How many of you have this and what are peoples’ opinions? Our new lorries have it and the drivers weren’t told. Apparently they can record conversations aswell. Does this breach data protection laws or not as some colleagues believe so? Some drivers are worried that if they stick to 40 the company will get on their back, and if they don’t they’re open to trouble in event of any accident (especially if work’s quiet )
BTW, it doesn’t affect me as I’ve handed my notice in anyway, but thought I’d ask and then pass on any info to the drivers concerned.
Would have no issue with outward facing cameras, as this can protect you from false claims rather than getting you into trouble, but i would refuse to work for any company that had inward facing cameras in a truck cab and especially with sound recording devices. Sound recording devices are intrusive and violate privacy. As for not being informed prior to installation or being allocated vehicle, I would be seeking union representation (if union present), to automatically dismiss any disciplinary actions proposed through said recording devices and it’s instant removal. If the company refused, i would claim for constructive dismissal, as i would terminate my employment immediately. And this isn’t because i have anything to hide, but when in the cab, i may have personal and private calls during break periods which may not be prevalent for others to hear without permission, which may include private details (personal financial details etc). Sound recording equipment in a truck is one step too far, it’s not required and a breach of human rights!
Muckaway:
How many of you have this and what are peoples’ opinions? Our new lorries have it and the drivers weren’t told. Apparently they can record conversations aswell. Does this breach data protection laws or not as some colleagues believe so? Some drivers are worried that if they stick to 40 the company will get on their back, and if they don’t they’re open to trouble in event of any accident (especially if work’s quiet )
BTW, it doesn’t affect me as I’ve handed my notice in anyway, but thought I’d ask and then pass on any info to the drivers concerned.
Have you just stepped foot out of a tardis from pre 1989 East Germany? The worst thing is that most people will in typical British fashion just accept this sort of intrusive surveilence with the good old “If you’re not doing anything wrong, you don’t have anything to hide” bull crap, roll over and take it up the rear end from their superiors.
I’m sure it is legal though, Britain and the British must be the most spied upon people in the western world, and this is just another extension of that. I do however think its immoral to make someone feel constantly watched for the slightest mistake. This sort of thing might have its place in the cell of a maximum security prison when a convicted criminal is on suicide watch, but it certainly has no place in any so called free country that I want to happen to be living in, going to work, doing my job and minding my own business.
I wouldn’t drive a truck with a 360 lens on it… start looking for the “power” button or download the user manual which should tell you how to turn off sound recording
What are the inward facing cameras supposed to pick up? If anyone fancies trawling through 12 hrs or so of me drinking coffee, eating biscuits, singing off key & scratching my nuts, not nessessarily all at the same time mind, then good luck to them.
A new customer of our agency have them, and people are already covering the lens up. The customer is adamant that the SD card only records in 2 hour segments, and overwrites accordingly, but I see nothing that could stop them putting a bigger SD card in with more memory.
The trainer also says that only 3 people within the company are authorised to look at the cards contents, and I told him to beware his nose doesn’t hit the door frame on his way out.
Personally, I would feel offended if my employer wanted to put a camera in my cab.
Only had 1 incident worth talking about and if there had been a camera fitted, I would have probably shoved the bloke through the lights!
I’ve got one but as an OO it is only for my protection, nobody else ever views the footage and if I did hit a car while I was knocking out a quick J Arthur then I would be under no obligation to send the insurance company the SD card. I could just say it wasn’t working at the time.
My camera’s only forward facing anyway so in the above circumstances all the insurance company would hear would be a middle-aged bloke gasping “Oh Shania, Shania!” before the crunch!
there was a company touting these at the CV show. I don’t know if the system Muckaway is referring to is the same one.
I raised the question of privacy. He said that they only preserved the in cab recording if there was an impact or harsh brake application.
The camera was only activated when the engine was running. He claimed they had installed the system in Keedwell’s vehicles, but I don’t know if this was true.
I did say to him that I thought it would be the last straw for many drivers. Many if not all drivers choose to drive because they can’t stand the constant ‘supervision’ of closed work environments.
re the question over speed: surely your speed is being recorded by your tacho anyway, and if you are driving an MAN, it can be accessed via MAN’s telematic system, which is fitted to all their trucks and can be activated at the operator’s request.
To me, there is a line between having CCTV on a bus, where there are potentially dozens of passengers on board and the cab of a solitary driver who is then the sole focus of an unknown office bod. By the same logic I would not have a problem with a hotel lobby having CCTV, but I certainly would not want it in an actual hotel room or even in a staff lunch room.
Unfortunately I think we’ve all now found ourselves in a new world of surveillance and control, of prohibition and punishment, of fault and blame and those who have the power to implement this sort of thing, whether it be governments, local councils or employers have let it all go to their heads. We keep telling ourselves we live in free countries but all of this is really a farce, we live under a more controlled system of surveillance and enforcement than did the average East German or Russian before the wall came down. Never did a communist peasant have so much of his every day life recorded and made liable to judgement than we in supposedly free Britain do today. What a joke.
Quite a few dhl lorries have them fitted including where the y run transport but not obviously, like Network Rail out of, now Coventry (was Worcester).
They were forward facing without sound as they felt that was an invasion of the drivers privacy.
NR are still 55 and 57 six wheeler hiabs despite saying they were getting all new trucks moving to Coventry… yeah right
I’ve got another job closer to home, same money, same type of work. If I hadn’t found another job there was a good chance of me having a new MAN with the camera fitted. I don’t know which is worse, constantly being watched or another MAN auto.
Muckaway:
How many of you have this and what are peoples’ opinions? Our new lorries have it and the drivers weren’t told. Apparently they can record conversations aswell. Does this breach data protection laws or not as some colleagues believe so? Some drivers are worried that if they stick to 40 the company will get on their back, and if they don’t they’re open to trouble in event of any accident (especially if work’s quiet )
BTW, it doesn’t affect me as I’ve handed my notice in anyway, but thought I’d ask and then pass on any info to the drivers concerned.
CCTV in the cab is fine, either inward or outward facing, if you are concerned about being recorded there are rules that the company has to follow regarding the data protection act, without going into too much detail if you are being recorded by a camera that is facing you, they can only use the footage and sound file incase of an incident and can’t use it for spying on the driver, if they are using it for that reason you are well in your rights to ask them to remove it.
What aiways puzzles me is why companies feel the need to spy on drivers like this,if they dont trust them then rid them! We are nearly all tracked anyhow, so they know where we are when working. Sadly though I can see this becoming the norm as insurance companies will start insisting on them, or thats what the gaffers will say.
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