’s only.
The Phantom says
Alright people, love you all. YES, the inward facing cameras with audio recording is bad. On that there is NO question. But here’s the deal coming from an old nearly 4 million mile veteran who has seen ALOT of changes in this industry….
We’ve survived it when companies stopped paying off the hub. Only because we did Nothing about.
We’ve survived qual com’s and the invention of the affordable cell phone. No more “morning and afternoon check calls”. Talk about freedom.
We survived the chance in lumping services and a lumped gets $300 and the driver gets only $45.
And so on and so on….. The bottom line is, WE, the Drivers of the USA need to get proactively involved. They did it in France and Australia. Both occasions all of the drivers demands were met in less than 7 days. I believe Australia did not operate for the full 7 just to drive the point home.
Do I suggest that we all commit “economic terrorism” on the USA? Hell No, that would be illegal. But there Has to be Something we could all do, together, that would be Legal. But after 33 years, I guess that I’m just not smart enough to figure it out. So, if anyone has a GOOD plan, get the word out and sign me up!
Judy says
Just like red light cameras at intersections, there is an unavoidable thought process of camera intimidation. Drivers are using a combination of skill, repetition, experience. instinct, and habit. The introduction of driver facing cameras will throw split second decision reaction, needed to often avoid accident , out the door. Subconscious second guessing in driving process due to added stress of camera will increase the % of accidents, just as it has at red light camera intersection. Working 15 hours a day under the stress of high traffic volume, constant road construction, unprofessional passenger vehicle drivers, other unprofessional commercial drivers and changing weather conditions is an under appreciated job. Fleets are taking short cuts on equipement maintenance, keeping trucks in service at higher mileage, running tires longer, and not increasing the driver wage to keep up with added job duties. If corporate was truly concerned with record of an incident for liability purpose, forward facing camera would address that. No, this is corporate power tripping and exhibition of distrust by employers toward their employees. Sugar coat it, call it some fancy name, spying and brow beating is what it is.
An insult to the workers that go the extra mile to deliver their employers contracted product safe and secure.
I’m a truck drivers wife. I’ve witnessed the sacrifices, long hours and very little appreciation by his employer. This is a slap in the face of a driver giving 24 years of service to a company. Some company that appreciates driver quality, good driving record and doesn’t have cameras will reap the benefit of other companies stupidity.
Jack Johnson says
If I applied at a company and there’s a camera in the truck,I’d walk.Theres nothing to say.
Carl Lawson says
I vote we install them in companies office facing salaried company peeps….. Then we will see who the complacent employes with bad habits are…..
Carl Lawson says
Edit. ….if anyone is naive enough to think said camera on dash will only be used to record events. …
Better do some research. …..Think again…
Matthew Lee Moore says
I, am all for driver cams as long as they also install a heart rate/blood pressure moniter, along with in truck blood lab to do a complete blood work up every few hours to track diseases caused by the Job such as deep vain thrombosis, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, etc…. This way companys can easily approve life saving care for drivers there for not having to pay very large payouts to drivers or their Benificerys
Bob Novak says
Anyone that thinks being an O/O is going to keep a DC out of vthe truck it won’t if you are getting that truck through the company because all you are is leasing the truck. Your not buying anything. Read the fine print.
Don’t want a camera then actually go to the bank and get the loan for the truck.
Justwantobefree says
If your getting the truck through the company then your not an O/O…..Drivers saving up and buying their own truck is on the rise. We are starting to take back our independence… Slowly but surely…..I wouldn’t flat out and quit over a camera, but I sure would be aggressively putting a plan together that day, actually plan is already ongoing…
Jeffrey says
You are giving them exactly what they want. The day you realize that you will be stuck with an $80k 15 ton paper weight.
Justwantobefree says
In other words, build up your credit, if your just starting , just find a company that will accept you and get you started. From the beginning work on your credit if need be, open accounts, keep a good Payment history, fix inaccurate items on your credit report, save as much money as you can . Educate yourself about different lanes and freight rates. Learn about brokers and how much it cost to operate a truck.. Plan on buying your on truck with about 240,000 miles on it….Lease that truck on to a company for a little while and learn more…Then if you make it to that point you will know what to do next…
J.lavold says
Actually I think this is a good idea, in fact I think they should require that all semi trucks have cameras 1faceing the front the other covering the whole right side of the vehicle with a microphone &camera on the driver.
Nate says
How are you going to get a driver that will drive on those conditions? How about buying a PC truck? 🙂
DriversRevolt says
Drivers hate spies. I quit 7 companies over this and will keep leaving until they stop harrassing cheating and spying on me… their driver. My conversations with my family are PRIVATE! My choice of music and lifestyle issues gripes and concerns are PRIVATE! I hope they all watch their trucks SIT!! Maybe then they will keep their prying eyes on the prize… MOVING FREIGHT.
