A 4-step checklist for evaluating EO39-compliant fleet camera solutions in NYC

Signed into law in February of 2024, New York City's Executive Order 39 (EO39) represents the most comprehensive fleet safety directive in the City's history. EO39 establishes a Safe Fleet Transition Plan that sets technology requirements focusing on proactive safety and compliance for trucks operating under qualifying city contracts valued at $2 million or more.

The need is urgent: Trucks are involved in 12% of pedestrian fatalities and 30% of cyclist fatalities in New York City. They represent a fraction of vehicles on the road but an outsized share of the City's most severe crashes. Blind posts continue to be identified as a significant factor in pedestrian collisions.

EO39 requires:

• Surround Camera System: Nearly all trucks Heavy duty trucks contracting directly with New York in contracts exceeding $2 million cost must be deployed with a compliant system. 

  • A compliant system is defined as cameras, sensors, and alerts that provide the operator with a full, live view of all four sides of the vehicle in the cab for real-time decision-making, distinguishing it from simple recording equipment.

• Required Telematics: Vehicle location and speed must be tracked and made available.

• Crash Reporting: Required for incidents involving bodily injury, fatality, or major damage.

• Compliance Timeline (starts upon contract registration):

• Fleets with 10 or fewer trucks: 12 months

• Fleets with more than 10 trucks: 18 months

• Non-compliance Penalties: Liquidated damages are available up to $500 per administrative or telematics violation, and up to $3,000 for each truck found without compliant cameras.

Where to start: Selecting the right technology provider to comply with EO39

Understanding EO39's requirements is step one. Selecting the right technology partner is what determines whether compliance becomes a burden or a genuine operational upgrade. As you evaluate solutions, look for a solution that covers the full scope of the order, not just the cameras.

Here’s our four-step checklist for evaluating and choosing a solution that will save your team significant administrative overhead and reduce the risk of gaps in your compliance posture.

• Prioritize real-time driver visibility, not just recording: EO39 specifically defines a compliant surround camera system as one that gives operators a full, live view of all four sides of the vehicle in the cab for real-time decision-making. That’s a meaningful distinction from a system that only records. Look for a solution with an in-cab monitor that displays live feeds from cameras positioned around all four sides of the vehicle, giving drivers the situational awareness they need in the moment, not just footage for review afterward.

• Seek AI-powered detection that goes beyond passive visibility: The best solutions don’t stop at showing drivers what’s around them, they actively help drivers respond to what they see. Look for AI-powered in-cab detections that alert drivers before an incident occurs. Capabilities like pedestrian collision warning, blind spot detection when changing lanes, and escalating reverse collision alerts transform a camera system from a compliance checkbox into a genuine collision prevention tool. The difference between a passive system and an AI-powered one can be the difference between footage of an incident and preventing one altogether.

• Evaluate resolution and multi-angle coverage for incident resolution: When incidents do occur, and EO39 requires you to track them, the quality of your footage determines how quickly and accurately you can resolve them. Look for systems that capture up to 1080p HD resolution across multiple angles simultaneously. Clear, comprehensive footage protects your drivers from false claims, accelerates insurance resolution, and gives your safety team the full picture without guesswork.

• Consider hardware flexibility to protect your existing investment: Replacing every camera on every vehicle adds up fast. If your fleet already has cameras installed, look for a solution whose processing hub is compatible with existing third-party hardware. A system where AI processing happens on the hub—not the camera itself—means you may be able to integrate what you already have, adding only what’s missing rather than starting from scratch.

Why Samsara AI Multicam is the right choice to help your fleet address EO39

Samsara's AI Multicam is purpose-built for exactly what EO39 defines. Together with auxiliary cameras, it is a system that gives drivers a live, full view of all four sides of the vehicle with HD resolution, and goes further by adding real-time AI detection on top of that visibility.

The system is compatible with existing hardware and connects up to four auxiliary cameras per device, all feeding into an in-cab monitor that drivers can see while operating the vehicle. That live view satisfies EO39's surround camera requirement directly. But where AI Multicam goes beyond compliance is in what it does with that footage in real time:

• Pedestrian Collision Warning: When a pedestrian enters a blind zone alongside or behind the vehicle, the driver receives an immediate in-cab audio and visual alert, helping to prevent impact. 

• Vehicle in Blind Spot Warning (coming soon): When a vehicle is detected in the adjacent lane, the driver is alerted, and the relevant camera feed surfaces on the in-cab monitor automatically.

• Reverse Collision Warning (coming soon): Escalating audio and visual alerts as the vehicle backs toward a detected obstacle, matching the intuitive experience drivers already know from passenger vehicles.

Ready to find a solution that meets EO39’s requirements and genuinely improves fleet safety? Learn more about Samsara AI Multicam.