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SAIA | DriveCam ... By Lytx

MikeJ said:
Sysco Foods here in Cleveland has totally taken the camera thing way way way over the line. I think you make some good points with there having a place, unfortunately though that's how it always starts with government it gets to be this oh were only going to use it for good never for evil and then before to long you become Sysco where if the camera turns on 3 times in your career your fired and it doesn't matter what it is, you hit 3 pot holes and you get 3 cameras because you hit 3 pot holes your fired in theory and they don't care they just keep hiring and hiring nobody works there longer then 6 months, they went from being top of the food chain to a bottom feeder that company can't keep people to save it's life of course they don't care.

However I don't know about you guys, but we have some of the worst roads in the country and sometimes the road is just bad and the camera would just go off and that's not fair and they sit there and go rules are rules good bye. I work for a pretty big one right now however compared to LTL companies and US Foods and Sysco were only middle of the road in size and I'm sure the company looked into camera's, but probably got sticker shocked.

My point is this if the cameras are used for good there great good meaning to protect the drivers from litigation, but it's a slippery slope and you know how management and government gets that's always how it starts to protect you, but then they turn you into the enemy and the problem. I'm always looking to improve my skills there's stuff I need to work on, that's not the issue, but what I'm saying is it starts off innocent and well meaning enough but as time goes on it becomes Sysco Foods where a slight dip in the road sets the camera off and your fired.
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Well, Mike I suppose DriveCam could be used that way but it's not at SAIA. It just wouldn't benefit our company to do that with the driver shortage we have today. It takes money to train and invest in drivers so to turn around and fire them for a pothole they didn't see coming would be just plain stupid. I suspect there were underlying reasons why those drivers were fired. Productivity or perhaps a few preventable incidents or accidents. No company fires a good driver. Most drivers fire themselves.
 
runawaytrain said:
Well, Mike I suppose DriveCam could be used that way but it's not at SAIA. It just wouldn't benefit our company to do that with the driver shortage we have today. It takes money to train and invest in drivers so to turn around and fire them for a pothole they didn't see coming would be just plain stupid. I suspect there were underlying reasons why those drivers were fired. Productivity or perhaps a few preventable incidents or accidents. No company fires a good driver. Most drivers fire themselves.
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Train I thought the same thing cost of hire has to be killing Sysco. Actually if you look on the food carriers board way down in the basement I went over to the Sysco side and asked them about this and they said Sysco really is that bad. Sysco marches to the beat of there own drum way off the beaten path from anyone else, they do there picking and choosing though meaning management throws stuff under the rug when they can get away with it. If the cameras are being used like you say they are and it's only for major major serious stuff not for someone hit a bump in the road then there's merit to them. Like Grocery Thrower said they had a couple times at Sysco where the cameras actually got Sysco out of a jam so yes absolutely it does work in that capacity as well, there's no doubt.
 
runawaytrain said:
Well, Mike I suppose DriveCam could be used that way but it's not at SAIA. It just wouldn't benefit our company to do that with the driver shortage we have today. It takes money to train and invest in drivers so to turn around and fire them for a pothole they didn't see coming would be just plain stupid. I suspect there were underlying reasons why those drivers were fired. Productivity or perhaps a few preventable incidents or accidents. No company fires a good driver. Most drivers fire themselves.
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RT you have made a lot of good points BUT you are a city driver, and there is no way a driver can get a good nights sleep if he is driving all night. I do my best to get enough sleep but can't always happen, but you better not call in with a no sleep excuse. if I get a truck with a driver facing cam so be it, but if I get sleepy I will call somebody to prevent me from hurting myself or somebody else and if they want to fire me over it so be it.
 
Well this might seem like a conspiracy theory but I have to say this is another Act of Big Brother looking over the shoulder. While this will get rid of some of the drivers who should not be driving a truck this will also penalize some of the drivers who realize taking a sip of coffee while on the open road with no one around them is ok then three minutes later a car cut you off and you hit the brakes hard and they credit you shipping the coffee 3 minutes before as a mistake and a write-up goes in your file. This goes back a long ways but just as they will be watching us in the trucks I guarantee this forum is monitored by corporate execs or even the government just another Act of Big Brother
 
bigbuck said:
Why not just cover the camera with a towel or something?
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I wouldn't advise that. Many have been using the sunvisor when it's not needed and that's frowned upon. Look, I have driven the new trucks since day one and have been coached once. It was for following distance. That's on me. I love the automatics in city rush hour. No power but that's the only down side to me. I've said this many times before and I will say it again. I know my place here. I'm only as good as my last delivery or pickup made. I am replaceable and I understand that every time I hit the clock. This company owes me nothing except for the hours that I work. I consider it a privilege to work here. I'm treated fairly and with respect. If this company doesn't want me then I don't want to be here. I take nothing for granted. I'm grateful I've been given the opportunity to work here but if there ever comes a day I'm asked to leave I will simply walk away. No harm. No Foul.
 
