Every camera company is a bad company.

I do understand, it is for the "protection" of the Company, and yes.. never driver. BUT EVERYTHING was moving always till ELD and Cameras came up, now SHORTAGE, why.. I kind of wander))

 

We talk about cameras today, but in looking at trucking in perspective, it has been in some way or fashion the same for years. From the time a driver is hired, a file is kept on the driver and this file holds every move that the company perceives the driver has made in order to terminate him or her. Be it cameras of today or write-ups of yesterday. From the day a trucking company hires a driver, they are looking for a way to fire him. Believe it or not!

 

That's right. Anyone that has been in this business for any length of time knows that the driver is where it all stops. Everything is blamed on the driver when the SHTF.

Cameras give the employer a perfect opportunity to absolve themselves and put the blame squarely on the driver with digital proof from the tearless retina.

Just because they aren't dinging them with every little infraction now doesn't mean they will side them when an issue arises that holds lawsuit or other legal potential.

That driver will indeed be crucified for all parties. He'll be another trucking martyr to pay the price in the name of, "safety". The god of safety is a demon!

 

A Driver facing camera sounds like they don't trust then drivers they higher and is a huge contradiction once that driver passes a road test showing their Professional Driving Exeprience. I'm already planning on leaving my current job & they wouldn't consider putting driver faced cameras in because they would start losing more. It's obviously micro management helping to causing the 95% driver turnover rate occurring.

 

If a company insists on driver facing cameras then to make it fair. Drivers should have access to all the office/terminal security cameras.

 

Driver facing cameras can only hurt you.
It's like they are saying "guilty until proven innocent"

 

You can buy spy cameras and surveillance cameras and everything else on eBay for less than $20. This technology is cheap now. Set up a spy camera in your own truck. Did you know that at a lot of companies the safety manager or other staff will come out to your truck on your days off and dig through it? Or if you leave the yard to go grocery shopping or something between loads? Some companies will even have spies veteran drivers with a universal key and they’ll come dig through your crap check your fridge for alcohol or whatever else they think they’re looking for while you’re inside the diner having dinner. Or maybe you decide to take a 34 hour reset out on the road and stay in a hotel. They do this.

I picked up a company driver about Two years ago who had broke down. We stopped for fuel and I started to go inside after I pulled up and realized I had left my wallet in the truck. So I came right back and caught the guy digging around in my truck. I was pissed. He was like family inside with the owners and been with this company for like 25 years. I can only speculate but I’m pretty sure they asked him to look around. probably for alcohol. There’s was zero reason for them to suspect anything.

Yes, we are on their equipment and technically they have the right to do this stuff, but as a truck driver you come to the realization that between 24-26 days on average per month, THAT IS YOUR LIFE. You live in that truck! To me it just gives me a sense of being disrespected on a new level.

 

The motivation for installing cameras comes from the insurance companies. Put in the camera, get a nice discount on the rates.

I used to own a small company. Paid well over $1000/mo for 2 pickups. Imagine what the bill is for a semi. Imagine it is coming out of your pocket.

 

Yes but it’s because they can pass the blame and buck on to the driver. I’m telling you it’s all about blaming the driver. “Oh what’s that you touched the Pandora button four blocks back up the road, well we’re going to find a way to tie that into the accident that happened”. And guess what happens from there. You as a CDL professional driver get sued. You don’t have exemption like a law enforcement officers do. You own a home, have a bank account? Have any assets at all? Guess who they’re going to come after? Guess who your company will come after? You!
Everything you ever drove and worked for down in an instant because they have a camera sitting there. Make no mistake about it, that is why those cameras are there. To escape the blame and get off the hook and take whatever they can get from the driver when something happens.

this is what I tell other drivers when they ask me about driver facing cameras. If you’re new, young, don’t have any assets, living paycheck to paycheck, just starting out, go ahead and jump on a carrier with a driver facing camera. If you’ve been in the industry for years, maybe you have some savings and retirement built up, maybe you own your home, maybe you own a couple of nice vehicles, do not get near one of these companies with driver facing cameras. Because the minute you bump into something, and that camera shows any twisted version of you doing anything distracted? Everything you’ve worked for becomes theirs”

 

Driver facing cameras are not even needed to figure out if a driver is at fault in an accident, front facing cameras can do the same. They even have mics in those things