Why Fleets Use Cameras: Safety, Liability & Efficiency

Outward-facing dashcams can help document accidents and provide valuable legal protection if you're ever in a crash. They can help defend against staged crashes and protect OTR drivers when they're wrongly blamed for a crash. That footage can mean the difference between a costly personal injury lawsuit and clearing your name.

Driver-facing cameras are more controversial. Fleets often pitch them as safety tools. They can detect fatigue and whether a driver is wearing their seatbelt. They can also ensure that drivers aren't distracted behind the wheel, because they can trigger alerts before something goes wrong. Some fleets use them to coach drivers, and others to satisfy insurance requirements or reduce legal exposure.

Cameras are ultimately about risk management. They can help with driver training, but their main purpose is to limit liability and monitor behavior. Whether that benefits drivers depends on how they're used and how transparent the company is.

What's Actually Recorded and When

Take everything we say in this section with a grain of salt. Most dashcams record continuously. Driver-facing units usually (depending on the fleet) activate only during specific events. These include things like hard braking, sharp turns, or collisions, which are called "triggered events." These events are flagged for review by safety teams.

Some systems also capture audio, either during incidents or as part of routine monitoring. The footage is stored in the cloud and may be reviewed days or even weeks later.

Here's one thing that is critically important for drivers to know: even if a camera is not live-streaming, it may still be logging and recording data. Understanding when and why recording happens is the key to protecting your privacy and your job.

Legal Landscape: Federal Rules, State Laws & Company Policies

There is no federal law requiring driver-facing cameras. However, the FMCSA encourages the use of safety technology, and cameras are being adopted by many carriers voluntarily. State laws, on the other hand, can vary. Under eavesdropping laws in California and Illinois, recording audio or video inside the cab currently requires the driver's consent, especially if the footage is used for anything beyond safety purposes. Consent requirements can vary significantly by state.

Company policies often go further than the law. Some fleets disclose when cameras are active and how the footage is used. Others might bury those details in the fine print of your onboarding paperwork. Unionized drivers might have more leverage, but most OTR drivers operate under at-will terms.

Legality doesn't always translate into transparency. Before signing on, you should fully understand what's practiced by a fleet.

Your Rights as a Driver: What You Can Ask & Expect

You may not have much say in whether cameras are installed in your cab, but you certainly have the right to ask how they are used. Some fleets allow drivers to review footage after an incident. Others may notify you when video is pulled or the audio is recorded. A few even offer an opt-out option for driver-facing cameras, although this is becoming increasingly rare in the industry.

Before signing on with a fleet, you have the right to ask for the company's camera policy in writing. Read the policy to understand who reviews the footage, how long it is stored, and whether it is used for discipline or training. If you end up being terminated for an incident, do you have the right under company policy to request access to your recordings?

It could be a major red flag if a fleet is not transparent about how it uses these cameras inside the cab. That could be a signal about how they treat their drivers. The more you know upfront, the fewer surprises you'll face down the road.

Questions to Ask Recruiters

Before you commit to a fleet, don't be afraid to ask direct questions about their camera policy. Don't settle for, "We use them for safety." Get specifics:

• Are driver-facing cameras always on, or only during events?
• Is audio recorded? If so, when and why?
• Who reviews footage? Is it safety staff, third parties, or AI?
• Can I access recordings after an incident?
• Is the footage ever used for discipline or termination?

If a recruiter dodges or downplays these questions, you should take note. The more transparent they are upfront often reflects how a company will treat you once you're in the seat.