CRST Has Driver-facing Cameras

The page on this site says CRST doesn't have them--well, they are installing them piecemeal across their entire fleet. Two of the five trucks on account at the warehouse I run out of have them. The other three trucks--including mine--could happen any day now. The T/T page needs to be updated.

What I find extra-interesting is that these cameras have microphones in them. Anyone know why/how that contributes to safety?

Are yuo a safe driver, Travis? Then there should be no problem. If you are sloppy in your driving, you could straighten up and drive safely, or get another job.

My hiney was saved when the video showed me looking both ways at an intersection before I made a hard stop as a car cut in front of me. Wouldn't it be nice to know exactly what a driver was doing in the ten seconds before there was an accident? Look at it that way - if you are acting correctly/safely, the camera is your friend.

The microphone will provide further evidence of the fact that the most common thing said before an accident is: “OH S**T”

I really don't like the idea of driver facing cameras. I understand why companies put them on trucks, and it is difficult to make an argument against them.

My company is installing new cameras in our trucks that have lenses pointing in 4 directions (forward, left, right, and driver). We are provided a lense cover to block the driver facing lense. Audio will be recorded only when an incident occurs.

The audio recording part bothers me more than than the camera. I often sing (badly) or quote movie lines that pop into my mind while driving. I also talk through scenarios-real or imagined-that come to mind. Anyone listening would probably consider me insane at worst or downright annoying at best.

As long as these things aren't shared with the public I'm not too concerned.

I often sing (badly) or quote movie lines that pop into my mind while driving. I also talk through scenarios-real or imagined-that come to mind. Anyone listening would probably consider me insane

I do the same thing. I've spent most of my life living and traveling alone. When you spend a lot of time alone, you compensate by talking to yourself or imagining you're talking to someone. It does make us sound a little crazy, though!

Driver-facing cameras will reveal the truth about what the driver was saying or doing before an incident. We're all on camera most of the time, but it normally isn't in your face, which throws people off. No one gets upset that every public building and most public street corners always have cameras, but when you can see the camera, it's a different story for some reason.

RealDiehl chimes in:

I really don't like the idea of driver facing cameras. I understand why companies put them on trucks, and it is difficult to make an argument against them.

I agree with you, RD. But the company has most of the marbles. When they first came out a few years ago, many drivers searched for non-camera companies to work for. That may happen again.

I also currently work for a company with driver facing cameras that records audio. I will never agree with that. The camera will show if a driver was either distracted or not by being on their phone when something happens. You don’t need audio to determine that do you.

But the company has most of the marbles

I disagree, if enough drivers stop bending over and taking what ever a company throws at them the company might change their policies.

You don’t need audio to determine that do you

It doesn't but people will pretty much go with everything for the illusion of safety.

Bobcat Bob says,

But the company has most of the marbles

I disagree, if enough drivers stop bending over and taking what ever a company throws at them the company might change their policies.

Sure enough. But trying to get a large set of drivers to unite will be "herding-cats" impossible. This call to unite has been tried on this site and elsewhere before. Remember, the number of unionized truck companies is a mere ghost of what it was years ago.

As I said above, it is true that the reaction to in-cab cameras caused many companies to drop the idea already. Maybe this is a second try.

I simply won't work for a company that has one on principle alone.

We have outward facing cameras and our bonuses are directly linked to the interpretation of events captured on them. My safety score is a 2 pretty much monthly. It has to be below 25 to get the bonus, I always get it.

Over time I have learned the parameters that cause points to be incurred. I have excellent reaction time, so it's pretty simple to calculate that you must have service brake application of 1.5 to 3 seconds within an object triggering recording from the front radar detected threat. If that makes me a safer driver, I'm fine with that. The rest of things are common sense driving habits we should have anyway.

I have my own dash cam as well principally to document false threats that we get dinged for but also to show that the crash mitigation system is in error often. I got tired of the truck slamming on the brakes over nothing unexpectedly. It happens frequently enough that it needs to be dealt with. Part of that documentation is showing that I'm not hitting the brakes when it occurs, thus I'm not able to be in control of the vehicle in that time period, for that I use a driver facing cam that is my own.

So in some instances they can be useful, however, I prefer to be the one monitoring myself.