Safety Technology Usage Affecting Safety Performance

Hey drivers, I wanted to get your thoughts on safety technology in our trucks. With features like collision alerts, lane departure warnings, and in-cab monitoring becoming more common, I’m curious—how do these technologies impact your driving? Do they genuinely make you feel safer, or do they create any challenges on the road? Looking forward to hearing your experiences!

They don't alter how I drive at all. However, there is a risk to "alarm blindness" for some people. My first truck had a habit of all the sensors losing their calibration, so I would get constant feedback and false alerts until I could get it recalibrated again. It was frustrating, and annoying. By the time I got into my second truck, the only thing that popped into my head was the slightly different tone change between the trucks. People can get lulled into a false sense of safety, OR a habit of ignoring the warnings (faulty warnings) and miss something really important.

Do I think it can be helpful? Sure. Do I think it's the be all end all of safety? No. Especially when climbing a really long hill while heavy, and the truck thinks a sign over the interstate is an impending collision and stomps the brakes.

It depends on how it's implemented. On our trucks, it's only active if you're on the cruise control. I don't use cruise so it doesn't effect me at all.

The inward AI cameras are annoying. The company claimed we would get a warning then a chance to "correct" the situation before it sends a video. It doesn't. I honestly do not care. To me it is a waste of momey cause it isnt changing my driving at all. It actually creates more work for both me and management. At least once a week i get an alert for not wearing a seatbelt .... while i am wearing it. So i grab the belt and pull it forward to show it to them. If i reach too far for the water bottle, it alerts. Yeah, i kmow i reached for it. Thanks! I stopped looking for the videos. I just so not care anymore. It alerts when I yawn. It is supposed to be 3 times in 5 minutes. Another lie. I know when i am tired.

The lane sensors? Crap. Construction zones & snow/ice constantly set them off.

On guard that slams on brakes due to anticipated collision? Crap. It slams brakes on in snow and ice. Not good! Or the snow covers the sensor plate and sets off lights and alarms.

I personally would get rid of most of it. Maybe it is ok for new drivers... but as an experienced driver, i am done.

As an experienced driver as well, I can't stand them. In fact it was one of my criteria foe choosing the company I did. We have very little nanny state equipment and what there is can be turned off. We have no cameras, in or out and I will not work for a company that uses driver facing cams.

The adaptive cruise can be useful, but it's so faulty that it's totally unreliable. The AI algorithms on the rest of it is just plain garbage. The crash mitigation systems actually cause more harm than they prevent. Including the now infamous case against Bendix Wingman and Honda after their systems false deployed full braking, shooting the vehicle into oncoming traffic as a result and killing 4 occupants.

In general companies that use the so called "driver aids" do so to reduce driver pay in the form of a barrier to pay out bonuses. It's a manipulation of their intended purposes, but the road to hell is paved with good intentions.

The audible coaching is downright annoying, a safety hazard, and results in most of us muting our tablets.

If you want safer drivers, pay trainers more, develop a standardized cariculum of training and development of physical motorskills training with objective milestones, pay drivers more and enforce existing laws in regards to understanding English and immigration policies, B1 visas and stem the flow of said drivers from Canada and Mexico on reciprocal licenses.

I have to admit I was a bad boy my last 4 month driving with Legends. Like my mentor at crst had mentioned, they blocked off the sensor in the front bumper. It stopped the auto braking for BS reasons. Only turned on a dash light, which I could hit steering wheel button and turn it off. Never heard anything from my DM or dispatch about it (if they even got some message bout it) Every restart the light would come on of course, click and "Off"

I kept driving my usual safe ways as before with it active. When I was finishing up with them I removed the aluminum plate and rag I'd made & covered it up with no harm, no foul. Yeah I know it probably was wrong, but was better than ghost images applying the brakes at the wrong & dangerous moments on the road..... NOT promoting others to do the same, and not bragging about it lol

Learned along time ago, ya "gotta be smarter, than what you're working with"

I run local P&D for ABF Freight, mostly the Flatbed. We don’t have a safety based bonus system so the features built into the trucks and Samsara don’t affect us financially. What they are, is annoying. Luckily I run an older tractor, 2016 Mack Pinnacle, which only has the lane departure and adaptive cruise.

The lane departure is the worst. Many of my stops are residential which require me to travel small, tight roads. Some are so small my tractor is riding both the center and shoulder line causing the sensors to go nuts for miles. It also picks up tar strips on the highway all the time when I’m centered in the lane.

The low bridge and restricted road warnings from the Samsara can also be a bit frustrating. While they are good features for obvious reasons, I know where I’m going and where I need to get to. Often the only way into a neighborhood for a delivery is on a truck restricted road and the device yells at me every 20 seconds all the way in. I also know where the bridges are from my trip plan. Depending on what my load is, I’m often 13’4” or less which allows me to pass under the listed clearance.

I have driven some of the newer tractors that are loaded with all the features. Don’t like the auto braking for collisions either. Have had it pickup overhead signs on inclines and objects on curves. Feel its more liable to cause and accident rather then prevent one.

The auto braking has never once activated for something it need to. It has always been for, vehicles on a ramp, shadows, road signs, bridges, or some other nonsense.

I've had the same experience as Dave with the lane departure. It picks up sealer, worn asphalt, shadows, water or cracks. Nothing like having that buzzing when I'm in the middle of the lane.

I also agree with Davy, it is a way for some companies to dangle a carrot in front of drivers for a "bonus".

But drivers are our own worst enemies, when it comes to saftey. Tailgating is a huge problem imo, I've seen many owner operators a few feet off the bumper of a car or truck. I'm surprised more insurance companies do not require dash cams to fight this problem.