SWIFT In Cab Cameras

Proof that Swift won't be watching you 24/7.

Wow. Just reading part of what that Dan dude was saying made my chest hurt. Cryin' and hatin' ...... that's all some people can do.

Atilla, what do you think about the camera being able to help you?

Don't take my post as bashing on you its a duel edged sword as I see it.

I do agree in principal with your concerns in this matter. Though not your knee jerk reaction.

a pay raise would go much farther in helping drivers then the cams will. No-one has issue with outward facing cams, the issue is with the driver facing ones that record audio

Proof that Swift won't be watching you 24/7.

Notice that the Swift guy didn't define "event"? Hmmm.

Keth asked

Notice that the Swift guy didn't define "event"? Hmmm.

There are already a set of "events " that the Qualcomm will automatically signal to Swift HQ, and they will act on them.

I only know one: slam on the brakes to an emergency stop. It's not a vague "things that happen".

I found this article. Interesting read. http://www.landlinemag.com/Story.aspx?StoryID=28920#.VTxdtyF3m1k

I only know one: slam on the brakes to an emergency stop. It's not a vague "things that happen".

Richard Stocking (Swift's Big Boss) came out with another video today (04/26). He states that watching the driver during an " incident " enables the company to "coach" the driver to change his misconduct.

Richard has two examples: texting while driving, and reading a salad while driving with the elbows on the steering wheel. Both drivers were "coached", but you don't hear their ultimate fate.

He says again, the camera only carries 10 seconds of video at a time, so it can record 10 seconds before, then the 10 seconds after these events. I believe the driver, on his own, can also got a button and save a 20 second piece for himself.

Richard also clarified said events: Hard Breaking, Rear End, Major Swerve or Sway.

Old school is 100% right I worked for CEMEX who has dash cam/ driver and it only comes on when you brake suddenly , hit something or roll the truck. If your worried about it cover up the inside cam at night of when your stopped.

The very first trainer I ever rode with has a camera in his truck, and he doesn't like it at all. We talk frequently and have stayed in touch, so I am getting some feedback from him on this subject.

He tells me that he now has 7 points against his safety score with his current company, and all 7 of them came from camera incidents alone. No tickets, inspections, non preventable or preventable accidents on his part.

He also told me that the red light on his camera comes on frequently during his 10 hour break, and even if he covers it with something, he is still being audio recorded. He says he can unplug it though if he stays on top of it and remembers to do so when he is not driving.

I asked him if he felt discriminated against, because he was one of a small percentage of drivers in his company who has a dash cam. He stated that he did, especially so since his performance review would be affected by the camera, and other drivers in his company didn't have to consider a dash cam in the cab of their truck and their performance review wound not be affected at all.

He has talked about leaving his company, but so far he hasn't left yet. I know he drove safely when I was on his truck, but I have no idea how he actually drives solo. Part of me thinks there is more to the story than he is telling me, because he's kinda sneaky in some ways. He has told me some things, and then months later contradicted himself, because he forgot what he told me months earlier.

I've never had to deal with a dash cam myself, but my guess is that it is going to be just like being a referee in pro ball. Sometimes the camera will prove you made the right call, and sometimes it will prove you made the wrong call.

If the worst happens, hopefully it will be the other guy who goes to prison and the professional driver will be exonerated. After all, how many 4 wheelers do you pass a day, who are either texting, surfing the internet, putting on makeup, watching a movie, or eating a meal?

My question is this.....how often does the camera lie? How often does an honest man get convicted of a crime because a video told the wrong story? Or remembered things wrong? Or made the wrong assumption? Or flat-out lied?

If there's a wreck or a near miss they're going to investigate using every piece of information they have available. These cameras are one more piece of the puzzle, a piece that's always been missing without them. Was the driver distracted? Did he fall asleep? Did he have a heart attack? Or was he doing his job exactly as he should have been? That's what they want to know from now on instead of having to guess.

The situations that keep coming to mind for me are the hundreds of times people have pulled out right in front of me like they were trying to commit suicide. Fortunately I was never in a wreck of any sort. But I've had a million close calls because someone else did something insane right in front of me. The combination of a dash cam facing forward and one facing the driver is going to tell the whole story. You're going to know if the driver was paying attention or not and you're going to know exactly what happened in front of that truck. If you're doing your job right the cameras will protect you. If not, they're going to incriminate you.