Ted H. says
We have them in our trucks and right now a driver of 25 yrs with the co is suspended for 30 days. It has also been said that he will likely be fired. Our co has a ” no phone ” activity policy and he was caught with the phone sitting in his lap.
Very stressful!!!
Nate says
You just ask if the company has a camera on you than you don’t take the job. I’ve turned down three already and there hurting to find drivers and most likely will lose money or worse go out of business. Our job is stressful enough…
Nate says
I will never drive a truck with a camera in my face … a camera pointed on the road is no problem.
Dave says
Last coment nate is right out is ok but in side is unlawful. i have been voice taped and inside video .a driver called and told me they where makeing coments about what i was talking about to my wife in the safty dept.the girls. these people was makeing fun of me in the office . i have been a driver for 28 yrs. i never new about this camera stuff allways drove local and now i find out this . have they violated my rights
Vincent Ralph Castellano says
Lawyers are excited to be able to use the tape of you driving in an accident case in court. Truck companies make their big money, but when it’s accident claim pay out time, they need methods to shift financial liability onto the Driver. You will be thrown under the bus by your company!
Books Dallas says
If you drive a truck with a inward facing cam and voice, you have already given up your right to not self-incriminate…that’s why lawyers tell you to not say anything….
DON FORD says
you’re not sleeping in a warehouse so yes it is an invasion of privacy
Dennis Bennett says
Hello, I’m a professional driver of 32years, I have 3 million+ miles under my belt, I recently worked for a company with inward facing cameras and would just like to make this comment, I feel what’s happening today with cameras, ELDs, and CSA is being done in the name of safety by big trucking companies and their lobbyists for one reason, and that’s Elimination by Regulation they are making it so expensive for the owner operators to meet the new regulations they are forced out of business. They wrap all this in the myth of safety and align themselves with well meaning groups like Mothers Against Tired Truckers are whatever group fits the furtherance of their agenda. If our rights are lost because of it, they feel it’s a small price to pay. If you have any doubts about this here is the test, if you take the monetary incentives out of breaking DOT rules related to sleep deprivation you solve your problem right, so ask trucking companies to pay by the hour which would start as soon as driver punches his time clock when he starts his day and stop when he ends his day. They will have a stroke, because then a driver would have no incentive to break any laws, their customers would be exposed as the real reason drivers run out of hours, our terribly inefficient hwy system would have to be dealt with at long last. My fellow Drivers it’s time to say stop pissing down our necks and saying don’t worry it’s just rain. Be safe out there and God bless each and everyone of you my brothers of the highways.
Shawn says
Welcome to Big Brother they’ve already made it about saftey now they’re making it about what you might do that’s under the hear something say something law and by creating these laws they have been the amendments to the Constitution by these bureaucrats without the consent of the people
that completely go against what the Constitution says
What that means is that if you were on a conversation let’s say with your friend or someone you made a comment they deem as a threat they have it recorded they can have you arrested and detained for something that you might do
This goes much deeper then just being a truck driver or driving for a company this is the world over this is complete takeover the New World Order this is what’s coming George Orwell already talked about this people called him a Looney because of what he was saying people couldn’t see how they would be putting cameras everywhere the couldn’t see this new technology coming George Orwell could or even if he could he knew that something was going to happen so welcome to the new world order and I it’s an individual living on the face of this planet would rather that I don’t even have to say these words because by saying these words they are complete annihilation of freedom of anything
But this is where we are at now whether we like it or not they are shoving this agenda down our throats with no remorse it’s all about control people
Books Dallas says
We are the test bed…they’ll have your face from all angles to upload in the facial recognition mainframe…(aka: points of interest) and have your voice recognized too… after all, we were the test bed for drug testing and “that wasn’t going no where because it was against our rights and privacy…and we all know how that turned out…
Juan Gonzales says
Company use it to screw up driver’s record of drivers that quit. It is used for blackmailing drivers.
Mac says
They will be around until a lawsuit against it, once companies starting reaching in they pockets for payouts and loosing amounts of good drivers having equipment parked is no revenue.
deaconblues62 says
Excuse me, do they even need truck drivers anymore?
If you do not have a plan B you better find one very quickly.
Steve diehl says
This intrusion upon seclusion …manipulative….and it is not secure…letting managers look at me ..some hate..me…wish I were…screwing ….and …digital can be altered.. and if you look at me …..I want to look at you……this is the iron boot of thee facsist pig…
Steve diehl says
The low info crowd…hardest working ..are the first to get ..shackels…with this overbearing…next they will be going after are guns..and OWNERSHIP
James Calderone says
Anyone who thinks this or the other hundred injustices forced on truckers is fine, needs to spend a couple of years in our jail cells. I’d happily dispatch them to their miserable failure, or worse. The worst and most dangerous routes, don’t like it , watch a corn field grow for three days, no pay. Then more of same. Complain, and get an unregulated mandatory drug test, to attempt to ruin you. July 1 to Aug. 1, nationwide truckers strike, check the insurance company stocks after that. Jimmy H. Rises.
