Final rule will hit violators with $2,750 fine after taking effect on Jan. 3
Starting on Jan. 3, drivers of commercial vehicles will face fines of $2,750 for using their cell phones while driving, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) announced. The final rule, which officially prohibits interstate truck drivers from using cell phones during the operation of their vehicles, comes from both the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) and the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) divisions and is the latest attempt by the DOT to end distracted driving.
The rule encompasses both truck and bus drivers and, along with individual drivers, will punish companies that allow drivers to use cell phones while driving with a maximum fine of $11,000. States also have the ability to suspend a driver's commercial driver's license after two or more violations.
"This final rule represents a giant leap for safety," said FMCSA administrator Anne S. Ferro. "It's just too dangerous for drivers to use a hand-held cell phone while operating a commercial vehicle. Drivers must keep their eyes on the road, hands on the wheel and head in the game when operating on our roads."
This is one of many rules regarding the use of cell phones by commercial vehicle drivers passed by the DOT and its divisions over the past eighteen months. In September 2010, the FMCSA issued a regulation banning commercial vehicle drivers from text messaging while operating their vehicles. Last February, PHMSA announced a similar regulation which banned text messaging by intrastate hazardous materials drivers.
"When drivers of large trucks, buses, and hazardous materials take their eyes off the road for even a few seconds, the outcome can be deadly," said DOT secretary Ray LaHood. "I hope that this rule will save lives by helping commercial drivers stay laser-focused on safety at all times while behind the wheel."
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11 comments:
How about the local bus drivers? Shore up bus drivers are guilty...
How about just good old drivers
Maybe they should enforce it all the way around
We keep making laws but not enforcing them
Does this ban the use of hands free device such as bluetooth ?
Does this also apply to law enforcement? Especially when they're off duty?
Like this will stop them.
You can barely even see into these semis.. how will they know somebody's using one?
There are too many government agencies involved in making up rules, I hope President Trump condenses and combines these redundant agencies to get rid of the dead weight.
Lay off the bus drivers some. They have 2 hands but also have: a turn signal, a mike for the PA system, a mike for the radio, etc. If a Dispatcher calls a bus driver on a cell phone or radio, what difference does it make? You have to hold them both with a hand. If you really want to make it safe, mandate that every bus carry an "assistant driver".
Just another scheme by the Feds to harass the trucking industry.Move along....
Breaker Breaker One Nine we got a smokey up ahead. Back to the old CB it is
Time to go ahead and disband the DOT President Trump.
of course the cb isn't a distraction
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