Do FedEx Trucks Have Cameras That Can Be Used in a Georgia Truck Accident?

We are Flanagan Law, P.C., and we have years of experience handling serious crashes involving commercial and delivery trucks. Below, our Atlanta truck accident lawyers explain what FedEx cameras capture, who holds the recordings and how to get them preserved.

So do FedEx trucks have cameras that matter after a wreck? Many do, and if a FedEx truck hit you, the camera on that truck may hold the clearest record of what happened. Getting that video saved, and showing that it is authentic and relevant, takes steps most people never expect to face after a wreck.

What Types of Cameras Are Installed on FedEx Trucks?

Many FedEx contractor trucks carry two kinds of camera technology: a video event data recorder that watches the road and the cab, and a blind-spot system with side and rear cameras that help the driver see around the truck. A third system, the FedEx AI cameras in recent news, sits at FedEx facilities rather than on the trucks.

Video Event Data Recorders (VEDR)

Video event data recorder (VEDR): a camera and sensor system that saves video and driving data from the moments around a hard brake, a sharp swerve or a crash.

FedEx described these systems in an April 2021 statement to the Commercial Appeal: “Service providers under contract with FedEx Ground agree to purchase and install video event data recorder systems in their vehicles to capture video and vehicle data before, during and after on-road events.”

FedEx’s privacy notice for its delivery contractors’ staff says the recorders include internal and external facing cameras, so one camera can watch the driver while another watches the road ahead.

The recorder can capture video, sound and motion data, including speed, harsh braking, cornering, near collisions and impacts. The system also logs the truck’s GPS location every 10 seconds. Audio is optional, and the contractor decides whether to record it.

The same notice says the VEDR provider reviews triggered events for driver behavior: distractions, unsafe driving, unsafe lane changes, failure to stop, unsafe turning, following distance and speeding. The results are used to coach drivers.

Forward-Facing Dash Cameras

Forward-facing dash cameras are the road-facing side of the event recorder, the external camera that watches the road ahead of the truck. When a collision triggers the recorder, the forward view can show the traffic ahead, the truck’s lane and the moment of impact.

FedEx dash cams are part of the recorder itself, so they save footage on the same triggers rather than running as standalone devices.

Do FedEx Trucks Have Cameras Inside the Cab?

Yes, many FedEx contractor trucks have cameras inside the cab: the internal facing cameras of the event recorder, which point at the driver. The inside camera saves footage on the same triggers as the road-facing view, so a crash clip can show both the road and the driver at the same moment.

Side and Rear Blind-Spot Cameras

Side and rear blind-spot cameras are the second camera system on many contractor trucks. FedEx Ground contractor requirements have included a three-camera blind-spot system covering both sides and the rear of the truck.

According to an installer who fits these trucks, the system is required as a display for the driver, and the side and rear cameras may only display a live view, not record it.

Backup Cameras

Many FedEx contractor trucks have a backup camera, which is the rear camera in that three-camera blind-spot system. Because the blind-spot system is required as a display for the driver, the backup camera may not save any footage.

When you are looking for crash footage, the event recorder is the system built to save it.

FedEx AI and License-Plate Cameras

The FedEx AI cameras in the news are license-plate cameras at FedEx facilities, not cameras on delivery trucks. In June 2024, Forbes reported that FedEx uses Flock Safety’s AI license-plate cameras and shares that data with police and law enforcement. The Forbes report covered FedEx facilities and the company’s own police force.

Do FedEx Truck Cameras Record All the Time?

FedEx truck cameras record continuously while the system is on, but they store only the footage around a triggering event. FedEx’s privacy notice lists four triggers:

• A collision
• Hard acceleration
• Hard braking
• Hard lateral (sideways) motion

When a trigger happens, the system saves the data recorded shortly before, during and shortly after the event.

Nothing FedEx has published says video of routine driving is kept, so do not assume ordinary footage still exists weeks later. A crash is different. Because a collision is one of the listed triggers, the moments around an impact are exactly what the system is built to save.

Do FedEx Truck Cameras Record When the Truck Is Off?

FedEx’s contractor privacy notice does not say FedEx truck cameras record while the truck is parked and off. The notice describes the system as continuously recording “when turned on,” and it requires contractors to capture triggering events during FedEx service.

Even on trucks with cameras, do not assume a parked, powered-down truck saved anything. A crash on the road during a delivery route is different, because that is the service the notice describes.

If a parked truck was involved, the recorder data and GPS records can help show whether the system was running. A preservation letter should ask for both.

Who Controls FedEx Truck Camera Footage After a Crash?

The contractor that runs the truck and its camera vendor control FedEx truck camera footage after a crash. FedEx says it has no direct access to the recorder data, although it regularly asks for the video after an accident or incident.

The Contractor and the Camera Vendor

Recorder data lives on a system hosted by the camera vendor, and the contractor decides how long to keep it. FedEx has not published a retention period for this footage.

