Although in-cab cameras are widely unpopular among truck drivers, strategies for increasing their acceptance are being offered by the American Transportation Research Institute.
Driver approval of driver-facing cameras tends to be low – just 2.24 on a 0-to-10 scale among the 650 truck drivers who are current users that were surveyed, by ATRI.
The institute says that low scores are created in part by limited driver experience, confusion over the variety of camera systems, unclear carrier policies, and strong concerns about privacy.
However, women rated the protection of their privacy with driver-facing cameras onboard 34% lower than did men, according to ATRI.
“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.”
The organization’s research report (which is available here) identifies specific carrier policies and driver management approaches it says 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, ATRI reported.
Additional analyses focus 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.