Gotcha! Traffic cams’ massive data piles create privacy issues

overdriveonline.com

Article thanks to Max Heine of overdriveonline.com. Link provided below:

Truckers by now have become familiar with the increasingly detailed electronic trail they create. Certainly any driver who’s been through the log book wringer by an ambulance chaser following a wreck knows all the time stamps out there.

Pro drivers are also more aware of traffic cameras than most four-wheelers, though many motorists are doing some catching up, thanks to a report released Wednesday by the American Civil Liberties Union. It sheds light on how extensive the cameras are, and how cities are collecting tons of data that can reveal a lot more than running a red light.

As this Associated Press account notes: “Although less thorough than GPS tracking, plate readers can produce some of the same information, the group says, revealing whether someone is frequenting a bar, joining a protest, getting medical or mental help, being unfaithful to a spouse and much more.”

Being a new technology, such systems are open to abuse because many cities and states have not addressed their limits. For example, the story said that in Minneapolis, Minn., “Until the city temporarily classified such data late last year, anyone could ask police for a list of when and where a car had been spotted.”

So much for defenders’ arguments that beyond the immediate traffic violation use, the data would be used only in helping to solve difficult crimes or prevent terrorism. Imagine being the ex-wife of a violent man, knowing that he could trace your current travel patterns.

And there are other questionable angles:

• Revenue. After the initial investment, these systems no doubt produce a healthy cash stream for local governments, which can cloud the judgment of those setting limits on useage.
• Safety. As I wrote about in a prior post, some studies indicate spy cameras improve safety, but another one showed an increase in rear-end collisions.

What do you think about the spread of traffic cams?

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Driving games: Attracting, rewarding drivers while boosting efficiency and safety

m-v-t.com

Series thanks to Aaron Huff and ccjdigital.com Links provided:

The first part of the “Driving Games” series covers the benefits of using technology and games to engage drivers and what types of games are available — see it here. Part 2, below, details how to make game play fair, how to get drivers on board and what type of third-party services are available. Part 3 covers what type of rewards to offer and the social aspect of the competitions. See it here.

2. Fair play The success of any rewards or incentive program depends on drivers’ perception of the game. Drivers might be skeptical of a fuel incentive based solely on mpg because many factors such as equipment and routes are beyond their control.

Neutralizing the impact of heavy versus light loads, highway versus city mileage, equipment and other factors creates a significant data challenge, says Schrier, explaining why Covenant has not offered a fuel incentive program – at least not yet. Drivers also might feel that fuel incentives have an opportunity cost; slowing down to increase mpg could decrease their mileage and pay.

None of these factors seem to hinder the results of the mpg incentive program created by Mesilla Valley Transport, which boasts one of the country’s highest mpgs among fleets. Several years ago, the Las Cruces, N.M.-based truckload company began offering a Harley Davidson every quarter to the driver with the highest mpg. Besides the grand prize winner, all drivers who are above the company’s target mpg each quarter receive a cash bonus.

Because MVT drivers slip-seat vehicles, getting accurate mpg readings required some work. Mike Kelley, director of information technology, created a way to use drivers’ dispatch data to query the mpg data – vehicle unit, date and time – from its PeopleNet onboard computing and mobile communications system. MVT now has a database of mpg by driver regardless of what vehicle they drive and when.

Every week, MVT sends an automated message to each driver that shows them their mpg ranking. Drivers see where their mpg ranks in their group and in the overall fleet. To qualify for the grand prize and the bonus, drivers also must have a clean compliance record and accept all loads given to them.

One of the advantages of using FuelOpps is that it creates a level playing field for a fuel incentive. The database uses algorithms to measure and benchmark fuel performance in an intuitive way for drivers. Through the online interface, drivers only see the categories of mpg they control directly, such as acceleration, shifting and cruising.

FuelOpps shows drivers their rating by category using a horizontal scale from 1 to 10, as well as their overall FuelOpps rating. While Covenant probably has the IT resources to create a similar type of fuel program, “it would take us forever,” Schrier says.

Erb Group, a temperature-controlled carrier based in New Hamburg, Ontario, created a driver incentive program that uses three metrics: idling, speed and hard braking. Drivers directly control these behaviors, says Tom Boehler, director of safety and compliance.

The metrics are taken directly from the vehicle’s ECM through Turnpike, a small in-cab wireless device from XRS Corp. By collecting data from every vehicle, the Turnpike system calculates drivers’ scores for each metric, as well as an overall score, as a percentile.

Drivers see their score and how they compare to the rest of the fleet when they log in to the company’s safety website to access training videos, policies and procedures.

