Trucking News, Updates, & Back Issues

The American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) on Wednesday released a new report that investigates trucking industry attitudes and concerns when it comes to driver-facing and road-facing cameras (DFCs/RFCs).

The research hoped to better understand truck driver issues and perceptions associated with the use of DFCs, and to understand DFCs’ role in claims and litigation processes.

It identified points of consensus and potential compromise on in-cab camera systems and policies among truck drivers, motor carriers, legal experts and insurers. Based on the analysis, the report proposes strategies for expanding both driver approval and camera utilization with an eye to improve safety, privacy, litigation and insurance risk management.

Driver approval of driver-facing cameras tends to be low -- just 2.24 on a 0-to-10 scale among 650 current users from across the industry, ATRI found. Low scores are driven in part by limited experience, confusion over the variety of camera systems, unclear carrier policies, and strong concerns about privacy.

Privacy was drivers’ biggest concern with DFCs in ATRI’s research. Drivers who have never used DFCs had the most negative opinion of the technology, and drivers who currently use DFCs were more than twice as likely as non-users to positively rate DFC privacy benefits. Still, drivers who currently use DFCs rated the systems just 1.73 for privacy on a 0-to-10 scale, with drivers who never used DFCs rating them 0.78 for privacy.

Nevertheless, the report identified specific carrier policies and driver management approaches that lead to higher driver ratings. Overall driver approval of driver-facing cameras increased by 87% when carriers used video footage for specific proactive safety measures, the research found. ATRI also found that direct DFC experience does have a positive impact on approval, with current users of DFCs rating the systems more than twice as high as drivers who have never used them.

Additional analyses focused on insurance and litigation considerations for in-cab cameras. Experts in both fields expressed preference for event-based driver-facing cameras over continuously recording cameras, and they concurred with drivers that primary video footage access should be limited to safety managers as much as possible.

“Driver-facing cameras are an important safety tool for carriers, but they must be managed carefully in order to leverage benefits with drivers, insurers and attorneys,” said Jerry Sigmon Jr., Chief Operating Officer for Cargo Transporters Inc. “ATRI’s research on in-cab cameras provides an important blueprint for both carriers using these technologies as well as carriers still contemplating the investment.”

For a free copy of the full report electronically, please click here and provide the information requested. Once your information has been submitted, the report will begin downloading automatically.