Dive Brief:
- J.B. Hunt Transport Services has put inward-facing cameras in all of its trucks, the company announced last month on an earnings call.
- The carrier planned to reach this goal by the end of Q3 2024, COO Nick Hobbs told investors.
- J.B. Hunt piloted the technology starting in 2018, the company previously noted, and Hobbs also said last year that the cameras help address distracted driving and coach drivers.
Dive Insight:
For J.B. Hunt, inward-facing cameras have meant a 20% reduction in costs associated with claims for trucks that use the technology, the company said in an April blog post.
“These cameras are just one of many innovative safety initiatives we have rolled out that continues to contribute to our safety culture and performance,” Hobbs said on the earnings call. “As you are aware, the cost of claims have elevated, but we continue to manage and mitigate risk by remaining focused on our safety performance.”
Some drivers in the industry have pushed back against inward-facing cameras. Last year, a five-year union contract with ABF Freight banned the use of inward-facing cameras, a restriction that TForce Freight agreed to in its 2023-2028 labor deal, too.
But many other fleets have installed various vendors’ in-cab cameras, regardless of drivers’ feelings toward the technology.
Prime Inc. is installing inward-facing cameras that will also record what’s happening ahead of the driver on the road, fleet manager Dennis Davis said at a safety meeting Oct. 18. The carrier is targeting to implement the changes by the end of the year.
