Similar to every other vehicle on the road, trucks are susceptible to a sudden incident or accident. Trucking can cause a false sense of security because of the typical rig’s bigger size and presence.

But, a good truck dashboard camera can be the solution to avoid worst-case scenarios or to capture them if the inevitable happens. Dash cameras are cameras installed on semi-truck dashboards and also commercial trucks.

Dash cameras can be front-facing or both front- and back-facing, with the main aim to improve truck and driver safety. Plus, the captured footage can be used as evidence in case of driver exoneration.

Getting the best dash cam for semi-trucks means searching through various features and brands. Once you know what you need, the task becomes simple, and we’ve compiled a list of the top dash cameras for trucks above to simplify the search for you.

What Is A Truck Dash Cam?

Dashboard cameras are devices with many features that have become popular in vehicles of all sizes. Truck dash cams are attached to the truck windshield or rear-view mirror to provide coverage on the front and rear of the semi-truck. It provides truck drivers and fleet managers more control over their fleet safety as they capture video footage of distracted driving and risky events.

Buying guide for

Best Dash Camera For Semi Truck

Phone connectivity:

Not important but can make configuring the dash cam and offloading videos easier.

GPS:

This feature could be the saving grace if you use your captured video to resolve a conflict. GPS will also automatically set the time in higher quality cams.

Parking monitoring:

This can go in two ways. Continuously running the dash cam in low frame-rate mode to save battery and card space, or running in standby mode and awakening when g-forces or motion are detected.

What To Look For When Buying Dash Camera For Semi Truck

We’ll walk you through what to think about when shopping for a dashboard camera.

Video capabilities: 

A dash camera should feature dual-channel support to run front, rear, or cabin-view (interior). It should also have a decently wide field of view of 120 to 140 degrees to catch more of what’s around. Some dash cams also offer 160 to 180-degree lenses. Other important features include day and night recording, infrared lighting, WDR, HDR (not necessary but good), and 4K UHD.

Recording options: 

Your dash cam should include continuous loop recording to lower storage requirements. Cloud storage is also essential but available with a few dash cams. Uploading to the cloud is a nice advantage against theft and damage. The dash cam should also encourage self-powered recording so that when power fails, you can be sure to capture all of an event. Other important features include incident recording triggered by impact G-sensors or in parking mode by motion detection and a MicroSD card for storage.

Power connections: 

What many people don’t consider before buying a dash cam is that it connects to a power source inside your truck or through a physical cable. Have this in mind as you consider your power options: auxiliary 12-volt power (also known as the cigarette lighter) and is an adequate power source, hard-wired 12-volt power (a better option), OBD-II 12-volt power (also a better option), rearview 12-volt power (this is also a better option), battery (or super-capacitor) power that allows the dash cam to run for a short period after losing regular power.

Should Semi-Trucks Have Dash Cams?

Yes, they should. The use of dash cameras is continuously growing. In the trucking industry, more and more drivers and fleets are installing driver-facing and road-facing dash cams due to the several benefits they offer.

Truck dash cams are playing a major role by affecting several important areas like driver training, insurance discounts, and increased safety.

The biggest motivators to installing a dash camera are discovering what happens during a critical safety situation and improving fleet safety and driver coaching programs.

Where Do Dash Cams Go In A Semi Truck?

The location of your semi-truck dash cam depends on the model and available features like exterior facing, multi-camera, front-facing, GPS integration, internet connectivity, dual-facing, night vision, and so on.

Dash cams are frequently mounted to the windshield and record activities on the road in front of a truck. Also, some truck dash cams have a driver-facing configuration enabling them to record what’s happening inside the truck and may include audio recording.

How Do You Install A Dash Cam On A Semi Truck?

When you want to install your dash camera, you must adhere to the specific instructions with your model. But below are some general ideas and tips for performing this installation.

Determine the type of power: 

You have few choices for generating electrical power for your dash cam. The most challenging installation will need you to connect the dash cam to the truck’s internal wiring.

Other choices are easier, including; plugging an adapter into the truck’s OBD port or the 12V socket. Also, some cameras run from battery packs, further simplifying the installation.

Mount the camera: 

To suit the dash camera’s wide-angle lens, try to mount the cam in the center of the windshield horizontally while adhering to the FMCSA regulations for the vertical location of the cam.

Some dash camera mounts employ a suction cup to follow the windshield, while others use adhesive tape. Both methods should be easy to use.

Store video data: 

Some dash cam store recorded videos in the cloud, which means the camera makes a cellular network connection to upload its video wirelessly to offsite storage space. In contrast, other cameras store the video on a memory card installed inside the dash cam.

The memory card method is more budget-friendly because you must purchase a cellular subscription to use the cloud storage method. Also, installation is slightly tricky when you have to set up a cellular connection than using a memory card.

Do Semi Truck Cameras Record All The Time?

Several trucking companies have installed or will install in-cab dash cams that face both the road and the driver. Technically, the cameras are constantly recording in a loop over past footage until an event occurs, such as bumping or crashing into something or hard braking.

For that 10 seconds or so, the footage for both before and after the incident is saved, the monitoring company will review the video and alert your company if necessary, and they will also review the footage.