My time with Millis Transfer

That is the company line, but it doesn't work that way. I talked to an accident lawyer who specializes in Suing for accident recovery and he said very clearly that in those clips, about 60 percfent of the time, he can find something to argue driver distraction. His words, "If you glance down at your guages, or look away from the front window for any length of time just before or during the accident, or if your radio is playing, or if you don't have two hands on the wheel, or any number of other things, I can make a case for a distracted driver and win a lawsuit."

The driver facing camera is a liability. It is there because a Millis trainer, killed a woman while watching (allegedly) porn on his laptop while driving. THAT is why it is facing the driver because one idiot screwed everyone, not to clear you. If The ONLY reason was liability, they would have opted out of the driver facing camer and instead installed a front facing and two mirror mounted rear cacing cameras and those would clearly show liability. The real purpose of the driver cam is to control drivers who would otherwise do something stupid while driving.

Many people have argued that the driver facing cam is there to shift liability from the carrier to the driver. Unfortunately for that argument is also invalid. Unless you are an Owner Op, you are considered a representative of Millis Transfer as soon as you step foot in that truck, and until it is empty and parked outside of your immediate responsibility. If you have a collission it is legally the same as Millis Transfer Inc having collission, they are legally liable for anything you, the driver, do. If you are found liable, then they are automatically liable. They can NOT separate themselves from that liability, period, under any circumstance at all. However, if the driver cam shows that you are negligent at all, as in the case of the Porn watching trainer...who was not just negligent, but criminally negligent, then it opens you, the driver, up for civil action against you personally.

The key is to drive safe, and practice professional behavior at all times. If an accident happens and you are doing what you are suppossed to do, then you will be okay. The dash cam is there to control you and keep you from doing stupid stuff, arguing against having them is a waste of time because Millis drivers have already set the precedent for unsafe stupidity and Millis is legally responsible to do EVERYTHING in their power to insure it never happens again. They are a huge P.I.A. but such is life. In my time with one, it rarely goes off, and sometimes it goes off for no explainable reason, like this morning. However, I have yet to be messaged about it, so I honestly don't care.

 

When t comes down to it, a good lawyer is always going to find something regardless of cameras and where they are pointed. The general attitude toward the trucking industry makes their job pretty easy. Doesn't take much to convince a jury the trucker was wrong and the idiot in the car doing 90 while texting at night with no lights on and getting road head was just the innocent victim.

 

I debated if I should chime in on this or not……so here it goes - these are opinions and not fact(s), yet we all have the right to have those opinions. As explained to me by a person with that last name "Millis" The cameras are not due to any one accident inclusive of the one spoken of earlier - they are due to the many lawsuits/claims of a Millis truck being at fault in even the most minor accident and until now, there has been no way to prove otherwise. There are Attorneys that are "Trucking Company Chasers" just like Ambulance Chasers out there and they have to find ways to minimize their exposure. As far as the camera facing the driver - I just can't agree with that one at all.

 

Thanks twistedsmoke. In doing my research, I keep seeing "no-touch" percentages. With Millis is there a lot of physical Loading/Unloading. My point being that being paid by the mile, I would think I would rather be moving than unloading a truck. What is realistic at Millis? Thanks

 

In 18 months I haven't unloaded a truck yet. In the rare instances it does happen you get paid for it.

 

Although im still new..,i have to agree. Ive used Lumpers to unload freight and my trainer told me that in 10 years he has never unloaded freight. If you choose to unload you have to log that time on line 4...meaning that is time you could be driving that is lost. You make more turning miles than.unloading freight.

 

I,ve loaded 1 load but that was my choice did it at at aldis in springfield ya gotta hire lumpers for loading there and was told it would be abt 2 hrs before any lumpers would be available took me 30 min, to load it