Truckers and Travelers

Hello, Fellow Drivers,  Here’s a little trucking industry news regarding texting and driving.  You will no longer be able to text and drive without the possibility of being pulled over for it.  First it was cell phones could not be used while driving.  Now it’s texting (which is using a cell phone while driving.).  Here’s what the US DOT is proposing.  Enjoy the read and remember to be safe out there. 

Hot Topics

DOT bans texting for CMV drivers

By David Tanner
staff writer

 U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood’s announcement in January that texting while driving is prohibited for commercial drivers is one step in a long list of actions being taken against distracted driving.

OOIDA supports a texting ban in principle, but says the U.S. DOT should have vetted the proposal through a rulemaking instead of jumping in with an immediate ban.

“We support where they are going, but not how they got there,” said OOIDA Executive Vice President Todd Spencer.

“Making their action effective immediately bypasses normal regulatory rulemaking processes. Those processes allow actions to be vetted for unintended consequences, as well as potential implementation and enforcement problems.”

LaHood justified the move, saying that “texting” fits into current federal safety regulations for the operation of commercial vehicles and that a separate rulemaking was not needed. LL