AI Driver Facing Cameras, how’s it going?

Thanks for a European perspective. Tells me, we're all in this together, worldwide. Don't get me wrong, I think electronics in trucks has saved a bunch of time and money, in catching something before you go 7 hours for nothing. Our trucking is riddled with the same situations, Portland Maine or Portland Oregon?
Far as driver facing cameras, there's no question in my mind, are being implemented by insurance companies for a reduction in premiums. Not sure you have "pileups" like we have here, with 50 trucks all askew, can you imagine the payouts, poor chaps. Those "pileups" can only come from one place, the driver. It's become necessary, for whatever reason, to have to monitor the driver BEFORE the crash. Not sure about Europe, but America has adopted this "instant gratification" attitude, coupled with lack of experience and hours of service, it's created a dangerous situation. With literally minutes left for available driving, 20 mph in a snowstorm won't do. So THOSE drivers that were driving imprudently, will be fired, further exasperating our driver shortage all the more. New drivers will have already taken the cameras as a given, bit us old timers would NEVER fall for such foolishness,,take a picture of this, boss,,,,and I'm a gone,,

 

They always tell you the same thing, they only review the camera if there’s an incident, and it sets it off a temporary recording facing you. But if you do a little research, you’ll find this is not true. In fact that some trucking companies, the office staff has been caught using it for their entertainment purposes. Literally. if they can view the camera anytime they want, which the safety manager gets a key and code to be able to do that, you can rest, assured that it will be abused. Also, there is no upside in it for the driver with a driver facing camera. It is only there to pin stuff on you. it is only there to pass liability. And it can be used to keep control of you as an employee.

I had an HR manager, tell me once, that if you watch any employee 24/7 you will find a reason to fire them. Even the best of employees. This was a different type of job setting, but he refused to have cameras pointing at his staff 24/7. he let their work performance decide on what type of employee they were.

I’ve worked for two companies a total of four years that had driver facing cameras, and I did not have an issue with it. But I will still never work for another one again that has them. It’s just the principle. I like my privacy and I value it.

 

If the insurance companies are going to force the issue,
they should only be able to install them in the problem drivers trucks.

 

I'm a little late to the comment party, but here is my $0.02 on driver facing cameras. If you want me (and my 4 million miles of experience) to leave the company, put a driver facing camera in my truck. And the final trips before I drop the truck off at your front door will be the most embarrassing (for you) because I will stop at the closest adult toy store and buy the biggest, most realistic looking fake weenie and have it hanging out of the front of my zipper the whole time my truck is moving....it's either that or I buy a lace thong and that will be the only thing, besides my boots, I will have on while in motion...

You mentioned a degree of trust that you have to have that they won't be viewing it during "non-critical event" times. But the trust issue is 180° in my opinion...if you(the employer) don't trust me enough to safely drive your equipment without adult supervision, then why did you hire me?

My concern is also about equipment reliability. My company just moved from Peoplenet to Samsara, with Samsara outward facing cameras (they have inward facing as well, but have a company supplied cover over the inward camera). My outward camera is the AI (artificial ignorance) type that 'coaches' you...I call it the exwife nanny cam. It nags me about speeding when I am not (because it reads the speed limit signs on the frontage road, or like in IN construction zones where there is a reduced speed limit "when flashing", but it doesn't comprehend the "when flashing" part.) It has also nagged me about my following distance when sitting dead stopped in traffic(far enough back from the vehicle you can still see it's bumper and license plate). Who's to say how an inward facing camera would view things to "coach".

Some of our fellow TFI companies (formerly Daseke) have driver facing cameras installed and active, so I think it's only a matter of time before our inside camera covers come off. But I have to agree with @IH Truck Guy and say, inside cameras should only be used for drivers who have issues. Most of the issues can easily identified by watching how many critical events the outward camera sees like hard braking, sudden lane changes, drifting out of the lane for no reason.

 

100% agree. I have never had such a thing in my cab, apart from my own dashcam which faces forwards towards the idiots. But when you talk about 'nagging', are you saying that there is a voice talking at you all the time? If so, is there no way to turn that off? The worst form of driver distraction and therefore unsafe operation I have ever heard of. The first thing I turned off with my satnav was the voice, it is to show me the options, not nag about what I already know..

 

It's not constant, it just out of the blue decides to suddenly chime - then talk to you. If you don't react and change speed or back off the person in front of you, it goes into a continuous nag until you do, which is tough when you're stopped in traffic and it's nagging you to increase following distance. And no, there is no volume control other than taping some sound deadening foam over the thing.

 

Reminds me of an early form of speed limiter when that same firm gave me a brand new DAF, the one I pictured with 60 foot beams a while back. Off down the motorway I went to get my first load with it, came to a hill and a laden wagon in front so pulled out to overtake, just as I got level with him there was a click and the pedal went floppy. I dropped back several times then click, caught up again. The other bloke was pissing himself laughing.

I had wondered when I climbed aboard what that big black box on the passenger floor was for so I followed the wires and, guess what, a lovely little fuse which came out ever so easily. Never had the same thing happen again but, just had to remember to put it back when it went to the garage for servicing.

Don't suppose there's any little wires to follow? Pr'aps not, they're far too cunning these days