Truck-Board Cameras

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edtrans

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Mar 5, 2015
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Today I got the call no owner wants to get - driver in an accident with another vehicle. In our case the other driver ended up getting written up for an unsafe lane change but for a while there it seemed like the police were going to believe his lies. Being on the side of the road I felt helpless - the outcome of this episode being determined by he-said / she-said and the police interpretation. The accident happened near a school so there was no shortage of witnesses, which ended up complicating things further because the witnesses were friends of the driver. Frustration.

So the question for this thread is what kind of cameras should I put on our fleet?

Thanks in advance.
 
edtrans

Check this link below:

Blackvue

One of our long standing members sells cameras - I'm sure he could get you a good price. Look how clear these are! Send Paul a PM - let him know what you are looking for & what he can suggest.

I hope this doesn't get too involved for you - and lucky no one was hurt badly. That's a brighter side to these unfortunate matters.
 
Something to consider ... mind you I have no vested interest here ... Since we are all going to have to have ELDs eventually (yes, even all Canadian fleets too) it might pay to look at something integrated. I understand PeopleNet has a solution that is either available now, or soon will be, that has cameras (yes, more than one) integrated into their system. One is forward and driver facing, there is one looking backwards on each side of the truck, and there is a fourth on the back of the trailer facing backwards. Apparently you can even watch where your driver is going in real time.
 
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Something else to consider, before you go purchasing and installing cameras that face the driver and monitor their every nose pick or sneeze or ass scratching..

You might want to think long and hard about that.

Supposedly according to some folks there's a driver shortage and recruiting new drivers is almost impossible...

Surely you wouldn't want to give drivers another reason to say adios..
 
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Thought about that very same thing myself. Found out the driver facing camera is optional. I know I would not be comfortable with a camera facing me, and really wouldn't want to subject my drivers to the same discomfort. Since it is so difficult to differentiate between personal space and work space, there does come a point when there is too much intrusion in the cab.
 
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We have a couple units with forward facing cameras. They also record the sounds heard inside the cab.

On the two occasions that we were involved in an incident, we were surprised to find that the police officer reviewed the footage and charged the other driver. Unfortunately, the third party continued to make a claim to our insurance company anyway which resulted in a payout because it was the cheaper option of going to court.
 
Outward facing cameras are a good idea. Inward facing cameras, not a good idea. We all need some privacy in the work place so that not every scratch, sneeze or yawn can be held against us.
 
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@Jim L ... I find that odd. I know in the past insurance companies used to payout rather than spend time and money going to court even when they were in the right, but I was under the impression that with irrefutable evidence they would see it through regardless of the cost (within limits of course). I'm going to have to check with Old Republic on their stance. Might not be worth the camera aggravation if they're just going to payout anyways and let it stand against your loss ratio.
 
I was surprised as well. The situation was in traffic, on an off ramp from one interstate to the other. The driver is slowing down, managing the space in front of him. A car decided to cross a couple lanes and saw the space in front of the truck was available to him so he sped up and continued into that space. He then to hit the brakes to an almost stop where our driver had no choice but to hang on eventually hitting him. The cop saw the footage on the dash cam and charged the driver of the car with unsafe lane change.
There was very little damage to the 3rd party vehicle - the back window of the SUV wasn't even broken. The police report said no damage to the 3rd party vehicle. All vehicles drove away.
Two days later a lawyer called saying the twerp was in the hospital and his football days were over. I advised him to call our insurance company.
In the eyes of the insurance company we technically hit the driver from behind which automatically deems us at fault. They therefore paid it out. They said its easier to pay it out then to go to court in Texas and find out how crooked the court system is in Dallas.

The second situation was in OH where a car passed our truck with the RS passenger window broke out, and the mirror hanging. The 3rd party said that we encroached in her lane and hit her. The driver felt something but when he looked out the mirror he only saw the third party vehicle. Our dash video showed that our driver did not leave the right line at all for over 2 hours - he didn't drift, hit the rumble strips, or pass the center line. The officer reviewed it and did not charge anyone. Insurance originally denied the claim but when someone set a court date we were told by the insurance company that "It was handled in-house. The claim is closed and settled". I am waiting to see if that is on my loss-run.

I agree with you @Michael Ludwig that everyone should be asking their insurance company how they deal with this situation. I'm afraid that your only option is to allow them to represent you, or represent yourself. That may turn into a bigger mistake.
 
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It's funny I fought the good fight for years refusing to pay and for the most part so did the insurance companies but 5 years ago we became part of a Captive which is part owner of an insurance company basically and you really start to realize that it is all dollars and cents as opposed to right or wrong. Sometimes fighting just drives up the cost when you are better off to cut your losses and move on, as wrong as that seems you do win more than you loose on the dollar side.
 
@lowmiler88 ... I totally get that ... right and wrong has absolutely nothing to do with either justice, or cost accounting. However, insurance companies are pushing, even if it is "unofficially" at this point, for cameras to be installed in trucks .. all of them, and should be willing to take a bite of that crap sandwich even if it is just to draw a line in the sand.
 
It's about to get Political! Warning!! LOL....and that's how some law firms, and corporations, make millions per year. They all know it's a money game and play it like a concerto. Which is why we all pay more in insurance premiums. If we went back to (if it ever was there) a system that penalized the people/corporations that brought frivolous law suits to court it would save us all a lot of money and grief. Sigh...but I will wake up now from this dream and deal with what life actually brings! Happy Hump Day all.
PR.
 
I am carrying a dashboard camera for about 5 years now..Saved me some grief just mentioning that I have it on. Once, cop answer me that he doesn't want to look at it , because there's may be something he doesn't like...Hmmm..
And be aware using them at border crossings . Our neighbors force to turn them off while at Federal Properties..
 
@PackRat ... Prezler Law Firm !!! ... LOL. They got me once, but next time, I'm calling them before I even call my own insurance company ... ROFLMAO.
Alas, the rack, the iron maiden, and public flogging have all been outlawed ... such a shame too :(
 
I have a list of about ten ambulance chasing firms in Ontario. Everytime I scratch a fender, I immediately mass email them a conflict search and ask if they would represent me in the matter if it should so arise....no cost for asking LOL
 
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