IN THE NEWS: Fleets Can Earn Driver Acceptance of Video Safety Systems

Transport Topics
January 24, 2025
Amanda Smith-Teutsch

FROM THE ARTICLE: It’s a video that captivated the country on the evening news last March — a tractor-trailer dangling over the side of a bridge, 100 feet above the Ohio River in Louisville, Ky., and the daring rescue by firefighters that brought the driver to safety.

It’s the video immediately before that, however, that helped lead to criminal charges against another motorist who caused the dangerous crash. Forward-facing video from a camera in the cab of the tractor showed a passenger pickup as it swerved out of the oncoming lanes. The commercial truck driver, as recorded by the in-cab camera, was alert and following the speed limit, but was unable to avoid the collision. The heavy-duty truck was forced over the side of the Clark Memorial Bridge.

After the crash, the truck driver was cleared of any wrongdoing, and the pickup driver accused of causing the incident is set to stand trial for criminal charges in April.

That’s just one instance where video has exonerated drivers involved in crashes. Truck drivers often are skeptical when their companies decide to deploy cameras in the cabs of their trucks. Fleet managers say convincing drivers that onboard video systems are there for the driver’s benefit is key to ensuring a successful implementation of the technology.

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Hayden Juzek, Senior Director of Fleet Operations at ITS Logistics, said his company has had in-cab and forward-facing cameras for at least six years.

“We are very clear in our communication,” he said. “It’s reducing liability for both the drivers as well as the company. It’s there to protect the drivers in case of dispute.”

His company reviews numerous events captured by the camera systems — not just crashes, but also swerves, hard braking and other critical events triggered by the camera’s protocols.

As an example, he pointed to an incident the company often highlights for drivers — a vehicle cuts off a truck and strikes a guardrail. The front-facing camera shows the incident, but the cab-facing camera shows valuable information as well.

“You’re able to actually promote the driver’s reaction time, their level of focus,” he said. “You can see the outward event. And then you can also see, how was the driver able to handle this? Was he at 10 and two? Was he distracted? Was he focused?”

ITS’s Juzek likened the captured video to sports film used by professional athletes. “It’s a way to see where you can make enhancements on performance, safety,” he said. Most drivers, once they understand the point of the cameras, are supportive of the technology.

Read the full article.