DashCam

Yesterday I had a discussion with my boss, aka owner of the company. It started out about having another or the existing power-point plug-in relocated. My gearshift keeps hitting it. This resulted in the power plug for my GPS being destroyed. It turned to the dashcams. I may have had too many things plugged in. I use a multi-outlet adapter (cupholder type). Anyway he started talking about the dashcam. There are about 3 or 4 of us that use them. So far he doesn't have a problem with that. So he said, but he quickly threw it to the insurance company, having the deciding factor. Funny how so many businessmen want to let an insurance company dictate so many aspects of their companies.

He thinks that the insurance company will not want the dashcams. The reason, if we are at fault then the insurance company, lawyers, will not be able to weasel out of a claim or at least be able to show they are less at fault. The video would be a definitive piece of evidence and would prevent the lawyers/insurance companies from having to argue it in courts.

I argued using the example of cars cutting you off, changing lanes no more than a few feet in front of your bumper, slamming on their brakes. He still thinks the dashcam would not be of any benefit. I finally gave up, as it was futile to continue. Yes, they have gone through some hairy lawsuits, some involving fatalities. One example was provided without the driver or specific info, the boss strongly believes the driver was typing or messing with a laptop computer and ran into the back of someone else. Lack of video evidence allowed them to lessen their degree of fault. While it helped the company, the insurance company, it also apparently helped the driver. Nothing to really show what took place.

I then asked if their insurance company and attorney(s) just look out for the best interest of the company. I was assured that we as drivers are looked out for as well. We are treated just as the business in that regard. My concern was that sometimes insurance companies and the lawyers are only interested in the business, not the drivers. Which even though I was assured they would, I will not put a lot of weight to it. I've seen too many times where people are hung out to dry, just so the employer, business, insurance can escape any damages.

He may check with the insurance God, to see if we should be allowed to keep them in the trucks.

I've also come to learn that a newbie to about any industry is thought to be a total dumb-F***. You could have multiple doctorate degrees, but to them, you're a total idiot, just because you don't have the experience or expertise as they do. So they try to convince you of things that you know are not fact. Example;

It is illegal to have a non-trucking GPS in your truck. I'm not talking about company policy either. He thinks that it is illegal to have a standard GPS in your truck. I don't know where he comes up with this stuff. This guy started the company from being a truck driver. He drove for others before starting his own company. That was years ago, and now being a business owner has forgot most of what he may have done. Plus back then, they did not have such things.

 

Whatever happened to personal and professional responsibility? If you screwed up, then own up to it. It's a shame that courts, lawyers and insurance companies have a vested interest in suppressing the truth behind a financially damaging event.

 

Some times, a bad accident occurs, and the truck driver is transported by ambulance (or cop car) ... better hope there is nothing on that dash cam that is incriminating because it will be found and collected as evidence. can they help you? Yes sometimes. But most problems that cause truck accidents where the truck driver was not at fault, occur from the side and this is rarely caught by dashcam. What is caught by dash cam is every single incident of inattention and following too close by the truck driver. About the only good they can provide is proving you had a green light when a car ran a red light into your vehicle otherwise, they are more likely to not help, or work against you than anything else.

 

Spoken like someone who has never been a businessman.

 

Well your right I've never been a businessman, ran a business. However there are aspects that I would think the owner of his/her own business should not need to go asking permission from an insurance agent. Do you ask your insurance agent for permission to put things in your house, your car, your yard? Nanny-state mentality is what that is. Scared to take risks, scared of what someone else may think, may be offended, may not like.

Actually thinking about it, gremlin, your post is about as useful as the proverbial breasts on boar hog. Thanks appreciate it.

 

If its something that might jeopardize my insurance coverage then yes, I most definitely consult my policy and call my agent if I'm still not sure. For instance, I'm planning to add a wall mounted unvented gas heater in my basement. I will not do that without giving my agent a call. Why? Because if that violates the terms of my policy for some reason, I could end up with zero coverage should the house be lost in a fire. Maybe you're good with risking that kind of coin just so you can be all independent and manly but I'm not. My house cost too much to risk losing over something so stupid.

As was yours.

 

So it is legal for them to film us with out our permission? Yes I know if you are pulled over you should know you are being filmed but technically they should inform you they are filming verbally if it is a law now.In my humble opinion...

 

Geesh, I'm not referring to gas heaters and you know it. You're stretching things a bit far. Of course those things would have an affect on your insurance protection, and possibly increase your premiums. A like comparison would be do you run to your insurance agent and get permission to put in a TV, a washer/dryer, a stereo? Putting a dashcam in a car or truck is not like putting in a gas heater or furnace.

Risking that kind of coin? I'm not risking that kind of coin, and really neither is my employer. He would rather be able to stretch the truth, or distort it to save coin. I think that if the driver is wrong than the driver should be held accountable. Employers assume risk just by having employees. Inherent liability. Insurance is sharing risk.

How is having a dashcam being independent and manly? It's simply a tool that could possibly save a driver from wrongful claims.

 

Actually no I don't know it. I don't know you and I don't know your personality so I can only go what you wrote. And there is absolutely nothing in what you wrote to suggest that I'm stretching things with the example I gave. Perhaps you thought your words were expressing your opinion more clearly than they actually were.

Well maybe, maybe not. You're right in that I wouldn't call my insurance company if I bought a new TV. But I disagree that a dash cam in a truck is similar situation. Trucks get into accidents. That's one of the biggies that you insure against. So one would think that having a camera which captures video evidence in an accident woud be a good thing. But I can completely understand why some insurance carriers would be reluctant to allow it. For them, it all comes to down whether they think the cameras will prove the truck driver to be not at fault more often than at fault in accident situations. I don't think its surprising that anyone place their bets on trucker being at fault more often than not. I mean do we really have to debate the fact that there is no shortage of steering wheel holders in this industry?

Its also a tool that could provide the evidence which coud result in a law suit that bankrupts the company. Company owners have to consider that risk. You don't.

 

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