Reflecting on mirrorless cameras' big year

One of the first things you were probably taught as a student driver was to check your side and rearview mirrors. With the rapid onset of mirrorless camera systems, not-so-distant future generations will find this as antiquated as dialing a rotary telephone or renting movies on VHS. These systems, which comprise an array of cameras around the vehicle that feed high-definition video of traffic and objects onto monitors inside the cab, are meant to offer a wider and clearer view of what’s behind and to the side of the driver than traditional mirrors.

It’s hard to predict when passenger cars will fully adopt the technology, which is already more than a decade old; but in heavy-duty trucking, it’s already happening. Stoneridge, the premier developer of these camera systems, has offered MirrorEye as an aftermarket solution for several years and now has deals in place to be factory installed on Fifth Generation Freightliner Cascadias and the All-New Volvo VNL. The Freightliner version is called MirrorCam and Volvo calls it the Camera Monitor System (CMS).

A big reason these OEMs are integrating the mirrorless cameras during assembly is safety. MirrorEye allows tractor-trailer drivers to see things typically hidden in their blind spots while changing lanes on the highway or backing into a loading dock.

“Drivers have 40% more visibility just based on the cameras versus what they would have in their traditional mirror,” explained David Kracirik, Stoneridge director of North American fleet sales. “And then they have access to tools to help them tackle different challenges when they’re driving, like enhanced night vision.”

The cameras use focused infrared light for night driving and backing up into dark places, he added. Automatic panning, meanwhile, keeps the back of the trailer in view during turns. “That way they can see what’s always in between the front of their tractor and the end of their trailer,” Kracirik said.

The cameras also have a breakaway feature that folds if a driver smacks them on a wall, post, or other object. An internal motor allows the driver to remotely return the armature to normal position with a switch. This feature will not be available on MY2025 Freightliners, but Volvo said the VNLs will have it.

Because these cameras are usually the sole way for drivers to see to the side and rear, the external cameras have also been built with heating elements to prevent frost buildup and a hydrophobic coating to repel water.

“As with any new technology, there is some level of skepticism by drivers, but that typically goes away once they’ve had time to adapt to the [CMS] and see the many benefits it offers,” offered Kyle Zimmerman, public relations manager for Volvo Trucks North America.

While OEMs are just starting to standardize the driver-assistance technology, several fleets have chosen to install these aftermarket safety systems throughout the first half of the decade. KLLM Transport Services and Frozen Food Express, both owned by brothers Thomas and James Duff, started spec’ing the device on all new trucks in 2023.

“Throughout the validation period, our drivers have told us that the reduction of blind spots, better night vision, and visibility in inclement weather situations, along with the ability to see the end of the trailer consistently through turns, have made operations less stressful and, most importantly, safer,” said Wilson Risinger, VP of safety for KLLM and FFE, at the time.

Risinger also noted a slight improvement in fuel efficiency—1%— when the large rectangle exterior mirrors are replaced with the sleek roof-mounted MirrorEye cams, allowed by an FMCSA waiver. This exception was renewed last year until 2029.

“We are still required by law to sell trucks with smaller, cab-mounted support mirrors in North America and cannot sell them with CMS only at this time,” Zimmerman explained.

Safety is what fleets truly have their eye on, and Kracirik said in a study sampling 160 million miles driven with the system, the average cost reduction due to collisions was $13,000 per 1 million miles. Even when collisions occurred, they were much less severe, he said.

“The driver just had that much more time to make a decision when they were merging or changing lanes,” Kracirik explained. “Or they had just a few more seconds when they were backing up to see an object.”