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U.S. proposes cellphone ban for truck drivers

Oh bull ****. Last year I was flying a single pilot aircraft. I could fly that aircraft in clouds down to 200 feet off the ground with out seeing the ground while controlling the roll and pitch with my left hand, the yaw with both my feet and the airspeed, power, flaps, gear, and props with the right hand, all while talking and listening on the radio and completing checklists. Don't tell me I can't drive a car with one hand and control the speed with one foot while talking. That's just stupid.
There's less margin for error in driving, in some respects.

If I took my hands off the wheel for 10 secs, I might hit something, depending on speed, etc.

Whereas when flying, taking your hands off the controls might, at worst, mean you started climbing, diving, or perhaps went into a spin...

Wait...

:mrgreen:
 
There is a ban on this? Really?

My understanding, (and I haven't seen the law, but a couple of truckers have told me this), is that there is a Federal ban on truckers carrying a gun in the cab or on their person, regardless of whether they have a carry permit or not, and regardless of state law. What I heard was, this was done during the big trucker/teamster strikes of the 70s (?), when there was a certain level of violence going on between strikers and others... and like most Fed laws it has outlived its usefulness but remained in place (if it ever really had any usefulness).
 
In my state there's a cell phone ban for all drivers
 
My understanding, (and I haven't seen the law, but a couple of truckers have told me this), is that there is a Federal ban on truckers carrying a gun in the cab or on their person, regardless of whether they have a carry permit or not, and regardless of state law. What I heard was, this was done during the big trucker/teamster strikes of the 70s (?), when there was a certain level of violence going on between strikers and others... and like most Fed laws it has outlived its usefulness but remained in place (if it ever really had any usefulness).

I think that the reason it is illegal is that gun permits are not reciprocal. You'd have to get as many permits as the number of states you drove through. Also, of course, some states would have a problem with a trucker having a gun in his cab. Illinois being one of them. Couldn't do it here -- it's illegal. Even some towns in Illinois, as an example, have different restrictions. It'd be a nightmare.

I'm betting there's no Federal law against it, though. And it's certainly not a part of the CDL.
 
I think that the reason it is illegal is that gun permits are not reciprocal. You'd have to get as many permits as the number of states you drove through. Also, of course, some states would have a problem with a trucker having a gun in his cab. Illinois being one of them. Couldn't do it here -- it's illegal. Even some towns in Illinois, as an example, have different restrictions. It'd be a nightmare.

.


Well, in most states the state laws pre-empt local. Also, you would not need permits for every state. With a Florida, New Hampshire and Texas non-resident permits you're covered in the vast majority of states right there.
 
Well, in most states the state laws pre-empt local. Also, you would not need permits for every state. With a Florida, New Hampshire and Texas non-resident permits you're covered in the vast majority of states right there.

I didn't know that, Goshin. I'm beginning to believe that Illinois is verrry different from other states. In our state, local law supercedes state....or it did until the Supreme Court ruled. ;-) Well, wait, even now before you can own a gun in the City of Chicago you've got to jump through many hoops that aren't present at the state level. Interesting.

I read the part about needing to get so many permits it would be impractical on a trucker's QnA site. Thought it made sense. Maybe not.
 
Our politicians and Department of Transportation officials are bat**** crazy. On the one hand, they want to ban the use of cell phones by American truckers, but on the other hand, allow exemptions from safety rules for Mexican truckers, under an agreement they made with Mexico. In Texas, there have been some pretty horrific crashes involving Mexican trucks with bald tires, bad brakes, and you name it. So, in order to improve safety, they are now going after American truckers, who are already the most regulated truckers in the ****ing world?

As they say in Texas, "Git a rope". :mrgreen:
 
I am so sick of this type of smear coming out of mental midgets like LaHood, and others that seek to blame the ills of driving and accident rates on Truckers. It is intellectually lazy.

We deliver the things you use every damned day, and what thanks do we get for it? Flipped off, honked at, called in on threatening our lively hood, and ever increasing regulation and taxation that will result in Americans paying much higher costs at the check out line.

Car drivers have over the years, my own some 20 years driving, become rude, rule of the road breakers, and completely selfish in their driving, not caring a bit whom they place in danger. And who constantly gets the blame for it? We do, Truckers!

Heck even stories on the news that show truck vs car accidents on the highways often don't tell the watchers until the very end of the story that the car was at fault.

