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Rule bars handheld cell phone while driving Jan. 1
November 23, 2011
| by: Jill Dunn
U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood has released a final rule that will allow commercial drivers to continue hands-free cell phone use, but will bar operating handheld cell phones while driving.
The new rule still will permit truck and bus drivers to use handheld cells after they have moved their vehicles to the side of or off of a highway or have stopped where the vehicle can safely remain stationary.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration joint rule will become effective Jan. 1.
Violators will face a maximum civil penalty of $2,750 for each offense. CDL holders will be disqualified from operating a commercial motor vehicle for multiple offenses and states will suspend CDLs after two or more serious traffic violations.
Truck and bus companies that allow drivers to use hand-held cell phones while driving will face a maximum penalty of $11,000.
FMCSA research shows using a handheld cell phone while driving requires “several risky steps” beyond what is required for a hands-free mobile phone. Dialing a hand-held cell phone increases the crash-risk for commercial drivers six-fold, it stated.
Last year, the agency issued a final rule banning commercial drivers from text messaging while operating trucks or buses. Earlier this year, the PHMSA published a companion final rule barring texting by intrastate hazardous materials drivers.
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[...] banned for truckers while driving var cwfl = "http://www.truckingboards.com/forum/cwfl.htm"; Handheld phone use banned for truckers while driving | Truckers News | Trucking News, Health & L…The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety [...]
THIS IS BULLSHIT AT IT’S BEST. IF YOU WANT TO STOP THE HIGH NUMBER OF ACCIDENTS FROM PEOPLE TALKING ON A CELL PHONE…..PROHIBIT DRIVERS OF ALL VEHICLES FROM TALKING AND DRIVING…NOT JUST TRUCK DRIVERS..LET ALL THE TRUCKS ON THE ROAD STOP FOR THIRTY DAYS AND SEE HOW FAST THIS GETS CANNED.
10-4 DRIVER
i,m retired now after 44yr over road . but i agree the b.s. this dumb i paid seat warmers in the law makers need to wake up. all truck should stop ,why don’t they stop thes manufactor from makeing some of thes product’s . then see what hapens. i’m realy disquesed ,for what truckers have’t to go thru any more to eat & feed there framly .
Stop all trucks for 30 days?
ROFLMAO!!!
So when is the ban of cell phone usage coming for 4 wheelers? Every day you see one of them swerving on the road and then you see them either texting or talking on the phone. Or how about the car you come up on that is driving WAY below the posted speed limit and when you pass them you see them with their phone up to their head. Or how about the car coming down the ramp to get on the interstate and they are on their cell phone and never look over until there at the end of the ramp and finally see you. If this ban goes into effect it better be for EVERY body not just truckers.
[...] Handheld phone use banned for truckers while driving var cwfl = "http://www.truckingboards.com/forum/cwfl.htm"; Handheld phone use banned for truckers while driving | Truckers News | Trucking News, Health & L… [...]
[...] FMCSA Bans Hands Held cellphone Use In Trucks And Buses var cwfl = "http://www.truckingboards.com/forum/cwfl.htm"; You knew it was coming….how many drivers have we seen out there trying to hold the wheel….hold the phone to their ears, while trying to shift….buy stock in Headset companies….it is going up!….KK Handheld phone use banned for truckers while driving | Truckers News | Trucking News, Health & L… [...]
A headset is not hands free. You still have to use the keyboard to dial and reach for the phone to answer. Your only hope is a voice activated phone mounted on the dash.
Clifton, of course the rules should apply to all. But 4wheelers aren’t regulated by the FMCSA. Watch for an influx of trucks dangerously parked on the shoulder. They solved one problem while creating another.
SHOULD BE ALL MOTOR VEHICLES!
I would like to see when they are going to start enforcing this same ruling on all of the Local and State police Officers that ride by me all the time talking on the cell phones or texting.
i agree with big bear on the police using their cell phones i’ve even seen them typing on their damn laptops and they supposed to set the example for us haha
Why didn’t you know….they are trained professional drivers.
These people don’t have one clue as to what it takes to operate one of these trucks.I will bet you none of them have even driven in one truck.I would ask for them to drive in one for a few days to see what us drivers go through on a regular basis.Maybe then maybe they will know what we have to deal with.Most of the accidents are caused by cars (4 wheelers) most are one a hand held..Hell I have seen many times law inforcement driving down the road with a phone stuck in their ear.Yes we have drivers out here who should not be a in a commerical vehicles due to lack of experience and phone stuck on ears.I will tell you this you kept pecking at the trucking industry with your off the wall laws,cause you think you know better,your going to find out what it is to kick a hornets nest,with us drivers you could have a shut down.If the truck stops nothing moves.Think about it.You allmost have our hands tied with your polictical BS.I CHALLANGE anyone of you people up there who thinks they now it all to drive with one of us and to see what we see….but you won’t…If this ban sticks..this means even YOU.We put our pants on the same way you folks due.