Bobby ranger says
I have blue balls and I have to jerk off every hour or so.. Also I have to have my nuts hanging out most of the day to cool it off with a fan.. Them video recording me is voyeurism which is illegal..and in a class action lawsuit truck drivers would win.. Also the women got to change there tampons in the truck..
Joe Keaton says
I’m just going to say this all together. The cameras are nothing more than just a way to put all the liability on the driver. Plain Simple and all you for the Camera’s please prove me wrong. Have a good day.
Freddy fast lane says
Any liability lawyer worth his/ salt loves inward facing cameras.
Let’s take this example.
Your driving in the middle of your lane at the speed limit. At the same time some numb nuts 4 wheeler cuts you off because there was insufficient room for the 4 wheeler to change lanes. The forward facing camera records an unsafe lane change. A violatiyof CVC 21658A on the ca. Vehicle code. Case closed? Not if an inward facing camera shows the truck driver with only one hand on the wheel, or taking a drink of coffee or whatever else we all do because our schedules are so tight we can’t take the time to stop.
See……it’s the truck driver ‘s fault. My client is not a professional, the truck driver is supposed to be.
Companies are doing this to reduce their insurance. They will try to sell it to you as “we’re just trying to protect you”. B. S. They don’t give a damn about you. Revolt.
Tape the damn thing up. What they going to do? Fire you? I think not.
Wilbert Estrella says
Ok I’m a trucker for more than 30 years , and I am to propose to all you people out there that makes a living on roads the only solution for this problem. PLEASE LISTEN VERY CAREFULLY. NOBODY CARES WHAT HAPPENS OUT THERE WITH US, REGULAR PEOPLE DONT HAVE KNOWLEDGE OF WHAT WE GO THROUGH. POLITICANS CARE LESS ,BIG COMPANIES ARE TAKING OVER THE INDUSTRY WITH DISREGARD TO OUR WELLBEING , ALL THEY WANT IS FINANCIAL BENEFITS FOR THAN. OUR PROBLEM IS US . “I EXPLAIN” WE ARE THE MAIN TOOL FOR THIS COMPANY TO STAY ON BUSINESS, WITHOUT US THERE IS NO TRUCKING, THERE IS NO MONEY WITHOUT US , WE HAVE TO CHANGE THIS SYSTEM. WE DON’T WANT NOTHING MORE THAN WHAT IS RIGHT. I HAD READ ALMOST EVERY COMMENT IN THIS SITE. YOU ALL HAVE THE SAME COMPLAINT. I DIDN’T READ ONE SOLUTION. THE TRUCKING INDUSTRY IS IN A CRISIS, THERE ARE NO DRIVERS AND YET WE LETTING THIS RICH PEOPIE DO WHAT THEY WANT. LISTEN FOR YOU OUT GOOD PEOPLE OUT THERE IF WE PUT $100 A PIECE WE HAVE MORE THAN ENOUGH TO MAKE A CASE OUT OF THIS. I REALLY BELIEVE THAT HAVING A CAMARA LOOKING AT ME 24/7IS A VIOLATION OF MY PRIVACY. THINK ABOUT THIS . YOU ALONE CAN’T DO NOTHING BUT AT LIAST 200,000 OF US COULD MAKE A DIFFERENCE. NO UNIONS , NO POLITICAL PARTY NO BODY BUT US. THINK ABOUT IT REALLY DEEP. AND IF YOU DON’T SEE THE NECESSITY TO CHANGE THIS SYSTEM, THEN ……….I’M SERIOUS. I BE WATCHING THE FEEDBACK AND WE TAKE IT FROM THERE. IT ALL TAKES IS TO START. REMEMBER WE HAVE THE POWER NOT THEM . TRUCKS DON’T DRIVE THANSELF NOT YET.
Michael T says
After 29 years at the same company I’m leaving because of the inward facing camera. I wanted to finish my time there but I have 13 more years to go and I won’t tolerate this.
PS: The states I drive through have laws prohibiting taping audio without your consent. Time for lawsuits!
Jon says
If you’re not doing anything wrong and driving by the rules and laws you have nothing to worry about. Are you driving illegally? WTF?
Jimmy says
I didn’t know about this invasion of privacy until my instructor at CDL school introduced it to the class. I told the instructor what have I gotten myself into I didn’t sign up for all this commie type treatment. This industry is treating it’s people like a bunch of convicts or paroles. If I can’t find a co. without driver facing nonsense I’m out before I start. By the way even commie Canada’s high court ruled this illegal and an invasion of privacy. What happened to the land of the free?????????????????????
Jon says
You do understand that your driving a vehicle that could really f-up right? It’s not all about you. You should be more concerned about keeping everyone else safe. You’re a Pilot. Act that way.
