Cameras In Tractors?

I'm a private person, and these are things I simply do not want to take the chance of being recorded and shown to anyone else.

I think anyone can understand that sentiment also. I'm a private person and I'd rather not have the world watching me every second of my life either.

Belluavir believes:

there are plenty of companies that indulge this preference ....

They might "indulge" - until the insurance company, or the State, tell them to quit indulging and get the cameras installed already.

And besides, just what are you doing that you don't want your boss to see you do just before your accident? I thought "observant driver" would be a good thing to be doing just before the fender bender.

Well... thats not case at the moment so I don't see how what you said about insurance companies has a whole lot to do with what I said. All I am saying is that I prefer X and X is an option so I'll take that option. I don't get why that is controversial.

Just because I object to scrutiny, does not mean that therefore I am doing something wrong or that that scrutiny is therefore justified.

Seppo is adamant:

However, whether I'm at fault or not, I absolutely do not want video taken of me shown publicly to any group of people for any reason.

No company has the time to show "Best Of DriverCam" for either instruction or laffs. Even any Incident recording sent in is checked for "usefulness" before it gets processed.

Better start looking for a local job.

Yep, I'm one of those that does not want a camera facing me all day/night. I don't like it, I don't agree with it, and think that would be the one thing that would push me out of trucking

That would be the last straw, eh? Not the 10 years of work history they require, the constant stream of drug tests, DOT inspections, in-cab searches they can do anytime, logbook checks, fingerprinting and Federal background check for Hazmat , sensors streaming real-time information of every aspect of your truck's position & speed & performance day and night, the recording all of your conversations over Qualcomm , the 1,000+ cameras you're on everywhere you go every day of your life, and the million other things they're monitoring about you every second of your life? All of that was tolerable, but this is too much?

No it's not. You'll get used to it. It's probably coming for everyone at some point.

A lot of experienced drivers react the same way at first about automatic transmissions. They hate the idea, then they try em, then they like em. You may not like driver-facing cameras, unless they exonerate you at some point, but you aren't going to care after a short time. You're on camera all the time - everywhere you go - every day of your life. You also carry a picture camera, video camera, accelerometer, GPS chip, and microphone in your pocket or by your side every second of your life that can all be activated and monitored remotely.

So don't sweat it. It's going to feel weird at first but you'll get used to it. Just pretend you're a celebrity and wave to your fans once in awhile.

I don't get this line of argument.... "Well, you allowed them to do this and that, so how can you object to the next increment?"

Where would you draw the line on personal privacy? If the company wants to put probes up their drivers butts when driving to monitor their vital signs "for safety" I guess you'd be okay with that too since you already let them probe you in one way or another when you submitted to a dot physical... Right?

Where, if anywhere, do you draw the line about privacy? Or have you completely surrendered?

Rayzer rants:

Who said we had to be doing anything that we don't want our boss to see? I just don't want a camera stuck in my face all day long while I'm working. If they can't figure out what happened with witness statements, nearby cameras (freeway, businesses, etc.), my forward facing camera, the ECM, and whatever else they have at their disposal, then they (the investigators) should probably look for another line of work.

The all-powerful player here is the insurance companies. They don't want to go digging around for evidence when a simple installed camera get-up will answer all their questions. If they say "cameras!" the truck companies will answer "Color or black/white?" And the cameras are about as intrusive at the Pre-pass on the windshield.

Not to worry about watching you change your underwear - they only record & store those 10 seconds before & after an "event".

The following link to a YouTube video shows what this camera can see. Although it is a day cab , I'm pretty sure they don't make one camera just for day cabs and one for OTR cabs. I guess anyone into voyeurism might not mind this intrusion, but I do and hope I never have to deal with this before I retire. For some reason I couldn't get this link to work with the Link button above, but here is the full link if you are interested.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=20&v=EvsTl8B0lxI

I don't know, maybe I'm wrong about this whole driver facing camera deal and just making a mountain out of a molehill. But, to me It just seems like a slap in the face after 20 years of driving without so much as an overweight ticket and I've only been involved in two non-preventable minor accidents that were not my fault and I was never cited for in any way. One, a kid rear-ended me while sitting still in a traffic jam (he wasn't hurt, but was cited), and the second was a guy who spun out during a snowstorm while we were doing approximately 30 mph and he hit me (again, he wasn't hurt, but was cited). I take great pride in closing in on three million accident free miles, especially while a large portion of my career has been spent driving in the northeast and all without the help of a camera stuck in my face.

I think, other than the privacy issue, the next biggest issue I have with driver facing camera's is the blatant discrimination of only putting them in trucks. Why not cars, or at the very least ALL problem drivers that are habitual offenders, i.e. drunk drivers, reckless drivers, etc? Oh yeah, because the entire country would go insane and start a nationwide riot because they would claim privacy issues. The ACLU would be up in arms. Jessie Jackson and Al Sharpton would find some reason to object and the list goes on and on. However, since it's just a bunch of truck drivers nobody cares and we will just sit back and let it happen like everything else that has had an impact on our industry.

One other thought before I quit my "rant". How many of you that have no problems with these driver facing cameras also have no problem with either not receiving detention or only getting $10-$12 per hour after 2-3 hours? Have any of you ever thought that if we were paid by the hour instead of by the mile that drivers might not feel the need to rush around taking unnecessary risks dodging in and out of traffic, running yellow lights, etc., while driving and that the cameras might not even be necessary?

You are ALWAYS going to have that select few that need to have their every move scrutinized, but I just don't think the majority should have to pay the price for those few. I would much rather see technology implemented into EVERY vehicle that would jam cellular signals unless you were dialing 911.

Sigh. We've been through all this before (SWIFT in cab cameras).I know, different people now.

Your company, and especially your insurance company will install driver cams. They are not interested in anything but what you are doing when one of those incidents occur. It's a waste of money for them to take the time for any other driver viewing.

Swift officially says that when no one's driving, go ahead and cover the camera. But they will be watching how the drivers they hired to do their business treat their equipment. And every lawyer involved in a lawsuit will want to see exactly how it went down.

Welcome to commercial driving in the 21st century. The only choice you will soon have is either drive the camera-ed truck or find another job.

Wow, according to that video, it'll see every time I have to rearrange my privates...

Sadly you are probably right, especially this day and age where nobody wants to stand up for what's right. The new breed out here finds it easier to just sit back and do nothing. Kind of sheds light on the term "steering wheel holder" and "sheeple".

Wow, according to that video, it'll see every time I have to rearrange my privates...

Haha - well, that's what apparently what the majority want, or are willing to accept because they've been told it is happening.

Drivers are often required to stay with their truck (high value loads, hazmat , etc.) so, the suggestion that a driver can sleep in a hotel if he doesn't like being on camera (w/audio) when he is OFF DUTY and in the sleeper berth is not a valid argument. Not to mention, most truck drivers do not earn enough to afford a hotel room every night ... nor is it practical to think a driver can plan every day such that he will find a hotel, with truck parking, and rooms available. Can you show us where this question has been adjudicated somewhere (trucker denied claim that the truck is their living space when off duty) ?

For the record, I think a company is perfectly within their rights to install cameras in their work spaces, including trucks. In the case of trucks, those cameras should be "off" when the driver goes off duty.