USING TECHNOLOGY TO IMPROVE SEMI-TRUCK SAFETY

Technology is engrained in our world and how we live in it. As our industry develops, so do the ways tech and trucking are combined. Technology in the transportation industry increases the safety for drivers and the hundreds of thousands of people that share the road with semi-trucks. The use of cameras and video footage can increase driver safety and provide beneficial data and insights.

DASH CAMERAS

This Transport Topics article discusses the way some truckers are accepting and even welcoming the use of dash cameras. The article says, “Tech companies are racing to sell dashboard-mounted cameras as part of electronic logging devices, yet another tool in an arsenal that Silicon Valley firms say will improve safety and shipment tracking while decreasing liability for trucking companies.” It continues to describe the “odd fit” or “Big Brother” element the use of cameras may have in an industry where drivers often seek independence and solitude. However, drivers are seeing the benefits of having video evidence to vindicate them in accidents or incidents that may happen on the road – especially when they are not at fault.

HIGH-TECH CAMERAS TO REPLACE MIRRORS

There are a certain set of rules drivers sharing the road with semis should (but often don’t) know and follow. Things like how long it takes to stop a semi-truck, how much room to give a semi when they’re turning and how far behind to follow them. Eliminating mirrors and installing “a camera monitor system gives drivers a larger field of vision, provides a clearer image of surrounding traffic, offers improved views at night and automatically moves the image when backing to show the rear of the trailer,” according to another Transport Topics article.

CAMERAS TO PROVIDE VIDEO INSIGHTS

Lastly, the use of cameras to record video can “effectively and accurately document potentially dangerous on-road driver behavior such as inadequate following distance, using a cellphone while driving or not wearing a seat belt.” Again, in another Transport Topics article, they share that “establishing patterns through analytics ensures that drivers who chronically exhibit potentially dangerous behavior receive attention, not those who might have had a one-time incident in a long history of safe driving.”

The more technology develops, the more we should use it to our advantage, bettering our industry as well as increasing the safety of others.

All the Best,

Jeff Beckham