I dis agree with you tank, I know for a fact that it is safer when you have your full att. on the road and what is around you then talking on a cell phone.I know I have investagated a lot truck acc. that was do to the fact that the driver was on the phone. I have been in saftey for a number of yrs. for a biug company. But I was a driver for over 30yrs. before going into saftey.
Okay, so you drive a truck, you have your ear piece in and you open your phone to dial a number while driving. Is that going to get you a steep ticket? I agree if you are going to ban it, include everyone. Police, politicians, and idiot 4-wheeler that can be on the phone, get in their car, drive and hour to get some where stop and still be on the phone. The rule is still to vague as to what you can and can’t do with the phone. I don’t text, but I do have a blue tooth. I have to select who I’m calling and certainly don’t pull to the side of the road and stop to do that. I’m a gasoline hauler as well, I know when I can and when not to dial and talk on the phone. But I don’t need some hot shot cop pulling me over because he saw me look at the time on my cell phone.
Just like the feds when an issue arises.Ban it and put a big fine on it instead of looking for a fix. I don’t see how a truck is any more likely to crash than an auto when someone is distracted. Apparently Lahood and the rest of the government accepts some crashes and deaths depending on what kind of vehicle is at fault.
It’s about time. It drives me crazy to pass some trucker with one hand on the wheel and the other with a cell phone to there ear in traffic. And yes I drive and I talk with a voice actived head set with the phone mouted on the windsheild so if the phone rings I can see who is calling. Maybe if more of us took it upon ourselfs to do all we can to make our jobs safe we would not need the FMCSA. But, its not a perfict world.And by the way notice the licenes plates on a plice car its says excempt.
I’ve never seen anything like it in sropen. We used to watch the food channel when they’d do shows about restaurants where they serve large portions. The meal is free if you can eat it all in a certain time period. Made my tummy ache.I’ve got friends who are truckers, and I don’t believe they would be taking the restaurant up on their offer. I do have to say I’ve eaten at a few truck stops with them. And while I can eat like a trucker, I don’t think I care to do it every day.
I have been driving 35 yrs. We drove without cell phones for many years. I support this law. When you are driving an 18 wheeler you should not be on a phone– period. Now the govt. needs to stop it for everyone.
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I agree with most of the other comments, that all cell phone use should be illegal as long as it includes the general public. For someone to suggest that we should stop all trucks from operating, to show our discontent, in my opinion would be foolish, simply because you will never get two drivers to stick together at the same time. I am a 23 year veteran of the open road in a commercial motor vehicle. I have been guilty of improper use of lane while either dialing a phone or texting. I now have the ability of voice command with my phone both for dialing and texting. Technology catches up. The punishment is stiff so what my view is, don’t do it. Money is hard enough to come by these days, I won’t be giving any of mine to the government in fines for cell use. My company already has a policy in place banning phone use unless hands free is used.
I dont thing it is right they will charge truck drivers for talking on handheld cell phones and other people on the road are talking and texting and the find would not be that much for them. also what about the law officers that talk on there phones everyday on being dispatched on calls that people dont hear about. this not right
Leave it to Liberals and or someone having to justify their job?? Emotional Intelligence EQ Test have proven talking on the Cell w/headset is just as dangerous as talking to the person in the passenger seat. Where the accidents happen the person behind the wheel forget they are driving. Old adage some can not walk and chew bubble gum @ the same time. Personal responsibility comes to mind!!
I thunk thats what is good for the Goose should be good for the Gander..IE: We have all at one time or another witnessed State Patrol…Sheriffs Deputies..and Local Police driving with a phone to their ear. These officers are like us…PROFESSIONALS….or should be. Never have figured out why so many drivers can’t afford a headset or ear piece…heck they are cheap and can be bought anywhere!! There is ABSOLUTELY no reason to hold a phone to your ear…PERIOD!!!!!!!!!
Most Truck and Bus Fleet Managers install a Dual-Vision Dual Video recording system to prevent their drivers from texting. This is what it looks like: http://www.roscovision.com/Backup-Camera-Systems.aspx?Id=Dual-Vision%e2%84%a2+Recording
We drive much heavier vehicles that can do a lot more damage and harm to people. We have a resposibilty to the public to be as safe as possible. I agree, it should be the same for all vehicles, but at least this is a start.
