Truck Drivers Fear AI. Here Are 4 Reasons They Shouldn't.

AI is the hottest tech topic in the 2020s and it’s not even close. 

ChatGTP, autonomous driving, robot dogs, and facial recognition software are polarizing issues, and deservedly so. After all, the potential for misuse is always present with powerful new technologies.

The fear is rampant in the trucker community, who reflexively push back at the potential of AI in their industry–especially when it comes to job preservation and surveillance. 

If you’re a fleet interested in autonomous driving or AI-powered facial recognition tech, you might be asking yourself: how do I convince my drivers that their fears are unfounded? 

Here are a few arguments to make: 

Relax, Your Job Is Safe

Though there are autonomous commercial vehicles currently being tested, the road to complete autonomy won’t be realized anytime soon. Infrastructure to support full autonomy is not close to happening, either.

If a form of autonomy does hit the commercial vehicle industry, It’s more likely that drivers’ roles will change, not disappear. Instead of having to sit behind the wheel, they might become self-driving-car-supervisors. 

AI Can Improve Professional and Personal Driving Habits

It’s been documented that the mere presence of a driver-facing dash cam increases driver productivity and safer driving practices. An AI-powered dash cam takes it a step further, as drivers learn about their own harmful habits and fix them via detailed positive feedback.

These improved work habits are easily transferable into their personal lives, as well.

They Can Better Defend Their Reputations & Driving Records

When it comes time to determine incident accountability and for drivers to defend themselves after a collision, few things work as well as dash cam footage. 

With an AI-powered dash cam that uses facial recognition, the footage can be reinforced with proof of what the driver was doing at the time in question and if they were distracted or not.

Facial-Recognition Technology Is More Nuanced Than They Think

At the end of the day, drivers still might not be willing to be under the watchful eye of an AI-enabled camera. That being said, premium systems have a built-in privacy feature able to blur out faces. 

Not only does this address the privacy issue, but helps a fleet stay in compliance in certain situations where privacy is a mandate.

RVS’s latest offering, Mobile Mule AI, is an AI-enabled dash cam that combines driver distraction detection with a privacy feature! Contact us if this is something your fleet is interested in!