Lawyers cashing in, suing even if their client was the cause of the accident like bottom feeders they are.

Now, I am not saying that there are some truckers out there that are inexperienced, and do cause some problems, however, you keep it up, (talking to the ungrateful masses here) and just wait. When myself, and my cohorts that do have the experience decide to pack it in, then you'll be left with nothing but greenhorns. Good luck with that.


j-mac

Personally, I believe ALL drivers should be prohibited from talking on the phone while driving, but as the federal government doesn't have authority over drivers of passenger cars, it has to rely on the states to pass sensible laws in that regard.
 
Just out of curiosity are CBs completely gone?
 
Just out of curiosity are CBs completely gone?

Nope. They are still very much alive...perhaps a bit toned down due to cell phones...but they are more useful for checking out the road conditions a few miles up ahead than a cell phone. All ya have to do is holler on the CB for someone else that has one and is in the right direction. ;)
 
This is a good law. Not specifically because of truckers, but because absolutely nobody should be talking on a cell phone while driving.
 
Personally, I believe ALL drivers should be prohibited from talking on the phone while driving, but as the federal government doesn't have authority over drivers of passenger cars, it has to rely on the states to pass sensible laws in that regard.


Just to catch back up, I was on the road to Salem VA, and back home yesterday. But anyway, I can certainly see holding the phone to your ear, dialing, and texting, but what of a 'hands free' device? Like I said earlier, I have a headset that allows me to simply voice command a call at will, and receive calls while never taking my hands off the wheel, or eyes off the road. And, my wifes new Fusion has SYNC in it that allows the same thing. So why attack ALL cell use? Couldn't we just say that everyone must be required to be 'hands free' while driving?

Viktyr Korimir said:
This is a good law. Not specifically because of truckers, but because absolutely nobody should be talking on a cell phone while driving.

Same question as above....Also, I'd like to point out that there are much more dangerous things occurring on the road by passenger car drivers....During my time behind the wheel for a living, I have seen no less than, reading a book, reading a paper, working on a computer, arguing with a girlfriend/boyfriend/spouse, various sex acts between both, sex acts without anyone else in the car, drinking while driving, eating while driving, and so on. There are distractions on the road like billboards, eatery's, and my new favorite concerning billboards....Lit up neon billboards that blind the hell out of you while driving. And you are concerned about a professional trucker with a headset?


j-mac
 
Just to catch back up, I was on the road to Salem VA, and back home yesterday. But anyway, I can certainly see holding the phone to your ear, dialing, and texting, but what of a 'hands free' device? Like I said earlier, I have a headset that allows me to simply voice command a call at will, and receive calls while never taking my hands off the wheel, or eyes off the road. And, my wifes new Fusion has SYNC in it that allows the same thing. So why attack ALL cell use? Couldn't we just say that everyone must be required to be 'hands free' while driving?

However. studies repeatedly show that it isn't the physical act of manipulating the phone that causes the problem, but the attention that is lost when in conversation on the phone that is the problem. Likely ok in an area with sparse traffic, but in a busy downtown area with pedestrians, motorcycles, bicycles, etc. or on a busy highway, probably not a good idea.


Same question as above....Also, I'd like to point out that there are much more dangerous things occurring on the road by passenger car drivers....During my time behind the wheel for a living, I have seen no less than, reading a book, reading a paper, working on a computer, arguing with a girlfriend/boyfriend/spouse, various sex acts between both, sex acts without anyone else in the car, drinking while driving, eating while driving, and so on. There are distractions on the road like billboards, eatery's, and my new favorite concerning billboards....Lit up neon billboards that blind the hell out of you while driving. And you are concerned about a professional trucker with a headset?

And many of these are not a good idea. I don't think grabbing a bottle of water or Coke from the area between the seats is going to be distracting. It doesn't take much in the way of attention to do this, or even to munch on a McDonald's hamburger. Some of those other things, I would agree with you on... though, due to the common nature of cell phones in cars vis a vis people copulating, it would seem to me that government action in that area would be of a higher priority.
j-mac[/QUOTE]
 
However. studies repeatedly show that it isn't the physical act of manipulating the phone that causes the problem, but the attention that is lost when in conversation on the phone that is the problem. Likely ok in an area with sparse traffic, but in a busy downtown area with pedestrians, motorcycles, bicycles, etc. or on a busy highway, probably not a good idea.

