Every camera company is a bad company.

most companies over 100 trucks are self insured now anyway so it is all about saving themselves

 

Technically, it’s still possible to sue a trucking company even with driver facing cameras. Especially if the driver involved has had accidents in the past. That’s why most trucking companies ask on the application that you have no more than 3 moving violations in the previous 5 years. There are algorithms that insurance companies use to calculate the risk involved with hiring a driver with too many accidents or moving violations, so even if a driver manages to still get hired because he falls into the “risk worthiness” threshold, a clever enough attorney can still win in court,

Risk Vs Reward

Trucking companies understand that the likelihood of a trucker having an accident is pretty good given the amount of time the driver spends driving. It’s just something that we all know can happen whether it’s the drivers fault or not.
The goal is to mitigate the risk as much as possible and you do this by having driver facing cameras. Driver facing cameras may help absolve the trucking company from blame but it’s still not guaranteed… it’s just a tool in the court room, it helps the trucking companies lawyer. That’s it! It doesn’t prevent accidents from happening nor is it a safety device.

 

I'm not sure that it is well conceived.

 

the only point is if someone didn't do something stupid no one would have ever thought they needed a law to curtail it

 

The goal is to take preemptive measures to avoid liability. It’s a fact that human error happens. Accidents are going to occur whether we want them to or not and trucking companies like to be ahead of the game when they do. So in what context could it be the trucking company’s fault? It almost always boils down to the driver or the other vehicle being at fault. Any accident that could happen on the interstate due to mechanical failure would invariably still be the drivers responsibility because of his obligation to Pretrip the vehicle.

 

A driver facing camera is used in two ways:

• To catch bad behavior before it results in an accident
• To show that a driver was doing the right thing up to and including his/her actions during the accident

It is absurd to think that a trucking company would use a driver facing camera to show that their driver was behaving in a manner that resulted in the accident happening - so that they may be absolved of all wrong doing! Camera's and all the new collision technology is a result of all the large nuclear lawsuit settlements that the industry is experiencing. Companies involved in accidents that on the surface, were not the fault of the trucking company nor their drivers, are still paying six and seven figure lawsuits. These settlements and jury verdicts come about because the plaintiff lawyer was able to make the jury believe , that the trucking company did not exercise proper training, and or lacked a safety culture. Or they convinced the trucking company they had the ability to do so, so they settle.

The Werner Lawsuit in Texas for 91 million is the poster child for these nuclear verdicts.

Camera's will slowly work their way to all segments of the industry if they want to get insurance.

Navistar and Rush Truck Dealerships Leasing Division recently settled a lawsuit because one of their trucks involved in an accident did not have collision mitigation technology installed on it, even though it is not a requirement.

 

I had to spend 3 nights on his truck too. He had rotten food in his cooler. And the upper bunk was about 129 degrees.. I couldn't sleep.

I was supposed to be with him a full week, but I convinced him and my DM that I was ready to roll early. Thank God

 

Good grief! I admire your determination. I wouldn't have made it the second day.

 

Yup.....that was the point in my original post in a roundabout way. Rules and regs start somewhere.

 

I believe the subject was about driver facing cameras. It is true cameras can benefit a driver in accidents. Just look at all the YouTube videos of cars changing lanes and doing brake checks and causing accidents. The cameras are supposed to come on when an incident occurs i.e. sudden lane change, abrupt stopping, crashes, changing lanes without signaling and record the actions of the driver leading up to that incident as well as the view ahead. Yes, it will see if you have your seat belt on. Yes, it will record you if an incident happens while your texting or reaching down to get food or a drink. THAT is an attempt in trying to make you a safer driver.
HOWEVER, there are some companies which use cameras to record drivers if they yawn, shift in the seats or make other movements inconsistent with the camera super-sensitive protocols. THAT is taking this recording process too far and I would not work for a company like that.