Now They're Talking About "smart" Trailers

I believe there might be the rear-vision advantage to cameras on trailers. Such cameras have been brought up on this forum before - and instantly dismissed. S. Dad, I think I see two holes in your idea. First, those cameras (even at $25 each) will be "no one's" responsibility and will quickly get damaged. Second, there needs to be a way to connect the camera on your new trailer to your tractor (cab). Wires? Bluetooth over 90 feet (distance back of trailer to the driver seat))?

Finally, "money talks": the cost of getting cameras into your fleet (upwards of 2000 trailers - Prime Inc owns 10,000) and the (managerial term warning) cost/benefit and/or insurance savings will not improve the company bottom line.

In the five years I've been in this business, I have seen issues of drivers resisting onboard cameras, anti-tailgating warning/conrol, cruise control, even auto-shift transmissions. Of course, driverless trucks! You probably could add the trailer cameras to this list.

One more issue, "Dad"*, is you are just now coming in to this industry, and you should know that any "bright ideas" suggested by a newbie coming into any new business won't be appreciated. Been there/done that.

*I'm 68 years old and it's weird to call a young man like you "Dad".

I don't think it's an issue of him being a newbie... I'm a newbie. In my little experience, I've learned it's easy to get into a fixed stare. You see your sights on where you want your trailer to go and that's where your focus is. I have to snap myself out of it and remind myself to be aware of my surroundings.

Banks gets into a staring contest:

In my little experience, I've learned it's easy to get into a fixed stare. You see your sights on where you want your trailer to go and that's where your focus is. I have to snap myself out of it and remind myself to be aware of my surroundings.

You are going in the right direction. Regardless of what a driver sees in a backup camera, he/she has to be able to steer the trailer. That is the magic you are learning. Once again in Managerial terms: It's easy to hit a golf ball, but getting it onto the green is another story.

SD says,

One of the reasons they haven't installed APUs across all the fleets is the cost. Everyone knows the benefits, but those dollars talk.

This is a "Whatabout"/change of topic. Trailer-rear cameras relate directly to trucking operations. An APU is really a driver perk. Yes, in the competition to attract drivers, it is a draw, and the ROI is in that direction. Some companies are going there, and others aren't so fast.

HOS:

Hours Of Service

HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.

APU:

Auxiliary Power Unit

On tractor trailers, and APU is a small diesel engine that powers a heat and air conditioning unit while charging the truck's main batteries at the same time. This allows the driver to remain comfortable in the cab and have access to electric power without running the main truck engine.

Having an APU helps save money in fuel costs and saves wear and tear on the main engine, though they tend to be expensive to install and maintain. Therefore only a very small percentage of the trucks on the road today come equipped with an APU.

APUs:

Auxiliary Power Unit

On tractor trailers, and APU is a small diesel engine that powers a heat and air conditioning unit while charging the truck's main batteries at the same time. This allows the driver to remain comfortable in the cab and have access to electric power without running the main truck engine.

Having an APU helps save money in fuel costs and saves wear and tear on the main engine, though they tend to be expensive to install and maintain. Therefore only a very small percentage of the trucks on the road today come equipped with an APU.

Southern Dad...

Executive Management will look at the cost of camera technology and quickly calculate the return on investment before blowing it off as a bad idea. Of course, when they say bad idea, they mean it will cost them money. One of the reasons they haven't installed APUs across all the fleets is the cost. Everyone knows the benefits, but those dollars talk.

Why are you really here Southern Dad? Are you hear to learn, to be coached? Are you serious about becoming a truck driver?

Or are you here for another reason?

HOS:

Hours Of Service

HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.

OWI:

Operating While Intoxicated

APU:

Auxiliary Power Unit

On tractor trailers, and APU is a small diesel engine that powers a heat and air conditioning unit while charging the truck's main batteries at the same time. This allows the driver to remain comfortable in the cab and have access to electric power without running the main truck engine.

Having an APU helps save money in fuel costs and saves wear and tear on the main engine, though they tend to be expensive to install and maintain. Therefore only a very small percentage of the trucks on the road today come equipped with an APU.

APUs:

Auxiliary Power Unit

On tractor trailers, and APU is a small diesel engine that powers a heat and air conditioning unit while charging the truck's main batteries at the same time. This allows the driver to remain comfortable in the cab and have access to electric power without running the main truck engine.

Having an APU helps save money in fuel costs and saves wear and tear on the main engine, though they tend to be expensive to install and maintain. Therefore only a very small percentage of the trucks on the road today come equipped with an APU.

