Swift, the U.S.’ third largest carrier (CCJ Top 250), will be outfitting its more than 6,000 company-owned trucks with Lytx DriveCam systems, which include forward-facing and driver-facing cameras that record and upload video clips before and after events like hard braking and swerving.
The announcement came via an internal video message pushed out to drivers this week, featuring Swift President and CEO Richard Stocking notifying drivers of the change and telling them the cameras will be used as “an in-cab coach.”
“This tool helps correct any at-risk driving behaviors you might not be aware of,” Stocking says in the video message. “Many of these bad habits are done unconsciously, and having video will help identify and improve them.”
The cameras will not be used to watch or monitor drivers in real-time, Stocking says in the video, and will only upload recordings of safety critical events and the 10 seconds before and after.
Stocking also says the cameras can help drivers avoid blame for crashes that are not their fault.
Implementation will begin next month, Stocking says, starting with the company’s dedicated dry, central dedicated and refrigerated dedicated segments. Full implementation will be done toward the end of next year.