This law certainly has brought out the emotion! It bans only hand-held phones, so for those that insist on talking non-stop while driving, get a head-set and set your phone to voice dialing. NSC and others have research-based proof that shows that hand-held and hands-free are equally dangerous because conversation uses the same piece of cognitive reasoning required to recognize and react to traffic situations; that’s why you see people running red lights, etc. They’re on the phone – sometimes hands-free. Truly professional drivers will acknowledge the risks and avoid conversations (even hands-free) when in heavy traffic and save it for the open roads. And yes, the hand-held and texting bans should apply to 4-wheelers, too.
Come on, Mitch, step into the 21st century. My cell phone is voice activated, thru a headset. I can tell it to call dispatch, home or dictate a number and it will dial it. I’m glad they did this. Now it helps to take the heat off the trucks and lets them focus on the real problem… the 4 wheelers. I’m sorry, but how many times have you had a big truck do something stupid and you discover he has a dammed phone in his ear. I expect it from the 4-wheelers… but we are professionals. Act like one.
I tried to post two days ago. Moderator must’ve nixed; evidently doesn’t want to post voices of reason. The Rule was published today, goes into effect Jan 3. Only bans hand-held; for those that want to talk, get hands-free, no big thing. Studies show hands-free and hand-held equally dangerous. True pros will voluntarily refrain from any cell calls when in the midst of heavy traffic or construction zones. For the rest, talk away, keep crashing and killing, and before long the total ban will come…
Good for road safety. Sucks that it doesnt
apply across the board for all drivers. But i
think too hard on penalty, money wise. driving
is a full time job. Done over 40 years on big
rigs.No accidents and over 4 million miles.
Stay safe.. Driving IS A FULL TIME Job….
So what is next? We are giving up our freedoms one by one. Those of you that agree with new legislation are fools. If this law is good for commercial vehicles, it is should be administered to all…….no exceptions!
Many of us drivers earn wages that are quite frankly embarrassing, but yet every time you look up there’s another law to make our jobs even more difficult, we are held to a higher standard than auto drivers, drug testing, written tests, difficult service hours laws, etc. Over the next several years there will be large shortage of drivers, and mine is one more seat that will need to be filled with another rookie. Stay off the Interstate.
I think that this is just another hoop that we as truckers will need to jump through. But why just do cell phones and handheld devices, what about QUALCOMM too. I used to drive for Werner and with the way that the red light and message notification buzzer going off every five to ten minutes., for me, was just as distracting. Especially, when the dispatchers wanted to get a hold of their drivers. I thought that with the QUALCOMM that they would know where their assigned drivers were at all times.
My favorite words: ‘COME FOR A RIDE!’…and look out my window and see what WE see! ‘Blonde in an SUV!’…Cup of coffee in the left hand; TEXTING with the right, and STEERING WITH HER KNEES! I SEE IT EVERY!!DAY!!. Many, MANY, MANY!! 4-wheelers with BOTH hands just punching away at that little keyboard…driving with their KNEES! Cutting in front of us, SLAMMING ON THEIR ARROGANT ASSININE BRAKES!! CUTTING IN FRONT OF US AT A RED LIGHT!! BRIGHT LIGHTS IN OUR MIRRORS CUZ THEY ‘AREN’T AWARE’ THEY ARE ON…CUZ THEY ARE >>>TEXTING!
I am on MY phone MUCH of the time; THIS is how I handle my LIFE while on the road 5-6 MONTHS at a time!, while bring you ‘Politicians’ EVERYthing in your dreary, UNGRATEFUL LIVES!
So, ‘Commercial’ Drivers? Hmmm..Plumbing trucks, County Trucks, Hot Dog Wagons, Car Dealers, Real Estate Agents Vehicles, Carpet Vans, Roofers 1-tons, etc, Etc, ETC!!? or are we JUST ‘DISCRIMINATING AGAINST 18-Wheelers? SOME OF US ARE PROFESSIONAL DRIVERS, AND SAVE LIVES BY >>>AVOIDING<<< ACCIDENTS EVERY SINGLE DAY! You 'Rule-Makers' ain't got a CLUE!
" COME FOR A RIDE!!" And BRING a Camera, and have some Cops up the road with a nice new Ticket book!
