Swift: In-Cab Cameras

[Injun]

I can longer, in good conscience, recommend Swift as a decent starter company. At one time, it was an excellent place to get started for many reasons, one of which was, they expected you to do your job with minimal supervision. You were given all the tools you needed to make your end of the bargain happen. If you screwed up, it was on you, but it wasn't because the company didn't offer you training.

They are now in the process of placing cameras in every company truck, across the board. These cameras will face both outward, at the road and inward, at you, the driver. I cannot give any positive support for this decision to keep a driver under constant surveillance. It's not fair to expect someone who is supposed to be trusted enough to haul millions of dollars worth of freight to be subjected to the added stress of this intrusion. It does not matter what excuses the executives come up with to justify this. It is not RIGHT.

I have heard everything from "It only activates when there's an event" to "It'll protect the driver (and company) from malicious claims" to "It'll reduce insurance rates" to "If you have nothing to hide..." That last one is particularly offensive to me. If you think your employee has something to hide, you need to get rid of him or her and hire someone you can trust.

Tell ya what, Swift executives: Let me put cameras up all over your house. They'll only activate if there's a loud noise or some other undescribed event to set it off. It's for your own protection, so that if something happens, police and/or fire response will be more rapid and they'll know what to expect when they get there. Don't worry. If you're having particularly boisterous sex with your spouse, the video feed will be deleted...but only after several unidentified "officials" watch it to make sure that's all that's going on. Wouldn't want a prowler-rapist to get away with it, now, would we? Aw, c'mon! You don't have anything to hide, do you?

Oh...privacy? Not my problem.




Nope. Just avoid this company if you don't want a camera in your face all the time. I sure as hell don't.

 

[8978]

How do you know?

 

[Osito]

No they use the cellular network to upload video when critical events occur, or whenever they feel like spying on the driver & send it a signal to make it upload.

I don't know if its a cellular network they use, but I would bet that its tied into your qualcom, and just as your qualcom sends and recieve's stuff the video camera is tied into it and sends the video to company. if they were using some sort of cellular vs the satelite system that companies run, then drivers would be able to use the WIFI service that is being provided through the qualcom.

 

[Dinomite]

How do you know?

It's duck he doesnt know but if just one fool can believe him he wins.

Hammer Ya maybe I had it backwards but I recall the speech from jb hunt years ago and the orientation from my present company 5 years ago. Guess I'm a little rusty.

 

[Dinomite]

This is why if you're hit in the truckstop, what you will hear from the other company is "Our driver said you pulled into him as he was pulling out."

Welcome to 21st century business ethics...

So I guess you are for the drive cam since the video does the talking?

 

[Dinomite]

I will clarify my post for the super trucker later. But I do kno how to shift and drive just fine, thank you. LOL

Don't worry only a couple people believed your 1st lie.

 

[Duck]

How do you know?

Why else would they have included a clip of a driver eating a sandwich while driving, but nothing in the split screen showing the forward view of the road that would have triggered a critical event? It was in a propaganda video shown to me at Magnum orientation last year.
Other drivers have reported getting phone calls for "distracted driving" after the camera uploaded something without there being any trigger event.

There's an older thread on here in which it was discussed.

It's duck he doesnt know but if just one fool can believe him he wins.

Why don't you just shut your mouth & stick to subjects in which you actually know what you're talking about, such as fat chicks with big boobs?

 

[Dinomite]

Ya I like that subject

 

[Dinomite]

So having a drive cam in my truck that is connected to the Qualcomm (not sure if that is the cellular deal you were talking about) for 2 years and not having any of these phantom calls by somebody's uncle whose brother in Law was a priest. So you can believe everything they say. Disqualifies me from the subject.

There are times the red light will flash or even come on and it's not during the hours of the 2 or 3 am usual download. Without a trigger being set but usually goes off after a few minutes in that time I'm asking myself what did I do? But never heard a word about it from safety. Even when maybe I was looking down at my phone. I'm sure they need to do system test to make sure things are working. The drive cam company that is. Who only sends info to the company that may be an issue. The biggest complaint I have heard is seat belt issues when backing up and I have had my light turn red getting under a trailer and still never a word from safety. So not to say it doesn't happen. It just hasn't happened to me.

 

[Osito]

Why don't you just shut your mouth & stick to subjects in which you actually know what you're talking about, such as fat chicks with big boobs?

ok, not sure which thread the fat chicks with big boobs are in, but hey i am all there if i can find em......didn't see any in this thread....oops sry injun was here...does that count??? except we still need pics?

 

[Injun]

ok, not sure which thread the fat chicks with big boobs are in, but hey i am all there if i can find em......didn't see any in this thread....oops sry injun was here...does that count??? except we still need pics?

I don't qualify. I'm a flat-chested fat chick.

 

[Duck]

So having a drive cam in my truck that is connected to the Qualcomm (not sure if that is the cellular deal you were talking about) for 2 years and not having any of these phantom calls by somebody's uncle whose brother in Law was a priest. So you can believe everything they say. Disqualifies me from the subject.

There are times the red light will flash or even come on and it's not during the hours of the 2 or 3 am usual download. Without a trigger being set but usually goes off after a few minutes in that time I'm asking myself what did I do? But never heard a word about it from safety. Even when maybe I was looking down at my phone. I'm sure they need to do system test to make sure things are working. The drive cam company that is. Who only sends info to the company that may be an issue. The biggest complaint I have heard is seat belt issues when backing up and I have had my light turn red getting under a trailer and still never a word from safety. So not to say it doesn't happen. It just hasn't happened to me.

