Swift maybe my way out of here

Where are the cameras usually mounted?. I can understand the privacy concerns when getting undressed etc, but how hard would it be to cover the lens during those times?.

I used to drive ambulances that had a G-meter device that would record whenever there was hard braking, acceleration or cornering. It was just a simple counter that we had to take readings from at the start and end of a shift. Rack up too many points and your driving privileges get suspended or removed completely.

Personally I felt the extremes people went to in order to avoid points made for some very unsafe driving (blowing through lights rather than braking hard or using the oncoming lane to widen a turn etc), but the hard facts were that the company saw a significant drop in accidents and maintenance costs since the devices were installed.

As much as I hated that box when I was driving, I won't lie. If I owned a large fleet of whatevers I would want something similar to keep costs in check.

 

They're mounted near the top center of the windshield in vehicles that don't have a rear view mirror there. In straight trucks or smaller passenger vehicles that do have a mirror, it is placed behind and to one side of the mirror so that the inward facing lens isn't obstructed.

Also, they (Lytx) does have hard clamshell types covers that slip around the camera. We used those when we went into secure or restricted areas on Kirtland AFB & Sandia / Los Alamos National Labs. It's a bright red hard case that has a key lock on it and it closes around the camera and stays in place until you remove it again.

 

Swift's policy is to never cover it up. And when your DM finds out (because he'll be spying on you) he will fire you

 

Call a company in Wichita Kansas called air capitol and see if they can help you. I know they train new drivers, and there is a driving school on there property. Its a small company with 100 or a little more trucks.

 

You can cover it when you are parked for the night.

 

Is that true? In that case what is everyone so worried about?

 

Invasion of privacy mostly.

Having personally experienced those cameras, I was a little worried initially as well, that's why I went to the extremes that I did in finding out how they operate and what the process is from "event" trigger to "coaching" with manager / safety dept / etc. and after a couple weeks I didn't even really pay attention to them.

Aside from that, nobody at your terminal / company has direct access to your camera. When an event is triggered and recorded, it's uploaded to the company (again, Lytx) where an actual human will review the event. If they determine that there was no unsafe driving on your part then the event is discarded and that's the end of it and nobody at your company ever sees the recording. If you were doing something they deemed unsafe then that recording would be sent to whomever is in charge of dealing with that (safety dept etc.) and then it makes its way down to you. There are easily tens of thousands (if not hundreds) of vehicles equipped with these cameras and to have each and every one monitored in real time by a person would be hideously expensive. To make it faster and cheaper, they make it as automated as possible.

 

Ok.... Then install one in your bedroom at home(the truck is my home when on the road).
After a couple weeks you wont pay attention to them.

 

You're comparing apples to hockey sticks.
Memorize this term "reasonable expectation of privacy".

In a private residence you have a reasonable expectation of privacy and there are voyeurism and other laws that protect that expectation. In a motor vehicle, especially a vehicle you don't own, that same reasonable expectation of privacy is not there. You do have privacy curtains that you can use as a barrier between you and the camera.

That truck may be your home, but that home is still legally company property and they are fully in their legal right to protect their property however they see fit. Also, It's usually a condition of employment wherein you agree to have the camera in your vehicle as a condition of employment. If you become or remain an employee of a carrier that uses them then that is you giving consent to be recorded. Additionally, since the cameras are in plain view then you know it's possible that you could be recorded under set circumstances. Finally, you are in public view when performing your job duties - you have the windshield and 2 side windows. You can see out and people can see in. Behind the aptly named "privacy curtain" is a different story and you are well within your right to a reasonable expectation of privacy when in your sleeper with the curtain closed.

It's something public safety officials (police, fire, EMT) have to deal with, too. Numerous cases have been tossed out of court when someone is recording a police officer arresting someone. They're working in public view and have no reasonable expectation of privacy.

TL;DR - Their truck, their rules.

 

I read your post, I'm also an emt. 1. Move you have a high demand skill set that pays well but not where you are. 2. I think swift is terible, especially since your post shows your articulate and smart. 3. Otr life is not good for good relationships most of the time.4
Go get a job on an ltl dock working nights and keep your day job, they will train you to drive a truck and the hours will be the same as otr.