Beyond its own requests, FedEx can receive footage through legal proceedings or insurance matters, and the company keeps what it gets “only as long as reasonably needed.”

Why the Truck May Not Be Run by FedEx

A FedEx-branded truck may be run by a separate business, not by FedEx itself. FedEx Ground contractors are commonly called independent service providers, or ISPs, while the company’s own notice calls them service providers.

In its annual report for fiscal 2024, FedEx said it used approximately 6,000 contracted service providers for certain linehaul and pickup-and-delivery operations.

The contractor, its insurance company and its camera vendor can all matter to your claim. Identifying the right company early means the preservation letter reaches the people who actually hold the video.

How Do You Get FedEx Truck Camera Footage After an Accident in Atlanta?

You get FedEx truck camera footage through a written demand, Georgia’s duty to keep evidence, and formal discovery once a lawsuit is filed. After a crash in metro Atlanta, the process usually runs in this order:

1. Send a preservation letter. The letter asks the contractor, the camera vendor and FedEx to keep the video, the recorder data and the GPS records, and it should go out as early as possible.
2. Rely on Georgia’s duty to preserve evidence. In Phillips v. Harmon, the Georgia Supreme Court held in 2015 that the duty arises once litigation is reasonably foreseeable to the party controlling the evidence, even before formal notice. A preservation letter makes that foreseeability plain.
3. Use discovery once suit is filed. Discovery then gives your attorney a formal way to demand the footage and the data behind it.

For the bigger picture of the claim, read what happens if a FedEx truck hits you.

Other Sources of Crash Video

Crash video can also come from sources other than delivery truck cameras:

• Security cameras at nearby businesses
• Doorbell and yard cameras on nearby homes
• Traffic cameras
• Your own dash cam

What You Can Do at the Scene

After a FedEx truck crash, getting medical care comes first. If you are able, these steps at the scene help identify the truck and the company behind it:

1. Write down the truck or unit number.
2. Photograph the license plate.
3. Take photos of the vehicles, the scene and your injuries.
4. Note the company name printed on the truck, since the operator may be a contractor.

Our guide to the steps to take after a truck accident covers the rest.

Can FedEx Dash Cam Footage Be Used as Evidence in a Georgia Truck Accident Case?

Yes, FedEx dash cam footage can be used as evidence in a Georgia truck accident case when it is authentic and relevant. Georgia courts look at both questions.

Authentication (O.C.G.A. § 24-9-901): The side offering the video has to show it is what it claims to be, such as footage from that truck at that time.

Relevance: The video has to bear on a real question in the case, such as who braked, who swerved or how fast the truck was going.

How Camera Footage Affects Fault Under Georgia Law

Camera footage from a FedEx truck often shapes the fault question, and under Georgia law, fault decides whether you can recover at all. Under O.C.G.A. § 51-12-33, you cannot recover if you are 50 percent or more at fault, and any award is reduced by your share below that line.

The insurance company on the other side may argue that you stopped short or drifted into the lane. Clear video can answer that argument with something firmer than one driver’s word against another’s. The same footage can shape insurance claims well before trial, since fault drives what the insurance company is willing to pay.

The Two-Year Deadline

Georgia gives you two years to file most personal injury claims under O.C.G.A. § 9-3-33. There is no reason to assume FedEx truck camera footage will last nearly that long, so starting early gives you more time to protect the evidence.

A Delivery Truck Case We Handled

In a 2024 Gwinnett County case, our client was driving with his young son when a delivery truck came up behind them. The truck driver said the brakes weren’t stopping the truck, then swerved, hit a guardrail and rear-ended our client’s car into a ditch. The officer cited the truck driver for following too closely.

Our client suffered a concussion and disc herniations and had cervical spine surgery. We reached a $1,000,000 settlement, the full policy limit. Read more about this delivery truck accident result.

Past results do not guarantee or predict a similar outcome in any future case.

FedEx Truck Camera FAQ

Do FedEx vans have cameras?

Many FedEx vans have cameras. FedEx says the contractors that deliver for FedEx Ground agree to install video event data recorders in their vehicles. Whether a given van had a working system on the day of a crash is something the evidence has to show.

Do FedEx trucks have cameras that record audio?

Some FedEx contractor trucks may record audio, but audio is optional. The privacy notice says the service provider company decides whether its recorders capture sound along with video and motion data. A preservation letter should ask for any audio along with the video.

How long does FedEx keep camera footage?

FedEx has not published a retention period for truck camera footage. The contractor decides how long to keep recorder data, the camera vendor stores it, and FedEx keeps what it receives only as long as reasonably needed. The open timeline is the reason to send a preservation letter quickly.

Related Guides

• What happens if a FedEx truck hits you
• Steps to take after a truck accident
• Our $1 million delivery truck settlement