Oh well...glad ..oh so glad I'm retired....

[QUOTE="semi" retired;4044458]Hi bergy, we sure think alike. The biggest attraction when I started driving was that I was alone, no boss watching me. But like gpsman says, you can't escape it.(just by commenting here, goes out to who knows where) I remember the first job I had with a phone in the truck, when that thing rang, I went through the roof, and to this day, when I'm driving, and the phone rings, it startles me. It just wasn't a normal sound. I don't know, I've got nothing to hide (nowadays). As far as privacy, a piece of black tape could do wonders for us.[/QUOTE]


Hi Semi. Fortunately (or unfortunately?) I've been my own boss my entire career. Other than high school jobs, I've never had a boss. That first year or two is going to be a shock to my system. I'm not a quitter, so I'm preparing myself for it already, because I know it is going to be rough.

I'm the guy that can't stop thinking about more efficient or profitable ways to do something; then I run off to start a company - then work like an idiot to make it happen. I'm hoping I can shut this trait off and let my brain relax. I just want to drive. I will get my own authority, but I don't want to build anything further than that. I'm sure there are lots of frustrations with trucking, but I can't wait to just drive, and run my little one person company.

Everybody else had to suffer through trainers, cameras, micro managing etc, and I will as well - Hopefully with as little complaining as possible - nobody likes a whiner.

 

Then I think you are going to be disappointed. Surveillance of truck drivers can only increase, the statistics reveal why. Truck drivers are marginally better at driving than 4-wheelers in a few categories, far worse in others.

I think commercial pilots provide a good contrast to what truck drivers think of as "professionalism". There are no forums where they publicly and with great pride report their disdain for their regulations and brag about their "willful misconduct", as the FHWA tries to put it so politely.

Then you're really going to be disappointed when you discover you will most likely not be paid via any method other than direct deposit, and your absence of a credit rating will cause red flags to shoot off like fireworks in the Human Resources department

Having bad credit is better than no credit, it suggests you at least haven't been a wandering criminal all your adult life.

My personal knowledge of those cameras is 0, but I imagine they would not be wired to constant power. I don't think carriers are interested in using them for anything but protecting their assets and those of their clients, and that would raise reasonable privacy issues.

 

Hi Roadmedic, That movie "Enemy of the State" freaked me out. I don't know if all that's true, but I sure wouldn't be closed minded to think it can't happen. It's just where we are now, you just don't know. I do indeed believe there are people monitoring screens all the time. Look at all the cameras on our highways, ever wonder how they get footage of all these accidents that happen.Why, who knows, maybe someone at TTR is watching me right now!

 

[QUOTE="semi" retired;4044638]Hi Roadmedic, That movie "Enemy of the State" freaked me out. I don't know if all that's true, but I sure wouldn't be closed minded to think it can't happen. It's just where we are now, you just don't know. I do indeed believe there are people monitoring screens all the time. Look at all the cameras on our highways, ever wonder how they get footage of all these accidents that happen.Why, who knows, maybe someone at TTR is watching me right now! [/QUOTE]

I have wondered if they do or if they have computers watching for it. Would not be hard to monitor several at a time.

Ever watch a show and see them with the monitor screens for the security desk?

I really do not believe it would be that hard to monitor the camera in the truck.

 

I knowofat least 2 companies that do have those in cab cameras. One of the companies will tell you during orientation they have them and black tape will do you no good unless you want to take the truck apart to find them? They are smart cameras as well.If some kind of event happens, that camera sends an email alert to the base computer(DispatchersComputer) informing them of the event. This particular company tells you right up front in orientation what the events are that get flagged by the camera. They also tell you that if you get flagged that within seconds you will receive a call from your dispatcher. They were completely honest about it too because I tried them one night. I was coming up on a redlight that had a camera on it. It changed just as I got to it so I checked for Traffic behind me, saw there was none so I braked hard enough to stop without running the light and risking getting flashed by the light. Sure enough, time I got stopped, there was a dispatcher calling me on the phone wanting to know what was going on. They also said if you do not answer that dispatchers call, he automatically sends emergency personnel to your location.

I believe that particular company did it for the drivers protection as well as probably saved on insurance. The other company I drove for with them didn't tell the driver nothing. The only way you knew it was if you got a qc message from them.

 

I know that the Carrier's safety departments keep count and add points, higher score being the worst, this score also will prevent the driver from trying to get a local or dedicated driving positions, and leasing a truck is out of the question if you have more than the certain amount of "points" allowed, these silly internal violations were never discussed and do not follow any protocol but the company's.
I really believe that the drivers have enough watching out for DOT inspectors, City, State, Marshall and Sheriff Cops, stupid 4x4's and distracted motorists along should be good enough, now we have to be careful going 21 mph instead of 20 mph on an on-ramp, try to avoid killing a dog or even a human being by "breaking hard" on an amber to red light and avoid a fatal accident, these and other moments will activate the Qualcomm or any computer tracking device that is on your truck (home for some), and will slam you with a "Critical Event" that will count on your company's driver record.
Let me tell you something, there is some things that machines can't match, and that is the human eye and touch, when you know how to feel that truck, you'll know how far you can go with it, (sick huh? kidding ) at least that is how I feel, now add a Camera into this, your privacy is GONE, oh yeah "Home of the free".

 

thanks driver, it's really weird with the cam. experienced it for first time 2 days ago. teeter is really scooping up alot of the drivers now. some new guys are leaving also, going back to their old job.

 

Camera goes in my truck that's on me, they get their keys. I spend too much time at Walmart having my every move questioned by some ####### in an office reviewing the tapes because he was convinced I was allowing the vendors to steal.