How to deal with a driver facing camera?

Discussion in 'Experienced Truckers' Advice' started by Dark_Majesty_06, Mar 6, 2015.

  1. BROKENSPROKET

    BROKENSPROKET Medium Load Member

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    Hard soled shoes on while driving?? Provide the reg for that please.
     
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  3. joseph1135

    joseph1135 Papa Murphy

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    There are none. You can drive in a pair of red speedos, a Viking helmet, high heeled pumps and nipple tassels if you really want to.
     
  4. Bill104

    Bill104 <b>Pepsiholic</b>

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    Hell I don't need anyone watching me smile as i scratch my ### while driving, let alert ne when i pick my nose, or whatever else we do thats best done without advertising.
     
  5. Moosetek13

    Moosetek13 Road Train Member

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    You are mistaken.
    The camera records everything, all the time that it is active.
    If a critical event is detected it will save a portion to a different partition of the storage that won't be overwritten by the looping video.

    If it were set up to begin recording once a condition was met, it would already be too late.

    The camera records video in segments. Mine does it in 3 minute segments.
    If a critical event is detected it saves the previous and current segment(s) to a separate area.

    Depending on how large the memory card is, it can keep video for the past 2 to 14 hours before overwriting the oldest file.

    I really don't see any obstacle against downloading any those stored files over the Qualcom system, at any time.
    So while there is not someone on the other end that can watch you in real time, it is possible to watch you in a slightly delayed time.
    It all depends on how much Big Brother WANTS to watch you.
     
  6. GreenMonster9669

    GreenMonster9669 Medium Load Member

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    You forget about it until something happens that you think might trigger it, like a swerve, hard braking at that stoplight that changed at the last second, etc. The system my company uses will grab (I believe) 12 seconds prior to the triggering event then another 10 or so afterward.

    The thing you have to keep in mind is that the red light doesn't come on unless I give it a reason to.

    And even if it's recording 24/7, how many companies do you think would pay somebody to watch every camera from every truck? I'd like to see somebody justify that expense in a budget meeting.

    It was a much bigger issue to me at the beginning but now I don't even think about it.
     
    Last edited: Mar 7, 2015
  7. tscottme

    tscottme Road Train Member

    My company is doing a trial, and I expect they will some day be as common and cruise control in trucks. From my little research the driver-facing camera is like the road-facing camera. It's always recording with latest images overwriting the older images. In dash-cams, depending on how much the memory card holds, it will retain the last X minutes after a triggering event.

    I expect this means the company isn't watching live as you drive. I don't know if they can download video with no trigger event. I suspect the cost of data over satellite or cellphone network would likely prevent the company from getting video except in case of trigger event (crash) or from shop during maintenance. I'd like to know if others have more info.

    Also, these cameras are coming because every lawyer suing truck companies will cause the cameras to be implemented. Insurance companies and lawyers will have a field day in court "you mean there are relatively inexpensive cameras your company knew about, would show what happened, and you did not install one?"

    Of course companies will sell them to drivers as helping protect drivers from bogus accusations, and I suspect this will mostly be true. I don't like the idea, but the truck belongs to the company and I don't have to pay for their insurance.
     
  8. Moosetek13

    Moosetek13 Road Train Member

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    It is ALWAYS in record mode.
    It only SAVES a file to a protected area when you achieve the critical event.
     
  9. Moosetek13

    Moosetek13 Road Train Member

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    The cost of data transfer is inversely proportional to the size of the account.
    Heck, a company like Swift could be it's own ISP!

    And they don't need enough people to watch every truck at every moment.
    Only enough to 'sample'.
    Throw enough crap against the wall and some is sure to stick.
     
  10. CruisingAlong

    CruisingAlong Medium Load Member

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    So you go through 20 new guys every week to keep 400 truck seats filled? 20x52 = 1040 new drivers annually for 400 trucks?
    You have to invest in training etc, how does this business model work out for you? Just imagine how much better the bottom line would be with only 200% turnover or even 100%?

    Just seems that would be more lucrative to your bottom line.
     
  11. KW Cajun

    KW Cajun Road Train Member

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    I think the text I highlighted pretty well sums it up. That part comes thru loud & clear in all your drivel.
    Any company that intends on putting these inward facing cameras doesn't have the intelligence to foresee they'll be cutting their own throats, and won't know when the ship is sinking until the last life boat is dropped.

    It's guaranteed to turn away quality drivers, without doubt. But I forgot... you don't care.
    It's guaranteed to not offer one iota of exonerating evidence on any collision, when the driver has done nothing wrong, because THATS what's expected of any driver.
    However, it IS guaranteed to put the company's head deep in the chopping block, in providing 'golden' video evidence for the plaintiff's attorneys, on any lawsuit where your driver was filmed not acting safely st the moments prior to a serious or fatal collision.

    So it's a slam dunk that I'd never work for a company so distrusting, so unknowing of the professionalism/skills of their employees, and so ignorant.
     
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