Every quarter, drivers above the 78th percentile receive a bonus of 0.4 percent of their quarterly earnings. The scale increases to a maximum of 2.0 percent of earnings for drivers that score at least 97 percent. Erb Group also gives its owner-operators a quarterly bonus; those with a score of 97 percent or above for speed and hard braking get a reduction on their insurance premium for the next quarter.

3. Hands-off approach Another useful benefit of technology is being able to engage drivers in a rewards program without having to administer it.

The FuelOpps program is completely hands-off for fleets. Besides providing the FuelOpps user interface, the service includes one-on-one fuel coaching for drivers and custom fuel tips. Covenant drivers receive these messages through the company’s Qualcomm in-cab communications platform.

“We can focus on the important things like servicing clients, making a happy environment for drivers and delivering a safe product,” Schrier says.

FuelOpps has an optional catalog system if fleets want to allow drivers to redeem their points for merchandise rather than have their own rewards for fuel conservation. Fleets pay for the points only when drivers redeem them.

“We handle everything,” says Yunsu Park, chief technology officer of Propel IT. “We also interact with drivers directly on an ongoing basis.”

Fleets using the Stay Metrics program upload a spreadsheet-style report for each of their chosen rewards categories – mpg, accident-free miles, clean inspections, etc. – with drivers’ results updated on a regular basis. Stay Metrics manages all other manual aspects of the rewards program, such as fielding calls from drivers and training them to use the website.

Drivers log in to check their points balance, watch safety videos, view announcements and answer questions and surveys. They receive an e-mail notification each time points are added as well as monthly summaries.

Stay Metrics also monitors site usage. If the percentage of the fleet that logs in each week drops, it will work with companies to make a marketing push.

Having an automated rewards program also can reduce administrative costs for other processes such as driver training and communications. ProFleet holds quarterly safety meetings, but drivers who can’t attend can read the meeting notes online on the Drive for Gold website.

Gregory also posts safety quizzes on the website for drivers to earn points. “Drivers get on and take the quizzes and discuss it with others,” he says. “These things create communication and teamwork, and drivers walk away with something.”

http://www.ccjdigital.com/driving-games-attracting-rewarding-drivers-while-boosting-efficiency-and-safety/?utm_source=daily&utm_medium=email&utm_content=07-15-2013&utm_campaign=CCJ&ust_id=137f89555c&

Las Vegas Mob Museum

las vegas mob museum

 The Mob Museum is going to expose you to history that your school textbooks didn't dare to cover.

Opened in February of 2012, "must see" attraction for mob history buffs next time in Vegas.

Located in the heart of downtown Las Vegas on Stewart Avenue and Third Street (right by Main Street Station), The Mob Museum is an interactive attraction showcasing the history of these famed gangsters. Here you'll get an inside look at organized crime's impact not only in Las Vegas, but its influence in America and the world.

From the same design team that created the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland and the International Spy Museum in Washington D.C., the 41,000-square-foot Mob Museum includes about 16,000 square feet of exhibition space on three floors. It features in-depth exhibits about the mob, myths about the mob, and so much more. 

Some find mobsters strangely fascinating, while others get excited about the good guys who brought them to their demise. If you're into the law enforcement side, you'll get a chance to read a lot about them, too.

One of the key exhibits is the actual courtroom used in the Kefauver hearings, the first mob-related event to be televised. The museum is located inside the former federal courthouse where the 1950-51 Kefauver Committee hearings were held. The Kefauver Committee investigation contributed to the national debate on organized crime that developed after World War II. 

"This was the first media sensation," said Kathleen Hickey Barrie, curator for the Mob Museum. "Viewers invited the mob into their living room. The Kefauver hearings became the thing, and Americans were absolutely mesmerized with [it]. They'd spend hours watching them.

"The big thing about the Kefauver hearings is not so much the laws that came out of it, but really the way the public opinion turned," she continued. "And you have this marvelous cast of characters around the country talking about their business enterprises."

The dimly-lit courtroom shows historical clips on a big screen and just outside, you can read more about the hearings.

las vegas mob museum

More law enforcement exhibits include a wire-tapping station where you can listen in on actual conversations that happened. See testimonies of FBI agents on audio-visual panel (AVP) screens and even try your aim with an FBI firearms training simulator. There's also a police lineup booth where visitors can step into and be "suspects."

If you're all about seeing the bad guys and their dirty deeds, the Mob Museum exposes just that. Read a timeline of the mob, watch an AVP screen on becoming a "made" man, step into a room and learn how a "skim" works, and see a wall explaining where mobsters go once incarcerated. 

The museum's most valuable artifact is the brick wall from Chicago's Valentine's Day Massacre in 1929. The museum explains the murder of seven Moran gang members led by Al Capone's South Side Italian gang. The wall includes a 38-caliber Colt Detective special revolver, the only gun directly related to the shooting. This gun is believed to have belonged to Moran gang member, Frank Gusenberg.

