DriveCam....

Why would the one facing the driver not benefit. It will show the driver trying to do everything possible to avoid the situation. Or it will show the driver was asleep at the wheel in la la land. I don't know about you but a truck coming straight at me in my lane because somebody is day dreaming, done fell asleep, went back into the sleeper to find his phone while he put on the cruise control, Reaching for his phone, playing with radio stations, arguing with his wife and not paying attention. Or any other reason would I think prevent some of those instances. If I went ahead and put it in the ditch to keep from a head on collision. It would show that as well. So Unless you frequent in those activities, and the camera comes on. Only records when accident or bump or quick lane change. Those things could be addressed and the driver can do a better job at his job. You won't have some safety man saying that was a preventable accident when there's video proof it couldn't have been avoided.

 

Do you drink soda or coffee? Do you smoke? Do you turn your music up when a good song comes on? Do you cuss at drivers inside your cab in traffic because they cut you off? Do you talk on a cb or headset?

These are all legal activities yet they get you assessed safety points. Maybe nothing happens. Maybe they use these as excuses not to give you your safety bonus this quarter. Hmmmm

Maybe someone cuts you off and you wreck. Not your fault... Until they look at the video and decide that because your music was too loud or any of the other things I listed that it was your fault and you get terminated and black balled on your dac report.

Name one way the camera helps you. The ones you listed already are just you doing your job which is what you should be doing already.

I'm not saying there aren't guys that need to be caught doing stupid stuff but why is one person craps their pants and now we all have to wear diapers?

 

They come on far more than you think they do, just about anything can set the sensor off, and they can be turned on at anytime by company. It will never save a driver's job in an accident, it will just keep a company from being sued.

My issue is as a computer engineer before trucking, I know how unsecure these types of systems really are, and don't want anyone looking into a place I have to sleep.

 

This is exactly why I have a camera pointed out. It's why the system has a camera pointed out. That's not the camera I have issue with. It's the one pointed in that's the problem

 

Some drivers should be black balled. The other day I was going East on 40. West bound traffic had stopped. It was a parking lot. Here come big belly big rigger not paying attention to what's ahead of him. Still hammering down. He finally noticed it and locked up his breaks. I do believe he stopped, but a camera watching him could of shown what he was doing in that truck not to be paying attention to what's down the road.. You are the eyes for those behind you because they can't see what's in front of you. Maybe you safely stop but the guy behind you blows into you and you plow into the people in front of you and all of yall go up in smoke. I see this everyday with drivers who are not paying attention to what's in front of them and driving like they are in a Nascar race. I'm sure they wouldn't be driving like that if that camera was in there.

 

Then we should all be replaced by robots because humans all make mistakes. Including you. Or are you the mythical SuperTrucker?

 

You got it right in the first sentence of your post. Some drivers should be blackballed. I don't want these drivers on the road just because they temporarily decide to behave themselves just because a camera is on them.

Cameras on drivers take the element of trust out of the equation, a necessary component for a good employee-employer relationship. Want to put cameras on a driver? I have no problem with it IF the situation warrants it such as if a driver did something, committed a serious violation or multiple violations or an accident, etc.

Placing a camera on a driver for no cause simply fosters hostility and puts a good driver on the defensive by conveying the message the company does not trust them. These cameras are not for our benefit in any manner, they are to reduce liability and seek blame should the situation warrant it, period. An outward facing camera can do everything you say to benefit a driver. If a driver makes a mistake it will be recorded by the outward facing camera. The "why" shouldn't matter as if a driver commits a mistake, it's a mistake plain and simple whether it's inattentiveness, driving too fast for conditions, etc.

 

I would think that someone pointing a camera into your living space would be considered a violation of privacy. What is the difference in that and a landlord putting cameras in all of his rental properties? It might be a little different if this was an 8 hour a day job but these trucks are someone's home and it borders, if not crosses, the rights of privacy, in my opinion.

 

Devils advocate but... Difference is, they are paying you to drive the truck, you are paying rent to live in the apartment. If you do a lease OP essentially then it's the same as your apartment analogy.