Dash Cam Suitable for Commercial Trucker??

[knapp7]

My brother in law is an over the road driver. He drives the big rigs ... 18 wheelers. After hearing some of my experiences with dash cameras in my own cars, he's expressed interest in one for his truck. Are there good models I can suggest that he might consider? Most brands I've seen are focused on the car market. He said what he's seen in various truck stops are Garmin, Eagle Eye and Cobra brands, but not a huge selection to pick from. Thanks

 

[jokiin]

of the three you've mentioned Garmin is the only one I would consider

 

[kamkar]

I would say just be on the lookout for compatibility with the vertical or near vertical windows in a Semi.
We do have a few of the big rig drivers in here and i am sure they will chime in soon.
If you look other places for cameras than just truck stops and B&M stores you will find a large selection, extremely large as a matter of fact, and this often confuse a lot of people trying to get into the game.
Amazon should have quite a few cameras to look at.
What kind of money are he willing to spend ? do he drive the same rig all the time ??
Too cheap are often problematic, though there also are a few good cameras a mere mortal will be able to pay for.

 

[Street Guardian USA]

If you get a wedge/glass hugging model (the most popular choice these days) make sure the lens swings a full 90 degrees so it's verticle/trucker window friendly for aiming.

 

[TexMex]

@dash riposki drives big rigs and has posted a lot about his cameras.

 

[dash riposki]

Tell him not to bother with the dashcams he's sees at the truckstops. For less money he can get a better dashcam online.

IF he doesn't change trucks often, a cam like the VIOFO A119v2 or the Street Guardians is a good bet. (Adhesive mount to windscreen) Moving/replacing the adhesive mount cams isn't a big deal, but it means you have to have extra tape and a few minutes of time, as opposed to a suction cup mount.
For a truck, you want something with decent overall video, RELIABLE, able to handle a 64GB card, or bigger, (64GB gives you around 8 hours of coverage) DECENT recorded audio. It's nice to be able to have a record of what is said by somebody outside of the drivers door. (Cops, shipper receivers, etc)

I think the Viofo is around $80 on Amazon.

Cheaper is the Blueskysea b1W, but I don't like the recorded audio, but that may be fixed in future production runs. $50 on Amazon