I’m interested in getting thoughts and opinions from drivers on driver-facing cameras? Take a look at this piece we wrote on our website and let me know your views on them - we understand views are mixed!
anthonyjones.com/are-they-legal … pros-cons/
Hello Sara and thank you for the spam 
Links to Commercial Sites which are blatant adverts are not allowed unless it is somewhere you’ve used in the past or are passing it on in response to a query and you have no connection to the company.
Posting a link for no reason other than to attract members to the site concerned is Spamming in our view, so is not allowed.
tachograph:
Hello Sara and thank you for the spamLinks to Commercial Sites which are blatant adverts are not allowed unless it is somewhere you’ve used in the past or are passing it on in response to a query and you have no connection to the company.
Posting a link for no reason other than to attract members to the site concerned is Spamming in our view, so is not allowed.
Hi tachograph,
What Sarah wrote would normally be considered as spam, so you’re spot-on considering the info you had to hand at the time you wrote your post.
However, Sarah is the person representing the new sponsors (Anthony Jones) of this forum, so her posted link pointed to them.
As far as I knew at the time (yesterday), there was some discussion between Sarah and I via my boss Chris as to whether the forum sponsors (Anthony Jones) were going to have a locked announcement post, or whether they preferred to have somebody who’s prepared to answer questions in this forum.
I got news of their choice only today, but I was ■■■■■■■ all day in Bolton taking my 4 DGSA requalification exams, so I’ve only just been able to change her rank to Forum Sponsor and change her username colour to Green.
All’s well that ends well, it was just a case of the timing of it all.
Thanks for the update Dave, hopefully both you and Sarah will accept my apology.
Sent from my mobile via Tapatalk.
tachograph:
Thanks for the update Dave, hopefully both you and Sarah will accept my apology.
No need for an apology to me… what you did was done in good faith and based on the info to hand at the time. 
Hi tachograph,
Yes, apologies - it wasn’t intended as a spam! Rather a genuine interest to find out what drivers think about driver-facing cameras. We know it causes a bit of contention!
I will post links to some of the other topics on our site too - again, for the purpose of gaining a bit of feedback and only on topics that I think will be of interest to members on this group.
I think you can fully expect a blanket condemnation from drivers, whatever “safety” arguments can be advocated for the cameras are massively outweighed by the widespread mistrust for how they could be misused.
I don’t have a camera pointed at me while I’m doing my TM work or when I’m delivering ADR, so it would be hypocritical for me to ask the same of my drivers.
Many operators thought they could just stick driver facing cameras in over a weekend and that would be the end of it.
Just one of many hoops to jump through is an impact assessment, which means drivers, possibly through their union and/or reps, must be consulted as part of that.
Its all on the govt website, including the warning that successful claims for constructive dismissal can result by not doing things properly re personal surveillance.
In reality, some operators have just stuck the things in and if drivers haven’t got a decent union or have no resilience personally then they accept them, some grudgingly, yes some drivers leave when cameras go in arguably the better drivers who don’t need to be watched 24/7 who will be welcomed with open arms at more enlightened operations who value skills/loyalty etc, so a company can in theory end up staffed entirely by the less able, or as we often say here, edging their way ahead in the race to the bottom.
To be fair some drivers have swallowed the koolaid and regurgitate word for word the propaganda used to persuade/coerce then into accepting these things, we’ve read with incredularity on these very pages such musings.
I can only speak for me and where i work, we refused driver facing cameras as have other unionised operators in our sector, they aren’t and won’t be fitted, these things like many others only require the nous to use the word NO.
Having driven a truck with them in, it didn’t really bother me, not sure why they were in as only a few had them and all new trucks since then don’t have them. They were not ‘live back to base’ and were only stored on the truck hard drive. Company policy was they would only be downloaded in the event of an accident, incident or complaint. To my knowlege mine was never viewed.
My only real issue is that of privacy being a tramper, we knew ours stayed on for 30 minutes after ignition off, and were in a place where the cab curtains would cover them.
Its not something that would stop me taking a job with a firm that had them (I didn’t know about them until I was allocated my truck ), but if they had them I would want to know their policy on them before I took the job. Unfortunatley, with the current eagerness for litigation and fast blaming, I think they will become more common place as time goes on.
It seems that airline pilots are more than a little ■■■■■■ off at the suggestion of installing cameras in the cockpit. These are being sold to operators by the snake- in- the- grass insurance industry as a way to reduce premiums, when in truth the objsect behind it is to increase premiums for those who don’t comply.
They are intrusive condescending and totally wrong, how about we put one in front of your face all day in your boring offices.
Not filling no data harvesting survey either.
This is in the operators forum, be more response I would expect in the main drivers forum.
iguana:
This is in the operators forum, be more response I would expect in the main drivers forum.
Drivers don’t have access to the company credit card, very few (zero far as i can see) positives for the things from a drivers point of view, apart from the one or two that have been perusaded to comply willingly most thoughts may not be welcome 
I run a fleet of 18 motors, all have a forward facing camera to capture anything that may help in an accident claim, but whatever benefit I may or may not get from an insurance company, i’d never contemplate a driver facing camera.
I would view it as an intrusion to them during the course of their day, and I wouldnt be a fan of it as a driver myself.
We dont go through lots of drivers, most of my guys have several years under their belt working for us, they know how to do their job, and I would have no interest in seeing them pick their nose or scratch their nuts.
I would have been a resounding no on this but the way the roads and other drivers are going I’m starting to think I could do with as many cameras as possible to keep me out of jail.
Other solution is finding another job outside of driving, though that’s easier said than done.
Jimmy McNulty:
I would have been a resounding no on this but the way the roads and other drivers are going I’m starting to think I could do with as many cameras as possible to keep me out of jail.Other solution is finding another job outside of driving, though that’s easier said than done.
Have a read back of what you’ve actually written ffs.
How is a driver facing camera ever going to benefit the driver?!!
Can anyone give me one genuine benefit for the driver?
None of this “ it will prove you were doing nothing wrong “ nonsense either.
I can genuinely say if my boss told me I was getting one in my cab I would hand my notice in on the spot-however I work for a guy that actually trusts me , and respects me enough to know that a poxy camera would not be acceptable.
I dare say if you are involved in an accident and someone accused you of being on your phone as an example ,then it would help there…Just like when tachos where introduced ,i personally do not think you will stop driver facing cameras ,as new drivers come in ,it will be all they know ,as no doubt training schools will fit them ,especially when insurance companies demand them as time goes by…What companies need to know is the law ref using them ,they can’t review the footage and discipline you for calling the boss a anchor for example
The day my boss fits one in my cab, or notifies me of his intention to do so, is the day I hand my notice in with him.
I’m absolutely fine with forward, side and rear cameras, but one permanently recording what I do in the cab is a step too far.