Truck drivers could soon have clearer protection around the use of in-cab camera systems, with new rules on privacy and driver dignity set to be developed under South Africa’s road freight collective agreement.
The issue has been included in the new agreement covering the road freight and logistics industry, with employers and trade unions agreeing that the use of in-cab cameras must be governed by specific guidelines.
The agreement says the guidelines are intended to balance legitimate operational, safety and security requirements with appropriate privacy protections, safeguards and the dignity of employees.
What will the new camera rules cover?
The agreement does not set out the full camera policy yet.
Instead, it provides for guidelines governing the use of in-cab camera systems to be agreed as part of amendments to the Main Collective Agreement.
The parties have 90 days from the signing of the agreement to conclude the guidelines.
If they cannot reach an agreement within that period, the parties reserve their respective rights.
This means important questions around how cameras are used will still need to be settled.
Safety versus driver privacy
In-cab cameras have become increasingly important to transport operators for safety, security and monitoring purposes.
For drivers, however, having a camera inside the cab raises questions about privacy and how footage could be used.
The new agreement specifically recognises both sides of the issue.
It refers to legitimate operational, safety and security requirements while also requiring appropriate privacy protections, safeguards and dignity for employees.
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The final guidelines could therefore become particularly important for drivers who spend long hours behind the wheel and inside the cab.
What happens next?
For now, drivers and transport operators will have to wait for the detailed guidelines to be concluded.
The camera provisions form part of a much wider three-year collective agreement covering the road freight and logistics industry from 1 March 2027 to 28 February 2030.
The agreement itself does not specify exactly what footage may be recorded, who will have access to it, how long recordings may be stored or the circumstances under which employers may use the footage.
Those details will therefore be important when the final in-cab camera guidelines are agreed.
For truck drivers, the key development is that in-cab camera use is set to be formally governed by rules that must take both road safety and driver privacy into account.
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