4-Wheelers have a ‘responsibility’ too…PAY ATTENTION TO DRIVING, AND Get the Hell our of our way! WE HAVE A DOT CLOCK in here, just TICKING AWAY! THESE LOADS CAN NOT BE LATE! Yes, WISH we could have a Truckers STRIKE! 5 days down and THIS WHOLE COUNTRY WOULD BE WITHOUT TOILET PAPER, GAS, TOOTHPASTE, FOOD, AND OLIVES FOR THEIR MARTINIS! THIS WHOLE COUNTRY WOULD BE ON THEIR KNEES!
‘Commerical Vehicles’…Carpet Vans, AC/Plumbing Trucks, Florist vehicles, Real Estate Agents vehicles, Roofing 1-tons, County Trucks, Law Enforcement, Bakery Vans, etc, Etc, ETC?! Or are we just ‘DISCRIMINATING’ against Semi Drivers?! We need a few more 4-wheelers CUTTING US OFF, MERGING ONTO THE INTERSTATES! CUTTING US OFF AT THE RED LIGHTS, (CUTTING OVER INTO ‘OUR SPACE-LANE’. ‘COME FOR A RIDE’, RULE MAKERS!!..SEE WHAT WE SEE!! 8 OUT OF 10 4-WHEELERS TEXTING!!! DRIVING WITH THEIR KNEES! HAVE THE COPS UP AHEAD, WITH A NICE NEW TICKET BOOK!
‘COME FOR A RIDE!’ YOU WILL LEARN A LOT!!! THEN GO MAKE YOUR ‘RULES!’
As a driver with over 40 years behind the wheel I have witnessed many changes. Certainly the cell phone has been an invaluable asset to over the road drivers in getting directions to final destinations for pickup and delivery. I remember all too well freezing at a roadside pay phone (try to find one of those today) trying to reach dispatch for check-in calls, brokers, consignors, consignees, etc.
Have just spent the last two hours investigating options currently available for totally hands free phone systems integrated(hopefully) with satellite radios. Who pays for these systems? Since the electronic on board recording systems that were federally mandated have thus far proven to be damaging to bottom line, i.e., cost/maintenance/implementation and virtually impossible to enforce due to the ever enlarging number of trucks on the road each year, I would ask this of legislators: Are you familiar with RAdmiral Grace Murray Hopper? Hers was a voice of reason and intelligence that brought the US Navy into the electronic age. Her rationale was what is the cost of not implementing a proposed system. BUT….in order to implement a new system the technology must be in place and readily available,especiallyregarding retrofitting trucks. I agree that this one touch/no touch capability should be enforced across the board. I also agree that the number of trucks that will now be FORCED to pull to the side of the road will create traffic hazards/nightmares not envisionedby those who have not had the pleasure of driving a large tractor/trailer in heavily congested areas…Baltimore or Philly during Friday morning rush hour in a heavy winter storm as examples…where do we stop safely to finalize information to make pick-ups/deliveries???
A common complint heard amongst drivers, especially older drivers such as myself is the dwindling lack of SAFE easily accessible truck parking areas i.e. TRUCKSTOPS, throughout the nation. With more truckstops (and I’m not talking about Flying J/Pilots or any other of the few large chains remaining) perhaps drivers would have the ability to finalize directions, make contacts such as dispatch, brokers, etc. Creates more jobs, not something that can be outsourced to other countries, adds to the economic well being of the local community.
This is a multi-faceted problem that was viewed through a myopic jewelers loupe rather than at arms length. The response (legislation) is a knee jerk reaction to what a small group of naysayers depict as a horrifying problem Yet, class 8 safety has increased remarkably over the last few years due in most part to common sense being implemented by the vast majority of drivers/companies. Where were the comments/ proposals for this legislation similar to those currently on-going re: the HOS rules? I read very little beyond the initial proposal and yet Goliath comes to slay David. TEll you what senatortts and congressmen….give up all your cushy benefits and come join the real world….one at a time…for three weeks at a time….see if your proposals/solutions can’t gain a better perspective of what professional drivers/companies deal with on a daily basis. Your minds are like umbrellas…they work best if they’re open!
That’s ok with me because I don’t usually use mine while driving anyway…. But I think if they’re going to target trucks…. They should look at the ratio of car accidents using the phone while driving…. The ratio is 5 to 1 verses trucks…. Hey come on do the same to these car also….
If truck drivers have to go by federal rules. Then we should get paid like the ones that make rules! Are maybe we should just raise our pay like they do ?
They can use communist rule on us because we are federally regulated.They are just “STUPID PEOPLE DOING STUPID THINGS ON A REGULAR BASIS.”