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runawaytrain said:
I wouldn't advise that. Many have been using the sunvisor when it's not needed and that's frowned upon. Look, I have driven the new trucks since day one and have been coached once. It was for following distance. That's on me. I love the automatics in city rush hour. No power but that's the only down side to me. I've said this many times before and I will say it again. I know my place here. I'm only as good as my last delivery or pickup made. I am replaceable and I understand that every time I hit the clock. This company owes me nothing except for the hours that I work. I consider it a privilege to work here. I'm treated fairly and with respect. If this company doesn't want me then I don't want to be here. I take nothing for granted. I'm grateful I've been given the opportunity to work here but if there ever comes a day I'm asked to leave I will simply walk away. No harm. No Foul.
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I thought they said they were keeping the freightliners out of the city strictly Linehaul that's what I heard. I disagree with that I think everyone should get to share the love lol
 
suicidejockey said:
I thought they said they were keeping the freightliners out of the city strictly Linehaul that's what I heard. I disagree with that I think everyone should get to share the love lol
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Most Linehaul drivers are avoiding them as long as possible. They jump in the 13's ....14's .... 16's .... anything but the 17's .... they will even drive the older Volvos .... At least in GRL and DLS ..... Always plenty to go into the city. Now I'm sure in time they will be forced to drive them but as of now they are not pushing it. And I'm OK with that. I love the new freightliners and honestly I have become a bit spoiled with the automatics. And I just love that new truck smell.
 
suicidejockey said:
I thought they said they were keeping the freightliners out of the city strictly Linehaul that's what I heard. I disagree with that I think everyone should get to share the love lol
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With as much as the nanny-cam goes off for linehaul drivers, they would have to hire someone FULL TIME to coach the city drivers. Either that or they will learn to leave us the hell alone (yeah right).
 
PistonRing83 said:
With as much as the nanny-cam goes off for linehaul drivers, they would have to hire someone FULL TIME to coach the city drivers. Either that or they will learn to leave us the hell alone (yeah right).
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It will be like any other tool at leadership disposal. It will help to sort out those the company wants to keep from those who are a "problem". Tech maybe change and advance, but ppl remain the same
 
LTLIndentured said:
It will be like any other tool at leadership disposal. It will help to sort out those the company wants to keep from those who are a "problem". Tech maybe change and advance, but ppl remain the same
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I totally understand what your saying but if you owned a business wouldn't it be nice to have a way to get rid of the people that weren't pulling their weight and costing you money.
 
runawaytrain said:
I totally understand what your saying but if you owned a business wouldn't it be nice to have a way to get rid of the people that weren't pulling their weight and costing you money.
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Yes it would, if I owned a business. However, I am the worker bee who wants to work as long as possible. Can't we arrive at a happy medium? As I age and my body can no longer keep up with the 30 somethings what shall become of my employment? Wouldn't it be nice if the business I helped to build realize that a 60 yr old can't handle the same workload and adjust? I'm a tad jaded because I see the opposite at my company. Sixty yr old has same expectations and workload as the new 25 yr old. I guess the answer is to plan to retire before the body gives out.
 
LTLIndentured said:
Yes it would, if I owned a business. However, I am the worker bee who wants to work as long as possible. Can't we arrive at a happy medium? As I age and my body can no longer keep up with the 30 somethings what shall become of my employment? Wouldn't it be nice if the business I helped to build realize that a 60 yr old can't handle the same workload and adjust? I'm a tad jaded because I see the opposite at my company. Sixty yr old has same expectations and workload as the new 25 yr old. I guess the answer is to plan to retire before the body gives out.
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Sorry, I am going off thread. It would be a good tool for that, Train, but I just don't trust leadership to look out anyone but themselves and abuse the tech going after personal vendettas.
 
runawaytrain said:
I totally understand what your saying but if you owned a business wouldn't it be nice to have a way to get rid of the people that weren't pulling their weight and costing you money.
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So far they have made great use of it, too. Harassing people for maintaining less than a 6 second following distance in urban areas, nagging about setting the lane alert off, harping about taking a drink of coffee as "distracted driving". Oh and of course telling you it's your fault when someone cuts in front of you and sets the Bendix off.

Yup, a wonderful use of resources. Just think, if it wasn't for these nanny cameras, Saia would have just wasted that money on something silly, like getting us some terminals that are less than 6 hours apart and aren't dirty rundown crapholes. Or paying drivers to fuel trucks. What a silly idea that would be!
 
Guys, this is really obvious to me, and maybe if I type it you will understand.

Saia does not care at all about drivers. Drivers are **** ant, dime a dozen, liabilities to Saia. They are not assets.

The only thing that Saia cares about is making money and their public image. You make money by not paying drivers through loopholes (fueling) and improve your image by putting a robot in the cab to constantly stare at their "liabilities" and point out their natural human errors. The bottom line is the bottom line and is the only thing that matters.
 
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