Brent says
…And that is not the case with any driver of any vehicle? So why not monitor cars? They drive much crazier than trucks, and per mile get in more accidents.
I think the answer is that you aren’t concerned about safety at all when the task is too big, so you want to make it a manageable size by discriminating against one small sector of people and harassing them.
Armando santos says
Iam a 30 yr experienced driver. Never had any speeding ticket and never any type of accident in the past ever, my driving record is completely clean. They put a camera on a new truck that the company assigned me to. I’m driving and now Iam getting the safety dept sending me videos that I’m speeding. I also have a safe drivers award of 20 yrs at FedEx. I retired from FedEx, so after a while I started driving the road to do something since my kids are all married is just me and my wife. Prior to FedEx I drove 9 yrs at Old Dominion wich was my first trucking company I started driving at. So after all these years driving safely now Iam a speeder wich is the same as an unsafe driver? I thought cameras were to as if you have an accident they can review the case to what actually happened. they shouldn’t be harassing you about your driving specially if you have a clean driving record. The truth is they can’t predict the future. It’s all about control and power over you as a driver. If they were the ones driving there will always be something of wrong doing themselves. I guarantee that.
Jon says
So… maybe just don’t speed? huh…
California says
This system is a total rip off to companies if this was about safety the cameras would be installed facing forward which one is ok that’s covered and you would have one camera on each side of the truck by the mirrors facing towards the rear of the truck and their you can get a full view of what’s going on even if the driver is driving with bad habits so you want to call it. These company’s have sold their product on the fact that they can now watch their drivers. This is invasion of privacy period!!
Jon says
Just drive by the laws and rules of the road. Drive safely. Drivers are an investment for a business. Unfortunately the good drivers are held to the expectations of the worst among us.
Brent says
Have you ever noticed that trucking companies are always concerned about safety when the issue is your convenience, but never concerned about safety when the issue is their convenience? Whatever you do behind the wheel that might be slightly dangerous is never going to be as dangerous as winter driving. Just look at the trucks pile up along interstates in the ice and snow. Far more than any cell phones or sips of coffee could cause. How about shut down trucking in the winter then? Can’t do this? Why? Isn’t safety the most important thing?
Souffle says
I no see why they put cameras to look at you and have e-logs. I feel like having a stepmother breathing into my back telling me when I have to go driving, taking my break and for how long and when to go to sleep. These rediculus to drive your hours and dont matter if you no sleep good or when you are sick or even on bad weather. Also to see what are you doing and get into your personal life. Some one who no have no bussiness on your life of a trucker when you are on the wheeler. All these installed to a rockie or someone who dont deliver the loads on time
Lewis says
I want to be filmed in the bunk.
Aricin Merovich says
I just quit a company that claimed not to see or hear in the cab when yellow parking brake is set. It was a lie. Driving is too stressful to have an uninformed micro-managing pervert watching my every move and watching me dress.
todd says
Drive cams influence drivers to hesitate in making driving decisions that can cause an accident because they driver might hesitate for a second thinking he would set the drive cam off and that hesitation could cause the difference in an accident
supr brd says
does anyone have a list of trucking companys in 2020 that >>>DOES NOT<<<<have big brother in there trucks?11 years exp.no accedents no incedents ever. a good han.thnx my brothers & sisters
Jessica Irene Reyes says
Totally agree IT’S WILL CAUSE MORE ACCIDENTS more stress, anxiety knowing they can lose there job … Don’t they already have enough prove with all of our driving records before and experience before hiring??? We are human things will happen not always because of our fault.We already have a lot of pressure driving those trucks everyday risking our lifes and health and time away from home, working those long hours just driving /sitting and staring straight can be very dificult and BORING but it pays the Bills and before having privacy would help us keep trucking even though we might do certain things that WE all do not just truckers that may not always be as safe but we go by our own judgement we all wanna go home at the end of our shift ..TO MANY RULES NOT ENOUGH PAY !!!! Truckers are so judged and not appreciated on what we do…dot makes it hard also we are always at fault but people sure complaining when they need there materials even though horrible weather… having a camera inside just makes it more difficult to be at peace and gives us more of a reason of health issues an why not to wanna drive a truck, aside of the pay not being the greatest and having to deal with all the other things that come along with it,being broke down and away from home and without pay,having to deal with dot when randomly stopped and they have to find something affecting your cdl points, driving in weather that a lot would feel unsafe but guess what truckers talk on the phone all the time with their family,because we dont all get the privilege to go home and incase they might not make it home,rude customers, small parking spots, smaller vehicles getting in front of us because they think we can stop faster than they can, and so much more not being able to eat a homemade food sometimes not even healthy food at all. Allowing us to do what we been doing to keep us trucking is the least we can get if u want people to keep having truckers if not u will lose a lot, want all these rules followed but no compensated with WAY MORE PAY…. let us use our own judgement of what we do inside cabs if we need the cameras inside then make it for every vehicle driving aswell along with having cameras and being judge while they do what keeps them going to do their job at every jobsite… great example of how we feel is like having a camera and audio inside there homes recording their child and spouse and not knowing who is watching those video but it will ONLY be just to protect and make sure there family are safe and make sure they doing what they are supposed to do… how would they feel about that???
