In Cab Cameras

I think in the case of my company the insurance company forced it upon them. Let's just say the company safety record is pretty well removed from sterling. In fact my boss just hired someone that was working at 7-11 just prior to my boss hirring him, and before that this guy had minimum experience driving truck, most of his driving was in a little B class 26' straight truck that probably only weighted 40k or less. My boss put this guy in the truck with me to train him. I showed him how to sample, load milk, measure, and paperwork but would not let him drive. I only have around 1-1/2 years or so with a CDL, who am I to teach anyone how to drive?? NOPE. They put him with another driver that also refused to let him drive, if anyone should take that risk it should be my boss. His trucks, his insurance...and he hired him.

Guy gets his own truck pulled out of a milk plant with the manhole covers open....tore up the manhole covers and bay door. That one is pure common sense. The truck should not move until you ask the receiver if your ok to pull out of the bay. Guy also hit an obstacle with his tandems, tore up the wheels and tires.

I think I made the right call, I wanted nothing to do with that potential mess.

 

he could have turned out to be the best driver. but nope had his mind made up from the start. what if someone said nope when your mom got pregnant. nope when you came out. your job in life is to lift one teach one. i say shame on you. yall wanted that guy to fail from the start.

 

Hell I just know what a mess I was at that stage in the game. I would not have wanted to train myself when I was that green. My boss helped me transition from dump truck to milk tanker. I think my boss should have rode with the guy. His truck, his trailer, and his insurance. Maybe my company needs a dedicated trainer, a driver that is tasked with training a new driver when they are hired, this driver trainer should also agree to train new hires. Someone who is also getting a premium for training someone very green. Myself, I haven't had a cdl two full years, I don't feel I'm qualified to train anyone. Everyday I just keep my own self out of trouble, I know how to do that.

I wasn't going to receive additional training pay, didnt feel comfortable with it, and didn't want the risk or to be involved if and when he had an accident.

If I don't feel comfortable with something I don't do it. I allowed him to drive bobtail and take an empty trailer to a farm only a couple miles away....an area with almost no traffic. He missed a gear and had no idea how to recover, he wanted to bring the truck to a complete stop. Even right after trucking school I knew the basics of recovering a gear.

I struggled allot in the very beginning this was not an easy thing for me to learn, I am not sure I would be a good teacher.

 

Don't have them yet...could be turned on anytime.

 

You have a definite point here....too many drivers today let their boat payment rule their lives. Wife, kids, friends are all back seated to that bigger check and they will sleep with who ever to make it. It is a sad world but a reality

 

Bingo!

 

You bring up a good point. From what I hear, companies with driver facing cams fight to keep them out of evidence in trials as the other side uses any little thing to convince a jury that the driver did something to cause the accident. If so, then the driver facing cam is just a driver gotcha device to fire the driver.

 

It benefits everyone involved except the driver. Even the Carrier can avoid possible litigation by having the driver sign certain agreements in advance. They'll pass that issue to the driver after they fire him. It's always the driver's fault. It's been that way for the 20 years I've been at it. The cameras are the perfect hammer they will use to nail his balls to the wall.

 

Unfortunately, our rates have gone skyward. Might just be a Canadian thing, but we have to look at cameras as one way to lower the rates. Is it just the driver-facing part of it that irks you? Or cameras altogether?

 

Whats a phone audit?