Land of the free? Lets see in another 20 years. They are taking freedom from us 1 rule at a time. Shame on them, shame on us for letting them do it.
federal regulation is illegal….mike is right…..you people are all trippin’…..we let them do anything they want to us…..it is sad that americans dont even understand their country any more….i dont like people talking or texting while driving, in fact i hate it, but it should not be banned, its just another step to eroding our freedom….. i can only shake my head in disgust that most of you are bitching about whether or not you can use your phone (a minor issue that the dumb cattle think is huge) while the government just laughs at you missing the big picture…about 1 in 100 people understand this, you know who you are……the rest of you are taking us into socialist/ communist oblivion because you worry about petty little problems such as cell phone useage instead of the freedom of 300+ million people!
I am not a trucker but I did read all the previous comments and wanted to give the majority of the commentors some comfort. The law is a 66 page document and I have read every word. The law does apply to 4 wheelers if they have a GVW/GVWR of 10,001 pounds or more. It also applies to any size vehicle that carries a quantity of hazardous material that requires them to have a placard. It also applies to any vehicle for compensation that is rated for 8 passangers or more including the driver and not for compensation vehicles rated 16 passangers or more including the driver. The law actually does allow you to use bluetooth devices such as earpieces and dash mount handsfree kits as long as you can initiate a call by one button press and terminating a call by one button press. Most cell phones do have voice dialing and bluetooth earpieces and handsfree kits are compliant. The NTSB has recently requeted that ALL handheld cell phone use while driving be prohibited. So I think the direction is clear, invest in a handsfree device and keep on trucking! Hopefully this has been helpful and the end result is improved safety while not sacrificing productivity.
what you should try to do is hide your emooitn. if you are nervous, hide it. act as cool as possible. and when you are acting cool, you will notice that you will actually become cool.if you have a hard time hiding your nervousness, just change your state of mind. convince yourself that you could care less about getting your license, so if you fail, it doesnt matter. that way, there is no reason to be nervous.dont worry, took me two times to get it.and one more piece of advice. just think of it like this: there are millions of people who have their licenses, which means millions of people have passed their road test. what makes you think you are any less prepared than any of them to get yours?hope that helps
OK, for all of you that support the ban. That’s GREAT, but I believe you are needing to get your ducks in a row. I bet you think that the CB your talking on is ok. You hold the phone with one hand, and correct me if I’m wrong but don’t you hold onto your mic with one hand also….. Don’t you have to take your eyes off the reoad when you adjust your sqelch,or volume. You talk into one part and listen with another, I BELIEVE THAT’S CALLED A PHONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I fell that talking on phone while you are driving a truck or car is very unsafe. For one thing your focus is not on driving but talking on the phone and when you are doing that you are not paying att. to what is going on around you. Take from a police officer who has seen alot of wrecke’s caused by talking on the phone or texing.
Since the antenna ssyetm (ant, coax, connectors, ground, etc) is a critical part of any radio setup, an SWR meter is virtually required. It allows you to check coax connections or antenna ground (either bad will show high SWR) and then tune antenna for best (low SWR) performance. High SWR can also damage the radio. Many radios have a basic SWR meter built-in (good enough for daily monitoring), but an external meter is better (more accurate, can test at various connection points, etc).
[...] in Trucker News, the new rule will still permit commercial drivers to use hand-held devices after they have safely [...]
i’ve drove over thirty years seen everything you can think of out on the road. The so called officers out there are to b profesionals also but they can talk on phones run computers drive with knees but they r not breaking any laws.people are so miss lead anyway with reports and everything that the gov. wants u to here,when all they want is control of everything just like hitler did!
Not just for Truckers For The CHP and Traffic cops i see them all the time with a cell phone to their ear Are the ABOVE THE LAW ? WHY JUST FOR CERTIN PEOPLE . THE POLICE NEED TO CHECK THEIR OWN BEFOR YOU CHECK US. CHECK YOUR SELF BEFORE YOU WRECK YOUR SELF…..
because you cant put videos on with the USB chord the only thing you can do is have the SD card and buy a SD card aedrer and do it that way all you then got to do is copy and paste the videos into the flix section i believe it is.. but i think they can only be MP4 files..
If it`s` federal , it is aplied to everybody ??
what is the price for violation made by 4-wheelr, is 2750 or less ??
i can’t agree more with what has been said here. i would like to add that just about any thing out here on the road can be distracting, and unsafe ( i.e. high powered work lights in contruction zones can realy blind a driver). what i find very sad is that the goverment has to tell people what common sense is. it just proves how very stupid the general public has become.
i have a blue tooth and have to use it alot. but i won’t if the conditions are not right, there is a time and place to use it. it is up
to us as safe drivers to know when the time and place is