David Belyew says
ridiculous comment…you need to be on camera….
Mark says
No, YOU need to know how it feels to be constantly monitored. Have a camera installed in your bedroom. You can’t access the video, at least without asking. You’re just told you’re only monitored in a critical event.
Nobody is saying a road facing camera is bad. A driver facing camera is nothing short of an invasion of privacy.
Chiya says
I think camera’s AND radar should be installed in all semi trucks because honestly *MOST* (not all) truckers are fkn idiots. Just look at this comment section for example. Most of them can’t even use proper English or grammar. These are the drivers who are tailgating, cutting people off and using the fuel island as their own personal parking space that made these cameras necessary in the first place.
What we don’t need are inside facing cameras or aggressive radar that driver managers treat as toys. I quit from a certain green colored flatbed company in Oregon because their camera and radar system was starting to give me PTSD. I found it harder and harder every day to get behind the wheel because of the system triggering and sounding audio alarms every single time a car got into my lane. Add in the driver manager calling every morning to guilt trip me into feeling like a horrible driver for anything and everything that happened the previous day. For example things like a car cutting me off so they could make their exit was entirely my fault. I should have been watching my mirrors and anticipated their actions and slowed down for them.
I think driver facing cameras make people into unsafe drivers. You start to second guess your own decisions out of fear that the camera might trigger and that harassing phone call you know is coming. Having to explain every split second decision only adds more stress to the job.
“You could have stopped for that light”
“You had a hard brake event trying to stop for that light! Someone could have rear-ended you!”
“You didn’t stop for a full 3 seconds at that stop sign in the middle of no where”
“A car cut you off and you didn’t immediately slow down and leave 7 seconds before you in them in Seattle at 4PM.”
Not to mention the privacy issues and having someone watching and judging your every action.
If a company is tried to reduce incidents and accidents or weed out bad drivers they can do that well enough with a normal dash cam. They don’t need to stick one in the drivers face 24/7.
Jaime says
What if every vehicle on the road was required to have a driver facing camera? Just take away all drivers privacy. After all they are using public roads, put others at risk if being wreckless, and need to be drive safe too…..I guess “Communisim/Socialism” can be a positive thing.
David Belyew says
WOW….if you owned 500 trucks that were being abused repeatedly by your “drivers” I bet you would change your tune. Not everyone is scrutinized . It allows us to monitor drivers and their bad habits. It also allows us to train as necessary the drivers who absolutely need it. I am so tired of the “I got 25 years on the road and I dont need it.” Thats BS….an older hand told me as a greenhorn to never stop learning…sounds like some of you “old hands” know everything already…if your so smart why you still trucking??? In this day and age of a sue happy public, how can you NOT want to be protective of your investment???
Charles Johnson says
Is it illegal for a company to charge the driver and owner operator for the use of the people Nat qualcomm and if the company puts – cameras in the owner operators truck
Chuck Humbuckers says
” Some drivers have bad driving habits and don’t want a camera ”
Really Einstein…. That’s not the point.
Mark says
To anybody saying a drive cam is not an invasion of privacy, how about you have someone install cameras where you sleep that you cannot access and are recording 24/7. You’re told that you’re only being watched in a critical event, but you have no way of knowing that for a fact.
A road facing drivecam is fine, and you can determine a lot from it. But a cab facing camera is an absolute invasion of privacy. Yes, it’s a company owned piece of equipment. But if a company made you put a camera in your bedroom, that’s invasion of privacy. Over the Road trucking is NOT a 9 to 5 job. You sleep in your truck.
And it’s not as simple as “hurr durr if you don’t like it then buy your own truck or go to a different company”.
Most smaller, better companies need 1 to 2 years of experience before you can drive for them due to insurance reasons. And a truck is not as cheap as a car. A used tractor costs about 20k to 50k. A new one costs anywhere from 90k to 300k.
Pretty much everyone would agree that road facing cams are fine.
Cab facing cameras are nothing short of an invasion of privacy and should be illegal.
However, the people who make these laws have never driven a truck in their lives.
Pete Moats says
My company is just starting to put in word Cameras in,when it’s my turn? So long!!! I’m gone, everyone needs to stick together and this WILL STOP, The company’s will not want to lose all that money so are we going to do something about it or just bitch?
james says
just unplug it from the cam side leave the rest the way it is . did this from day one . 2yrs later i dont even think about anymore.
james says
ps. just make sure you unplug it before you power the unit or turn the key on .
Ann says
I nearly got fired for that.