You contradicted yourself in that post. You acknowledged that the camera light comes n for no reason sometimes.

Your safety department people simply choose not to nag you. That's all.

Or maybe it was somebody at DriveCam & they didn't think you were doing anything questionable. Looking at your phone? Maybe you were holding the phone outside the camera's field of view, and they just assumed you were looking at gauges or messing with the stereo.


I'm pretty sure that other thread I referenced has "DriveCam" in the title if you want to look it up. I don't care enough to.

 

[Dinomite]

If you are saying I have said different things in different threads? If so its becaus I just noticed it the other day. As I said I have a drive cam, and this is the first time I seen that in the 2 years I've had it and again. I have never received a call from safety when it did turn red. I even lost consciousness from laughing went into the median. Regained consciousness and put it back on the highway. Pulled over to see if I messed up anything. Nothing was damaged and the red light came on and never a word from safety.

I'm not sure how important you think you are that your company needs to spy on you, but if you are that important. I guess you should worry. It's just another day at the office for me. I don't do everything perfect and more power to them if they replace with someone who does. I was looking for a gig when I got this one and the ones I left want me back.

Elogs, 14hr rules, sleep apnea testing, drive cams, or any other bull thunder they come up with won't keep me from truckin. I say bring it on!! A super trucker will survive.

 

[Duck]

If you are saying I have said different things in different threads?

No.

I even lost consciousness from laughing went into the median.

 

[Cucamonga Timekeeper]

I don't know how I contradicted myself but ok.... Everyone loves a super trucker. They know it all and usually talk out their ass the most. I don't have a camera in my truck and I won't allow a driver facing camera in any truck I drive. So now that I've learned so much from a super trucker my life is finally complete and my career has been enlightened and improved. Amazing what I learned from someone that knows it all.

 

[Duck]

There doesn't even need to be any argument against driver facing cameras.

Seriously.

It's something so simple and basic that an explanation isn't even needed.

I don't want a camera in my face. That's it.

Most people don't either.

So the only thing any rational person needs to say to their employer when they're informed of a DriveCam being installed is "Bye".

Although I would personally add a few obscenities just to make sure that bridge is burned to the ground and the ashes are on their way to the Gulf of Mexico, because I won't have anything to do with any company that would think for even one second that I would tolerate having a camera in my face.

It has nothing to do with driving either. Stick any kind of camera in my face when I'm in a bad mood & it will be destroyed.

 

[Dinomite]

I spent 14 mos there as a company driver then I left and went to Melton for 7 mos n mid march I started pulling swift trailers again. Melton implemented the same thing and they had a mass exodus of drivers. I left for other reasons. But I knew my days were numbered because I said no driver facing camera for me. The day they forced that on me would be the day I walked out. It's a shame cpanied think they need a camera in their truck to monitor their drivers. Also what if they adjust the trigger to a low threshold that it will constantly record if u hit a pot hole or miss a gear climbing a hill ( happened to me w Melton and I got a call from safety about it immediately) not to mention that the security system could be hacked.

One thing about a super trucker. He can smell bull crap from miles away. So what is it. Did u have a freaking camera or not? Steering wheel holders talk mad game, but can't back up

 

[Duck]

One thing about a super trucker. He can smell bull crap from miles away. So what is it. Did u have a freaking camera or not? Steering wheel holders talk mad game, but can't back up

"Super truckers" & steering wheel holders are pretty much the same thing.

It's a shame that you haven't figured that based on the context in which the term is most often used.

 

[Mike]

So the only thing any rational person needs to say to their employer when they're informed of a DriveCam being installed is "Bye".

Sometimes easier said than done. If it is otherwise a good job, you gotta gauge where this is going long term. pointless to walk away from a job, to a potentially worse job, only to find out 6 months later they are getting the cameras as well.

The trucking industry won't fight this. A few articles will be written, and some whining will take place online, but this industry will not stand up to this.

that income has to be replaced.

 

[Dinomite]

There doesn't even need to be any argument against driver facing cameras.

Seriously.

It's something so simple and basic that an explanation isn't even needed.

I don't want a camera in my face. That's it.

Most people don't either.

So the only thing any rational person needs to say to their employer when they're informed of a DriveCam being installed is "Bye".

Although I would personally add a few obscenities just to make sure that bridge is burned to the ground and the ashes are on their way to the Gulf of Mexico, because I won't have anything to do with any company that would think for even one second that I would tolerate having a camera in my face.

It has nothing to do with driving either. Stick any kind of camera in my face when I'm in a bad mood & it will be destroyed.

Quack quack quack quack. Better back off another 10 the smell is getting intense!!

 

[Hammer166]

Sometimes easier said than done. If it is otherwise a good job, you gotta gauge where this is going long term. pointless to walk away from a job, to a potentially worse job, only to find out 6 months later they are getting the cameras as well.

The trucking industry won't fight this. A few articles will be written, and some whining will take place online, but this industry will not stand up to this.

that income has to be replaced.

The industry CAN'T stand up to this, Mike. The insurance companies will force it through rate coercion. Them and the lawyers, which is really one and the same. And might as well throw Congress on that train too, as it's mainly lawyers.