Last year, a wild video posted by Uribe Refuse Services in Lincoln, Nebraska, showed that anything can and will happen inside a truck cab, while also proving the value of inward-facing cams. An unassuming driver named Quintion Knox was rolling along on his route collecting trash, when out of nowhere a nosy raccoon jumped through the driver’s side window. A surprised Knox quickly chucked the trash panda to the curb, as caught by the Motive AI dual-facing dashcam.
As dramatic as that event was, Uribe expects far more trouble around their refuse trucks. Because these lumbering trucks operate in busy neighborhoods, constantly starting and stopping, there is always a risk for accidents—not just at the front end but all around the vocational truck.
Knowing this, Uribe VP Nick Crow decided to install Motive’s AI Omnicam to record the side and rear views, providing 360-degree coverage when used with dash cams. In less than a year, the fleet has installed 49 Omnicams, with 15 more to go. According to Casey Mitchell, CMO at Uribe, “they have for sure come in handy on several occasions,” including both “good and bad” situations.
He said the major issues are finding time to install the cameras and keeping the lenses clean to ensure video clarity. A smudged camera cannot very well exonerate an innocent driver when an inattentive commuter clips the truck speeding around it. Fleets should always add a line item to Driver Vehicle Inspection Reports to check lens cleanliness and system connectivity and train drivers to ensure compliance.
Despite the workflow additions, Mitchell said, “Overall, they are very nice to have, and I can’t wait to get them in all of our fleet.”
This desire for 360-degree coverage is a sentiment shared by many on-highway and vocational fleets, and OEMs and aftermarket providers have responded with several new options to ensure fleets can watch their back and sides, as well as front. Here’s what to know about the growing trend and how to maintain these cameras.
Safety bubble
Not only are 360-degree cams “nice to have,” they save lives.
Fleets need to cover every angle, as pedestrian fatalities increased by 80% from 2009 to 2023, according to NHTSA data. Drivers must also watch out for e-bikes and e-scooters, which have increased in use, explained Kambiz Haghighi, Samsara’s director of hardware safety.
Being able to see everywhere, and adding the aid of AI detection and alerts, has been proven to work, he asserted. Using Samsara’s AI Multicam, Coach USA decreased preventable accidents by 92% and lowered insurance claim costs by 75%.
Netradyne CTO David Julian noted that the industry addressed the front of the truck, the highest risk area for a crash, with dash cams, the rest of the truck also needs better visibility. He cited NHTSA data that found “40% of fatal accidents involving two vehicles and a large truck are from the sides or rear of the large truck, and 34% for the other vehicle, so there is a significant opportunity for increased safety from these additional views.”
Netradyne’s new Driver•i D-810 helps here by leveraging eight cameras for 360-degree visibility that feed video through its edge intelligence to enable more awareness for the driver and coaching opportunities when the driver should be more aware.
About the Author
John Hitch
Editor-in-chief, Fleet Maintenance
John Hitch is the award-winning editor-in-chief of Fleet Maintenance, where his mission is to provide maintenance leaders and technicians with the the latest information on tools, strategies, and best practices to keep their fleets' commercial vehicles moving.
He is based out of Cleveland, Ohio, and has worked in the B2B journalism space for more than a decade. Hitch was previously senior editor for FleetOwner and before that was technology editor for IndustryWeek and and managing editor of New Equipment Digest.
Hitch graduated from Kent State University and was editor of the student magazine The Burr in 2009.
The former sonar technician served honorably aboard the fast-attack submarine USS Oklahoma City (SSN-723), where he participated in counter-drug ops, an under-ice expedition, and other missions he's not allowed to talk about for several more decades.