Brent says
It would be interesting, indeed, if they put these things in police cars, then matched the times the police sped or otherwise violated laws without being in hot pursuit. I think every cop in the nation would be fired in a week.
The violations that the cameras catch you for are almost all unrelated to safety. Going a foot past a badly placed stop sign or just slowing to one mph when no other vehicle is within a mile? Speeding down a lonely hill to save fuel and brakes before going uphill? Not coming to a complete stop so you don’t burn your clutch up trying to start upwards again on an uphill stop sign? My company gave me points for barely touching the white line-something most truckers do at least once a mile. But to digress, I have not been in any near misses in my three months so far of (returning to) trucking. Not once. Not even a near-near miss. This is what gets me: they say it’s about safety, but NONE of the violations I’ve gotten have had anything to do with safety. EVERY ONE OF THEM has had to do with making sure I obey the very letter of the law even if that obedience has had only a one in a billion chance of actually mattering!
The only violation a forward facing camera really could bust me I’d agree with would be one I simply don’t do: tailgaiting. Well once it busted me for using a very small part of my space cushion to slow down slower than the truck in front of me-who stab braked unexpectedly and pointlessly. Tailgaiting isn’t done with your foot on the break! If I can’t use my space cushion for what it was meant for without being called a dangerous driver, then WTF?
My driving habits have changed. I’m more likely to try to run a new red light or stop sign in a crazy place so the camera isn’t signaled to turn on or flag me for a hard brake. I might hold up traffic trying to keep 4 seconds behind-being a road hazard to cars that constantly pass me. The stress of intermittent negative conditioning makes me tired faster and I worry while I try to sleep so I don’t sleep well and I make mistakes the next day. I could go on, but I’m convinced that these cameras are simply a tool used by trucking companies to use their drivers as human sacrifices to make the government and insurance companies think they are doing something about accidents. As I said, almost none of the times the camera goes on, is an accident actually eminent or even possible-but you still get told you are a risky driver. I know when I can do certain things and I know when I can’t. The camera doesn’t measure skill or judgment levels of drivers and treats all drivers like they are retarded pushers of luck-something I’m most definitely not.
Oh, and as for the idea of an outward facing camera being beneficial? Well, why does it need to be a tattle machine to do that? You can use the same video footage in court without your company having access to it.
Ann says
Where are the always-on, in-your-face cams at everyone’s desk in the office? Should the mechanics start wearing a cam that faces them? After all, they might get under a truck where no one can see them….do you see how ridiculous it is?
Jeffrey says
The reason they want to know what you do on your 10 is because they think it affects what you do on their 14. God forbid you cheat them and take an 11. It is completely rediculous, but they will never see it as such, they aren’t human, they’re corporate zombies.
Duane says
I do have monitoring from my desk. All my websites are monitored by IT. My boss walks past my desk 30+ times a day. They aren’t at my desk because they don’t need to be. I am personally monitored 100x more than any truck driver, and that’s with the cameras in trucks. You should thank your lucky stars that you don’t work in an office. You’d never make it. Do you see how ridiculous you are?
Donald says
So a third party… unknown people listen to your conversations…. financial medical… family…. god forbid if you say something politically… at least kill the audio … immoral at best… perverted at worst…. i would hate to be a pretty lady
Fran says
I don’t care if they film me while I’m driving, but i do have a problem with the audio, if im having a personal conversation with a family member, I sure as hell ,don’t want my employer to listen to the call.and as far as the curtains go,mine has a cut out for the camera.your employer is supposed to have a 3rd party monitor the footage if there’s an incident.not 24/7 spying.
Duane says
I guess the problem here is that people feel that having personal conversations is a right. Many companies do not allow personal conversations. And, even being on your cell phone is grounds for discipline or termination. So, audio or no audio? What does it matter if you are on company time? Additionally, why does anyone assume anyone else even wants to listen to their personal conversation? I think the hang up here is on petty things that don’t even matter. The only logical conclusion is that drivers who have a problem with cameras will devise any ridiculous thing to avoid being caught violating the law.
Lloyd says
Well submission to letting a camera film your every minute in the truck, is the beginning of you giving up your personal privacy. I don’t care if your a company driver or an O/O you are entitled to your privacy. Even when you think your camera is off, your so wrong. These cameras have the capability to activate to sounds as well as a critical event. So you better not be fooled.
Hopefully anyone who currently has any camera system in your truck, I hope you didn’t sign a waiver giving up your rights to privacy. If you did your just allowed BIG BROTHER access to your life.
By the way, the inward view cameras have been used in disciplinary actions towards drivers. Just thought you might like to know.
Lester Churchill says
You know, if I wanted to be an Only Fans performer, I would be doing that instead of driving truck.
My truck had one installed by my employer just yesterday. I kept my visor down today (I did not give my consent in any way) and received a phone call demanding to know why my visor was down and why I dared to eat a burrito while I drove, citing that they wanted both my hands on the wheel at all times- that neither hand should leave the wheel at any time.
