IT hits the highway: Big rigs go high tech

Driver cams

In-cab video cameras can be configured to watch the road or the driver. Some are designed to record the driver's view of the road during the interval of time leading up to an accident. Others watch the driver's eyes and alert him when he's getting sleepy. But the systems can also be used to monitor the driver's behavior in the cab, raising privacy concerns.

"It does appear that drivers change their behavior if they have something like that in the truck," says Damman. But, he adds, "that is very Big Brother, so we've got to gauge whether that will be accepted."

The University of Michigan's Sayer doesn't think driver cams work. "We've never found that placing a camera in the cab affects outcome," he says.

But the biggest problem is that drivers don't like them. In an industry facing a shortage of drivers, this is one technology that's not likely to take off, says Palmer.