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Teamsters Contract Prohibits Use of In-Cab Cameras

5 min read

It is hard to stem the tide of technology and change in the modern world, but the International Brotherhood of Teamsters did just that in its labor negotiations with ArcBest Corp. of Fort Smith.

The union and the transportation company agreed to a five-year contract in June that included salary increases and pension contributions for the 8,600 members in 137 local unions who work for ABF Freight, the company’s less-than-truckload subsidiary. But the new contract also prohibited the use of what the Teamsters called “invasive technology.”

The technology, the union specified, included driver-facing cameras (DFCs), body sensors and recorders. The in-cab cameras apparently first became an issue between the two sides in 2019 when ABF Freight told the union it was installing driver-facing cameras.

The union, as related in a memo sent to members from the Teamsters National Freight Industry Negotiating Committee, protested the move. ABF Freight installed the cameras, which also acted as electronic logging devices, but covered the cameras.

ArcBest declined to comment for this article, and the Teamsters did not respond before Arkansas Business went to print. The Teamsters are in contentious negotiations with UPS, and removing in-cab driver-facing cameras is a main bargaining point for the union.

A message on its website from May said the Teamsters “won’t move a single package after July 31 if UPS insists on driver-facing cameras in the new contract.” Another message said “NO MORE surveillance and NO DAMN CAMERAS!”

“When faced with new technology, we want to protect as many jobs as possible,” Teamsters General President Sean O’Brien said on the union’s Twitter account in May. “We take very seriously any technology, including drones, inward-facing cameras, and autonomous vehicles, that threatens union work.”

Privacy

Road-facing cameras have been in use — and well-received by drivers — for many years, but drivers almost universally loathe cameras recording inside their cab.

In a research poll conducted by the American Transportation Research Institute, a nonprofit connected with the American Trucking Associations, drivers rated driver-facing cameras 2.24 out of 10. They dislike the invasion of privacy, whether real or not, as well as being unsure about who has access to recordings.

“I have about 150 drivers and out of those 150 drivers, I’m going to say 50% would quit if I got driver-facing cameras,” said Joey Berkemeyer, director of safety for Wayne Smith Trucking in Morrilton. “Until it is mandated by law to have them, I won’t have them. There’s more reasons than that, but the driver feels —  and I would, too — like his privacy has been invaded. How would you like a camera on you all day long?

“I am 110% against it. I will never have them.”

Shannon Newton

Shannon Newton, the president of the Arkansas Trucking Association, said the technology is gaining in popularity among trucking companies because it could help avoid “nuclear verdicts” in lawsuits that have caused truckers’ insurance premiums to rise. Newton understands the privacy concerns, but she said having information about what the driver was doing at the time of an accident could be beneficial.

“It’s not unlike any other technology. While this is different from electronic logs, the receptiveness or pushback to it is very similar,” Newton said. “It is new and it’s different; it’s a higher degree of accountability. It is the same reaction from employees who would be subject to that higher bar of scrutiny.

“They don’t understand what the data is going to be used for. There is misunderstanding or miscommunication of how it is going to be used.”

Max Farrell

Drivers are 22% more accepting of in-cab cameras if those devices are event-based, such as recording only just before, during and after a significant event — like a sudden braking, severe steering change or crash.

“It is a hot-button topic for sure,” said Max Farrell, the CEO of WorkHound, a trucking industry software platform based in Chattanooga, Tennessee. “Each side has their own definition of what is right or what is good for the business and what is good for the driver.”

Risk Management

The ATA said several trucking companies in Arkansas have installed in-cab cameras or plan to.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Inc. of Lowell started a pilot program with driver-facing cameras and plans to use the technology in all its new tractors. J.B. Hunt does not employ union drivers.

“Safety is an important part of our culture at J.B. Hunt, and we continue to explore ways to make our fleet the safest on the road,” said Nick Hobbs, the company’s chief operating officer. “Inward-facing cameras are one of the latest developments that we can leverage to advance that initiative.”

Newton said DFCs are more of a risk management tool than a safety tool since having a camera rolling doesn’t prevent an accident but could show the trucker was not at fault. Berkemeyer, an adamant opponent, agreed that a DFC could be used in a training program for new drivers as a teaching tool.

“I understand the guys up in the big office, the lawyers want everything they can to prove what happened, good or bad,” said Berkemeyer, who drove a truck for 46 years. “But you have to remember these truck drivers are humans like you and I.

“We have so much technology in these trucks. There is a lot going in there now. Before all you had time to do is watch where you’re going. Having a driver-facing camera is just that much more pressure on a guy.”

Farrell said DFC may be an unstoppable force — at least in nonunion companies — but it would be better received if the implementation was done more empathetically for the drivers. Drivers need to know how the technology will work, when and who will have access to the recordings to show what is in it for them.

“Once the toothpaste is out of the tube it is tough to put back in,” Farrell said. “I don’t know how you stop the push of this. Safety professionals in companies want it because the cost of trucking continues to go up.”

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