So goes scratching my nose or scalp, resting my left arm on an arm rest, and so on.
The kicker? There was no “activating event” beyond “his visor is down so we can’t spy.”
Good thing I am signing paperwork on my new truck and driving for myself on December 7th. Spy cams are horseshit. They breed contempt, and just like the myriad of other electronic tattletales, the driver sacrifices doing what he must when he must in order to avoid an “event” with his employer.
Oh, and the Hawthorne effect they reference? It fails to account for induced additional fatigue for the additional awareness associated with the hyperawareess condition they are creating.
BTW, over a million safe miles- the camera compromises safety. I won’t do this to my employees when I have them.
David Sodee says
30 years driving and the cameras make the job more stressful and just another reason to move on.
Jack says
Interesting how the companies selling the cameras will assure you that the studies they do prove cameras prevent accidents. What kind of fool believes a study sponsored by the very company that has an interest in the outcome? The time and perspective parameters of studies are always marked in convenient places. For example, as another driver mentioned, if the Hawthorne Effect is inconvenient to the results, don’t include them.
If perfectly good drivers quit because of cameras, then companies are forced to hire inexperienced and unvetted drivers to replace them. The myopic studies stupidly omit opportunity cost data regarding accidents the new drivers get into that would never have happened if they didn’t run away the experienced ones. Increased job turnover hurts companies in more ways than just more accidents, though.
The argument that cameras are installed so companies can protect their own interests ought to fall on deaf ears to any truck driver for two reasons. Firstly, it arrogantly assumes the truck driver himself doesn’t care about his own LIFE!!! Their equipment??? The nerve. Secondly, truckers drive trucks for various reasons, and among those reasons, one is to be left alone by bosses and fellow employees-to not have a back seat driver. In other words, truck drivers don’t drive trucks to serve employers, they drive trucks to serve themselves. Take away the reason they drive trucks by changing the working conditions, and they’ll do something else that has still the working conditions they previously liked working in. Whether or not employers feel they need cameras doesn’t change the fact that many truckers will find another job that doesn’t require them, in order to return to the working environment they like.
Brent says
I stopped driving for a year now—mostly due to driver cams. My online resume clearly says at the very top that I’m not interested in driving trucks any more, but trucking companies ignore that and constantly bug me to go back to trucking. Let me make this clear: I don’t care if you think cameras help you. I care that there are other jobs that I can do that I don’t involve cameras, and I even have several other options other than working at all.
Is it really my problem that you can’t find enough drivers? Or that you have to constantly hire and fire less experienced drivers, so that you now constantly maintain a fleet of dispensable and reckless newbies—and due to this new dichotomy, your actual rates of accidents haven’t improved? Now leave me alone. Just because a resume says someone once drove a truck, doesn’t mean that they’re willing to do it any more. If a person doesn’t put truck driving as one of their job choices, then they don’t want to drive a truck, OK???
Matthew Milligan says
Our Constitutional Rights FOLLOW US WHEREVER WE GO!!!!! WE DO NOT FORFEIT ANY OF OUR RIGHTS FOR A JOB, ANYTHING, OR ANY DAMN BODY!!!!
Duane says
What right is being violated if I install cameras in trucks that my company leases? The Department Store is not in violation of your rights by having cameras in their store. Same with malls, or automobile dealers, or any company. It sounds like you are confusing personal information to mean any time you exist. If you say something in public it can be used against you. If it’s your vehicle, you should have the right to not install. However, companies should also have the right to not hire you unless you do. You can have your privacy and be unemployed. That’s your right.
Brent says
Find me someone here that says companies don’t have a right to not hire you. Straw man.
Cameras aren’t used to ‘not hire people’. They’re carefully hidden out of view on trucker hiring ads that show pictures of trucks. You’ll see the top/front of the truck, but starting where on the window the camera is placed, the image is typically cut off or panned out at a distance. And cameras in workplaces like warehouses are very rarely used to monitor workers’ every move, or bust them. A typical group of factory or warehouse workers being watched by a camera probably wouldn’t be involved in a single camera incident in every bit of 20 years of employment there (management knows they’d probably quit too, if they were). The cameras are there mainly to learn about ACTUAL accidents or thefts, not whether or not the workers are walking perfectly within pedestrian lines while going to and from their worksites. A truck driver receives at least one personalized, and often meaningless, violation a week. These are not the same situations at all.
Nobody need be unemployed simply because they aren’t working in your [explicative] truck. Perhaps you didn’t notice, but there are other lines of work in America besides trucking. This notion that so-called truck drivers are so brain-dead that they can only understand how to drive trucks ought to be taken as the insult that it is, and added to the other insult—that we’re all evil people who will purposely violate company policies at every opportunity—just because managements’ backs are turned.
