Federal regulators have exempted Netradyne from safety rules to allow the fleet management software company to mount its dashcams lower on truck windshields.
Without the exemption, Netradyne said customers would not be able to install the cameras in an optimal location on the windshield to maximize their effectiveness.
“The Agency has determined that lower placement of the Driveri Dash Cam would not have an adverse impact on safety and that adherence to the terms and conditions of the exemption would likely achieve a level of safety equivalent to, or greater than, the level of safety provided by the regulation,” stated the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) in granting the exemption, which is valid for five years.
In its application to FMCSA, Netradyne estimated that 300,000 drivers and 100,000 commercial vehicles would be affected by the exemption. It also pointed to field trials with six trucking and logistics companies, citing significant CSA score improvements, reductions in unsafe events and decreases in traffic violations.
In addition, Netradyne said its dashcam operates “in a manner similar to many other devices for which FMCSA has previously granted an exemption,” including a recent five-year waiver granted for Samsara’s dashcam.
The federal exemption applies to a four-camera version housing and a two-camera version housing, according to FMCSA. It allows them to be mounted in the approximate center of the top of the windshield such that the bottom edge of the camera housing is approximately 8 inches below the upper edge of the windshield wipers — “outside of the driver’s and passenger’s normal sight lines to the road ahead, highway signs and signals, and all mirrors,” according to the agency.
FMCSA has approved several waiver requests for similar crash-prevention devices this year in addition to Samsara, including applications from J.J. Keller & Associates and Nauto.
Some drivers have opposed such exemptions, arguing that, among other concerns, the more central location allowed by the exemption creates a distraction.
But the FMCSA has consistently pointed out that so far, the agency “is not aware of any evidence showing that installation of other vehicle safety technologies mounted on the interior of the windshield has resulted in any degradation in safety.”
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