1. Improve litigation outcomes

Video coverage of all sides of the vehicle can show a more accurate picture of a crash and improve the likelihood of driver exoneration. Carriers can also use this footage to coach and train drivers proactively to avoid crashes.

According to the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI), truck driver exoneration rates when road- and driver-facing camera footage is available are:

• Road-facing cameras (RFC) 63 percent
• Driver-facing cameras (DFC) 49 percent

Since video footage can prove whether the driver or the other party was negligent, carriers face less costly settlements instead of lengthy court trials. In the ATRI study, legal experts estimated that 86-89 percent of the time video evidence leads to settlements.

Nuclear verdicts (over $10 million) devastate a small percentage of the more than one million carriers in the United States. However, the 2021 ATRI study, The Impact of Small Verdicts and Settlements on the Trucking Industry, discovered that payments in cases settled for less than one million dollars skyrocketed. Many of these cases were groundless, but carriers paid settlements due to insufficient evidence.

Examples of the alleged cause of crashes and average settlements where auxiliary camera footage could lead to driver exoneration or a reduced settlement are:

• Recklessness $493,673
• Improper lane change $420,409
• Sideswipe $385,986
• Improperly secured cargo (internal or on an open deck) $378,840

2. Reduce cargo theft

In 2022, there was approximately $223 million worth of cargo stolen in the United States and Canada, which is a 20 percent increase in losses and a 15 percent increase in theft events compared to 2021, according to CargoNet. Also, the average cargo theft in 2022 was $214,204.

Visible exterior and cargo compartment cameras can deter cargo theft and provide proof in the event of a crime.

3. Increase driver security

The lack of truck parking causes driver safety issues. Illegally parking on the side of a road, on-ramp, or in a high-crime area is not the solution but often occurs when drivers are tired or running out of hours. Two surveys show that lack of truck parking is a top driver concern:

1. ATRI’s 2022 update of the Critical Issues in the Trucking Industry survey found that commercial drivers’ number one issue was truck parking.
2. ATRI’s 2021 survey Truck Driver Perspectives on Truck Parking Information Systems found that 63 percent of drivers reported having difficulty finding safe and legal parking, and over 90 percent said that the parking shortage negatively impacted their quality of life. Investing in auxiliary cameras visible to perpetrators may reduce the chance of harm to a driver and help drivers feel safer.

4. Support non-preventable crash decisions

Carriers can submit video clips and a copy of the police accident report (PAR) under the Crash Preventability Determination Program (CPDP) to request a non-preventable determination via DataQs. Auxiliary cameras provide additional footage to support reviews under the current sixteen crash types and the four proposed types. These are when a commercial motor vehicle (CMV) is struck:

• On the side,
• By a vehicle entering the roadway from a driveway or parking lot,
• By a motorist who lost control of their vehicle, or
• When any type of crash where video can show that the impact was not preventable.

A non-preventable crash will not affect the carrier’s Crash Indicator in the Compliance, Safety, and Accountability (CSA) program.