Even as you write this badly aimed commentary, dozens of TRUCKING COMPANIES are going bankrupt—largely due to a lack of qualified drivers. Just Google it. Rejecting qualifed driv———, er I mean workers, who may or may not choose to assume the role of drivers in lieu of some other line of work—is hardly a weapon of choice for trucking companies that intend to stay in business. We know exactly who needs who, so this bluff is going to stop NOW.
Many employers have the option of using imported labor, but not so much trucking companies. You’ll soon realize what kind of labor imports as truck drivers if you go to any Latin country (including Puerto Rico), stand by a stop sign, and watch every single driver speed through it at at least 25 miles per hour. Then look at all the dented cars (if you can even find one without dents). Or count the deaths of Canadian drivers as they pile up along the highways in our northern states. If these foreign workers screw up their driving records here, many know that they can just go home again, and the bad record won’t follow them.
Really, bad examples and comparisons. One wonders why the desperation to make these kinds of stretches of reason. It would be like me saying that all industries are regulated, so, “why are trucking companies complaining about regulations?”
RF says
Imagine working in a warehouse and being called in the office and written up every time you didn’t “lift with your knees”.
Brent says
These fools will go down into flames of bankruptcy screaming that they “need” cameras that, for decades, they didn’t need when they weren’t even available. The stupidity of it all. How can you now “need” something in the industry when it wasn’t even available for the past six-plus decades that industry existed (and the industry did just fine without them)? Did trucking not even exist before the dash cam was invented?
I do feel that doing a lot of driving damages the brain, and so I can understand why some experienced drivers have problems with common sense and logic. I take time off from trucking every couple years to prevent this. The loss of sleep (parking problems), truck-stop fumes, stress, shaking, temperature extremes and noise can’t be good. Of course no trucking company will ever realize that these are probably the BIGGEST causes of driver error. Just assume your drivers are inherently evil! And expect to stay in business, lol. As far as cell-phone usage is concerned, driving in winter weather is probably ten times more dangerous than driving with a cell phone in hand (just look at the sides of I80 through Pennsylvania in the winter) but if danger and putting drivers’ lives at risk makes money for the trucking companies, then it’s excusable. Risk merely for convenience of a driver is inexcusable.
The real problem is that the statistics generated by the cameras ignore the fact that they drive out experienced and competent truckers in order to replace fleet drivers with green and less skilled drivers. Naturally, the newer and less skilled drivers are going to commit more camera violations—and this creates the myopic illusion that the cameras are preventing more accidents than they really are. In reality, probably about 95-98 percent of the “violations” the cameras cite you for have a nearly zero chance of resulting in an accident. Many “violations” don’t even violate any law, or achieve any objective at all—such as when a truck governed at 62 or so coasts down a hill to pick up speed, in order to climb the next hill. The speed limit may be 70-75, and the coast actually helps save brakes and fuel, and move traffic, but the company carelessly classifies it as a safety violation against the driver, as if it was about as dangerous as running a red light. It’s this kind of idiocy, as well as many other examples, that show us that this is all about driver control, and not safety.
Experienced drivers can, in fact, bend rules safely; inexperienced ones can’t. Applying the same standards to all drivers is a mistake. Nothing personal, but I won’t put up with it. This isn’t about YOUR needs. I work for MY needs, and if you can’t meet them, I’ll do something else. There are plenty of other things I can do for a living, and no, not all of them are working in warehouses that have cameras either!
Matthew Milligan says
SOMEBODY PLEASE FIND SOMEONE TO FILE A LAWSUIT TO STOP THIS!!!! THIS WRONG!!!! Canada has determined the driver facing cameras violates drivers rights. Why can’t we!?!?
Duane says
If you are a driver, of course you would be against them. How else can you get away with violating laws and regulations? If you are a Manager/Owner/CEO of course you would be for them. Why should some other individual jeopardize your business because they fail to obey laws? I have been a driver and I have managed hundreds of drivers. Cameras are necessary. If truck drivers operated with integrity and honesty, they would not be a thought in anyone’s mind. But, unfortunately, the opposite it typically true. Bottom line: every driver I have that has had a problem with cameras is or has been involved in violation of drug laws and has a Class A CDL. And we need to protect ourselves. I don’t want to lose my job because you can’t figure out how not to get high. I can tell you that if they ever take away the cameras we will cut all of our fleet down to Non-CDL drivers, who will work for less money and cause fewer problems. The truth shall set you free.
Alan vanpelt says
They can look at the cameras live time as I know because I covered the one in here because we were not told they where in here and I was sent a message to uncover it and I did but put something else up and I was told I seen you putting to cover it and take it down that was said as I was putting it up so that my friend is live time watching and the truck was stoped at a rest area
Mike Libka says
Started driving in 1976. Operated all types of equipment. Your MVR speaks for
itself. If you have a perfect driving record; you don’t need to be watched.
If your a problem driver with tickets and or accidents then use it as a tool until
you clean your act up. Then turn it off.