Camera? Not on my watch

I do not mind the camera, it has a feature ( a blue button on the side) that activates the camera....I am always filming other drivers mistakes.

 

Do you have a Drivecam now?

 

What's funny is this. On the front page of the trucker news,there's an article about how the Ata is now saying, not there's a driver shortage but shortage of quality drivers....gee I could be told them that...frankly raise the pay and treat them like they should be treated and the quality will come back..until then they'll keep losing drivers by the dozen daily.

 

Drivers (truck and car) are crashing (usually rear-ending someone) multiple times daily across the nation because of texting and driving. Read through the truck accidents forum section and you'll find plenty, and these are just the ones that get a mention.

Plus many safety managers believe a lot of crashes are distraction related, but the driver's "version" says otherwise. These cameras will stop a lot of that behavior too.

And when an 80,000 lb truck traveling at high speeds runs into the back of stopped traffic, very bad things happen. Carriers have had enough. Laws, and fines, and company policies just don't seem to be working. Every month it seems there's more and more of these distraction related crashes ... that's why. They are hoping that the camera will stop a lot of unwanted behavior, and they probably will, as long as they can keep someone in the seat willing to be or needing to be baby-sitted.

 

Too many " YES " men/women willing to put up with crap like this.

This was one of the reasons I left my last company. They were " testing " them out then later bought more...ya I see where this is going..F you and the horse you rode in on..
Never had 1 put in but if they tried I would have cleaned out the truck same day and drove or flew back home ( you do keep emergency funds avail at all times I hope )

Need more people to take a stand but I wouldn't hold my breath..plenty of sheep that will just do what they are told...for the almighty buck

 

Don't understand all the negativity on the camera, they are not installing them in the bunk, it in you work station, must companies have supervisors watching their employee, just do your job while driving and all will be good, or are you just unset that you wont be able to text and drive anymore?

 

My company was going to put a cam in my truck, but I already put a forward-facing cam in my truck and that stopped it.

 

It would be a walk away for me as well. I'm glad you're sticking to your guns.

 

Until some fool pulls in front of you and gets killed. Then some lawyer will analyse your actions and find some expert to testify that you weren't checking your mirrors often enough or that you were too busy checking your mirrors to properly focus on what was occurring ahead of you or that because you only had one hand on the wheel you couldn't properly react to the situation etc.

A driver facing cam is nothing more than a training tool for the megas. And, as STexan pointed out, they have good reason to want to do that.

Way too Orwellian for me though.

 

I can see the positives in this move, cameras in the cab can help prevent a lot of cowboy type driving I see on the roads today. With that being said I would have a hard time getting use to having people stare at me as I sing Whitney Houston as I drive. The trucking industry has changed so much since I started driving. Theses mega carriers are pumping theses drivers out by the bus load each week. The Federal Safety Board is pushing tougher guidelines and mandating a lot of procedures. The old schoolers out there are not wanting to change as this takes place. I remember when the ELOG rant was going on. I drove for a company that was not one that did things by the book when I started driving. There was a many a trips I did that I didn't know how In the heck can this be legal. But I was oblivious to how things were done because I was so eager to drive and show the world I was a super trucker. I have been in the towing and recovery industry for about 10 years now and have gotten to see some really stupid stuff through out the years. And have to say its more of the mega carriers that are having the fatal accidents. There are some owner ops that are doing it as well but more of theses lets say rookies that are doing stupid stuff because of bad training or quick training.

I hired on with a company when I started driving, the company I hired on with rented me a car had me drive all night to a terminal in Colorado for orientation, and I mean all night. I had to be in orientation the next morning no exceptions if I wanted a job. I was so tired and fatigued when I got there I was actually falling asleep in the class. It was a 3 day orientation I got completely nothing out of it other than how to properly send in my trip pak. Then I was on my own, I was young and dumb I did it. I wasn't successful with this company I didn't know how to do things.

Theses cameras aren't going to prevent a accident they will how ever create a opportunity for the company to see where who is creating bad habits. I really think they need to link them up with the computer some how like when the truck is in motion over a certain speed. It I think would be more welcoming to the drivers as well as the industry as a whole. And of course I guess the real answer is if you don't want a camera in your truck, well go drop 100,000 on you a ride and don't put a camera in it .