* The Big Question: Cameras on the driver or not?
(Photo: Original VC unit in dash)
... One of the industry’s most important assets are the drivers. They are highly valuable to all fleets and most likely their number one asset. Owners tell them that.. . They are told that they are professionals, highly skilled experts that are loved, cherished, and integral to the company. That their family life, their health, and well-being are very high or top on the company’s priority list. But on the other hand we’re going to consider telling them that they are going to be on camera for their every move in the cab during working hours? This is a staggering contradiction...
(Photo: Most truck cameras are road-facing, installed by fleets or owner-operators)
... The perception by drivers regardless of what they are told about a camera pointed on them is that they are being recorded all the time. A lot about that isn’t sitting right with drivers and a large number of fleet owners... In a recent industry poll it was reported that 90% of drivers said they would not sign on with a carrier with a driver-facing camera. Additionally, with turnover rates staying at around 100% annually* and with the driver shortage crisis about to balloon from 60,000 each year to 180,000 in 2024*, fleet owners are becoming reluctant on the driver-facing camera when 80% of the time an accident involving a class 8 truck is not the truck driver’s fault... A final thought. Last year I spoke to a room of 150 trucking industry leaders, executives, and owners at a major industry conference on the subject of video technology. I asked them to raise their hands if there was anyone that would like or not mind having a camera on them all day at work. Not one person raised their hand...
New York, NY, USA - Fleet Owner, by Mike Nalepka - Mar 14, 2016
* Are truck driver-facing cameras a necessity?
-- Tom Kretsinger Jr., president and CEO of American Central Transport, does not mince words when it comes to the subject of installing driver-facing cameras in commercial trucks: Cameras are the only way to truly ensure a fleet’s drivers are following the proper safety protocols... Gary Johnson, director of risk and compliance for Lytx, added during the presentation that truck drivers on average make 163 decisions per mile, with many of them split-second in nature, which is why distractions pose a serious safety risk. Johnson noted that 95% of vehicle collisions result from driver-related human behaviors, with several indicators drawn from a recent “naturalistic” study of how behaviors correlate to crash risk:
* A driver who experiences a near-collision is six times more likely to be involved in an actual collision within six months;
* A driver that receives a traffic violation is 4.3 times more likely to experience a collision within six months;
* And a driver that regularly follows other vehicles too closely, with less two seconds worth of following distance, is 4.8 times more likely to experience a collision within six months...
American Central’s Kretsinger stressed that there is also an onus upon the carrier to spell out its safety policies in detail and enforce them fairly... Yet Kretsiner pointed out that such a safety “vision” must be proactive to work effectively; one centered on coaching when it comes to the use of driver-facing cameras...
(Photo: Driver-facing camera) -- NY, USA - Fleet Owner, by Sean Kilcarr - Mar 24, 2016
* Why driver cameras are critical: One fleet’s view
-- Exoneration and praise key benefits of driver video, safety director says... Jeff Wood, director of safety for Martin Transportation System – a nearly 1,000-truck, 1,400-driver fleet providing dedicated long-haul, regional, and local transportation for the “Big 3” automakers – believes inward and outward facing cameras will be absolutely vital tools for commercial drivers going forward, well outweighing concerns over privacy... Martin recently installed the Lytx DriveCam program on its trucks and Wood noted that the system is already paying a variety of dividends, especially in terms of driver exoneration... He added that, without video, such collisions result in a “word vs. word” situation – one that usually turns into a long-drawn out legal battle that can drag on for years and costs tens of thousands of dollars... He emphasized, though, that video is a “two-edged sword” and will show if a truck driver is in the wrong – something Martin has experienced. But there is a silver lining for a motor carrier in such cases... Real-time feedback about real situations is the key, Wood believes...
NY, USA - Fleet Owner, by Sean Kilcarr - Mar 30, 2016
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