G-Town, I was having a conversation and expressed my opinions on the topic. I didn't disrespect you or anyone else, in any way. I joined the forum because I am actively looking into becoming a driver. I was 100% upfront with my reasons in the introduction message. Just today, I spoke with a recruiter, I believe from the company for which you drive. We may not always agree on subjects, but I will always defend your right to say it and encourage you to say it. I've listened to a dozen of the Brett's podcasts. I've been surfing this site on my iPad for a couple of days. I'm a social person.

Obviously, I could not have taken all these tests in the time since you posted your message. In addition, would I have paid for the iOS app if I wasn't studying to learn the CDL test? I am here to get tips from people who are already doing this job. People who have made or have seen the mistakes made by others. Just last night, I was reading about Sleep Apnea and how with my neck size of 16 1/2" and a BMI of 30.4%, I may have to do a sleep study, no matter how I answer the questions. That got me looking into that topic of sleep apnea and truckers. No one has ever even suggested that I have sleep apnea but do I?

I think it would he handy to have rear facing cameras to monitor while backing, but my fear is that drivers would then not do GOAL's. Cameras or not, doing the GOAL's is imperative.

Technology is good, but it will never replace the good old human brain if that brain has common sense.

We have talked about the backup camera issue a few times, and it's an interesting topic. I've never heard of a single company that has used them. Has anyone else?

Backing accidents are by far the most common accidents, but it's rarely because the driver didn't know about something that was behind the truck. It's normally because there are so many areas that can come in contact with something while you're backing up on an angle. All four corners of the trailer, the drive tires, and the front corners of the tractor can all come in contact with something when you're not backing up in a straight line, which is most of the time. It's in those cases that getting fixated on the camera screen would cause the most problems.

So I think having backup cameras on the back of the trailer would be a distraction that would cause more accidents than it solves. If anyone had concluded that the benefits of the system might be worth it you would see at least a few companies using them. I'm not aware of anyone that's using them.

I have seen the newer version of the cameras on 4-wheelers that show a 360-degree view from above the vehicle. It would take a rather large array of cameras to produce that view on a big rig, but it would make it seem like you were backing up a big rig on a video game, which is pretty cool but not necessarily safer. It might make for a good teaching aid, though, in helping the student see the big picture of how the angles change in relation to each other.

As far as sleep apnea goes, you may have to be tested for it. That will vary from company to company. Each company makes its own decisions on the matter.

there are so many areas that can come in contact with something while you're backing up on an angle. All four corners of the trailer, the drive tires, and the front corners of the tractor can all come in contact with something when you're not backing up in a straight line, which is most of the time.

This is why I don't think we will ever be using cameras to back 75 foot long articulating vehicles. Brett didn't even mention the rear of the trailer or both sides of the trailer. I recently witnessed a guy confidently backing into a spot in a Connecticut truck stop where he was doing so well until the side of his tractor rammed into one of those brightly painted yellow concrete pillars. Yes, there's another two points of possible contact - the sides of your tractor.

It's hard to realize all the variables involved in going backwards when your vehicle bends in the middle. It's really mind boggling and frustrating for rookies to coordinate it all. Adding a rear camera just provides another focal point that more than likely becomes a distraction.

Southern Dad, I know it sounds like we're afraid of technology, but we're far from that. What we're afraid of is not being focused on what matters during critical moments.

Considering the other aspects of smart technology that could be implemented in trailers besides cameras, we may see some of them soon. Would shippers like Amazon, Walmart, FedEx, or UPS install 3G cellular devices on the trailers? They already scan every package going into a trailer allowing the customer to see where the package is at a given time. Amazon already has this kind of tracking on the blue vans used for Amazon Now deliveries.

Two of my personal vehicles have a device called Automatic Pro (old version 3G no contract), that allows me to see where the vehicle is, where it has been. I also get notifications if the vehicle is in an accident, jack rabbit starts, or hard brakes. I installed them for different reasons, one was to track a 16-year-old and the other was to turn on automatic lights, adjust temperature at home before I arrive.

DaveW's post references gateways, devices, security, and analytics near the end. If the trailer had a small 3G box on the rooftop that connected to a door sensor, temperature sensor, and position sensor, it would feed a lot of information back to the shipper. I see something like that happening in the near future. Customers love to track their packages. I use Informed Delivery from the Post Office to see what is coming to my mailbox. If only I could see how far away my mail lady is with that package.

I love technology. My house is loaded with smart home technology. Even my chicken house is smart. Trailers have added skirts and tails to get better mpg. Monitors for 4 wheelers to see ahead is an excellent idea. Another great idea is a camera that transmits to the driver, like RVs have.

Man, forget all this work talk. I wanna hear more about the smart chicken house.