"[This] was the most violent crime in America, even the world," said Barrie. 

Another object on display is the original barber chair where mobster Albert Anastasia (who was brutally shot and killed while getting a haircut and shave) once sat. Another artifact is an Abercrombie & Fitch leather valise that dates to the 1920s. This valise features a false bottom in which flasks of liquor were once hidden during Prohibition. 

The museum also carries items that belonged to Al Capone, Charlie Luciano, Meyer Lansky, Benjamin Siegel, Sam Giancana, Frank Rosenthal, Mickey Cohen and Tony Spilotro, among others. Other artifacts include guns, weapons, jewelry, personal belongings and hundreds of photographs.

If you're sensitive to gory details, then this museum may not be for you - the attraction showcases weapons and violent photos of deceased mob members found at crime scenes. 

For those into the glitz and glamour of the mob portrayed in Hollywood, the Mob Museum has you covered. Take a seat in one of the comfy booths in a posh and swanky theater room and see all your favorite clips from various gangster movies.

From the archives of the Las Vegas News Bureau, the Mob Musuem features photos of downtown as it appeared in the 1950s. Photos of hotels, local businesses and storefronts comprise this unique collection. The Mob Museum, seen from its days as a federal courthouse and U.S. Post Office, is also part of the exhibition.

The enormous gift shop includes all sorts of fun souvenirs, including tuxedo-printed baby onesies. 

Built in the 1920s, the restored courthouse is one of the city's last remaining historical buildings. The attraction cost approximately $42 million to construct.

-- By Jeannie Garcia

http://www.vegas.com/attractions/off-the-strip/mob-museum/

Are you a mob history fan? More of my related mob story posts:

Tales of the Milwaukee Mob and Two Cigarette Men!

"Mr. Fancy Pants" Balistrieri - Tracking Milwaulee's most dangerous mobster

Benjamin "Lefty Guns" Ruggerio-The real story of the "wise guy"

The Beef That Didn't Moo - Wisconsin Ties to the Mob

Married to the Daughter of a Milwaukee Mob Boss-Our Pediatrician!

The Milwaukee Queen Bee of Organized Crime

Tale of a Failed Milwaukee Mob Hit!

Lieutenant Uhura (of the Starship "Enterprise") - close encounters with the Chicago and Milwaukee Mob!

Part Two: The Milwaukee Mob and Lieutenant Uhura (Star Trek)

The New York Mob and Iowa Beef - Part 1

The New York Mob and Iowa Beef Processors - Part II

Shelly York Notices “Debris” Fall from a Pickup Truck; Turns Out to Be a Young Boy

fargotruckking.wordpres.com

Article thanks to truckinginfo.com Link provided below:

Professional truck drivers see a lot of interesting things on the road. Take, for example, Shelly York of North Little Rock, Ark., who drives for ABF Freight System Inc., of Fort Smith, Ark.
When he came across an unusual situation involving a young boy, his response was brought to the attention of the Truckload Carriers Association. York is now TCA’s latest Highway Angel.

On April 5, 2013, at about 4 p.m., York was driving northbound on Smokey Lane near the ABF terminal in North Little Rock. Ahead, he saw something that looked like debris fall out of the back of a pickup truck. However, as he got closer, he recalls his shock as he “looked over and said to myself, ‘That’s a kid!’”

Apparently, the 8- or 9-year-old boy had run behind the pickup and attempted to hoist himself onto it. He was unable to hold on and fell off, striking his head and back on the asphalt. He now lay on the road, twisted in pain. Because of the way he was positioned, the child looked more like an inanimate object than a human being, so York feared that oncoming traffic might unknowingly hit him.

York immediately put on his flashers and used his truck to protect the boy from oncoming vehicles. He then went to the other lane of traffic and rerouted vehicles away from the area. He remained on the scene until emergency responders arrived and took over.

“In the past, I’ve helped folks who have had car trouble, but I’ve never had anything like this,” says York, who has been driving for about 40 years.

For stopping to help the child, York has received a Highway Angel lapel pin, certificate and patch. ABF Freight System Inc., also received a certificate acknowledging that one of its drivers is a Highway Angel.

TCA’s Highway Angel program is sponsored by Internet Truckstop. Since the program’s inception in August 1997, hundreds of drivers have been recognized as Highway Angels for the unusual kindness, courtesy, and courage they have shown others while on the job.

To nominate a driver or learn more about the program and its honorees, visit the Highway Angel Web site at http://www.truckload.org/Highway-Angel.
http://www.truckinginfo.com/news/story/2013/07/shelly-york-notices-debris-fall-from-a-pickup-truck-turns-out-to-be-a-young-boy.aspx?utm_campaign=headline-news-20130716&utm_source=email&utm_medium=enewsletter&prestitial=1