And many of these are not a good idea. I don't think grabbing a bottle of water or Coke from the area between the seats is going to be distracting. It doesn't take much in the way of attention to do this, or even to munch on a McDonald's hamburger. Some of those other things, I would agree with you on... though, due to the common nature of cell phones in cars vis a vis people copulating, it would seem to me that government action in that area would be of a higher priority.

Why on earth is conversation on the phone more distracting than two screaming kids in the backseat? Or talking with your passenger where you actually take your eyes off the road to make eye contact? No, even if those studies exist, I don't believe them.

Now sneezing? That should be banned. Ya' gotsta close yer eyes when ya do that. People with allergies shouldn't even be able to drive.
 
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However. studies repeatedly show that it isn't the physical act of manipulating the phone that causes the problem, but the attention that is lost when in conversation on the phone that is the problem. Likely ok in an area with sparse traffic, but in a busy downtown area with pedestrians, motorcycles, bicycles, etc. or on a busy highway, probably not a good idea.

So you are talking about the mere act of a conversation while driving, am I correct in that interpretation? If so, do you ever have a passenger in your car? Do you talk to them while driving? Listen to the radio? Change the station on that radio? Look at directions? Or do you just sit rigid, and silent in a silent car to your destination?

Oh, and could you provide the "study" please?




And many of these are not a good idea. I don't think grabbing a bottle of water or Coke from the area between the seats is going to be distracting. It doesn't take much in the way of attention to do this, or even to munch on a McDonald's hamburger. Some of those other things, I would agree with you on... though, due to the common nature of cell phones in cars vis a vis people copulating, it would seem to me that government action in that area would be of a higher priority.


Hmmm....I see, so you don't think that the things that you do, which have been discussed on other 'distracted driving' discussions as a distraction, are indeed distracting when you do them, just when others do?

A new study suggests that laws banning talking on or sending text messages with cell phones while driving may not significantly decrease the risk of traffic accidents. Instead, experts suggest dealing with the problem of distracted drivers in general.

Study: Distractions, not phones, cause car crashes | Signal Strength - CNET News

Or how about this one...

While cell phones have been widely criticized as the cause of distracted driving, they ranked sixth in the study's list of distracted driving behaviors. Looking at traffic, crashes and roadside incidents was the primary distraction in 16 percent of the crashes studied, followed by driver fatigue, 12 percent; looking at scenery, 10 percent; passenger and child distractions, nine percent; and adjusting the radio, CD or tape player, seven percent. Cell phones were cited as the primary distraction in slightly more than five percent of the crashes studied. Distractions inside the vehicle accounted for 62 percent of all the crashes studies.

VCU study finds cell phones are not the leading cause of distracted driving – VCU News Center


Cell phones are the easy target, because when we are mad at the driver in front of us for going too slow, or guilty of distracted driving, and they are talking on a phone we attribute that to their displayed inattention to the road and traffic conditions. That may not be the case.

And Truckers are also easy targets because everyone thinks of us a large, slow, nuisance on the road causing them to be late until they get to the store and are told that their product they want to buy isn't in stock.....Face it most people, even a few in here are self centered jerks that think that they own the road and no one else should hold them up....

j-mac
 
Just to catch back up, I was on the road to Salem VA, and back home yesterday. But anyway, I can certainly see holding the phone to your ear, dialing, and texting, but what of a 'hands free' device? Like I said earlier, I have a headset that allows me to simply voice command a call at will, and receive calls while never taking my hands off the wheel, or eyes off the road. And, my wifes new Fusion has SYNC in it that allows the same thing. So why attack ALL cell use? Couldn't we just say that everyone must be required to be 'hands free' while driving?

Studies have shown that a person that is on the cell phone (be it a hands free device or not) drives as bad as a drunk driver..or a 60 (or was it 65?) year old. The studies were conducted on 18 year olds if I remember correctly.

Same question as above....Also, I'd like to point out that there are much more dangerous things occurring on the road by passenger car drivers....During my time behind the wheel for a living, I have seen no less than, reading a book, reading a paper, working on a computer, arguing with a girlfriend/boyfriend/spouse, various sex acts between both, sex acts without anyone else in the car, drinking while driving, eating while driving, and so on. There are distractions on the road like billboards, eatery's, and my new favorite concerning billboards....Lit up neon billboards that blind the hell out of you while driving. And you are concerned about a professional trucker with a headset?

The only thing that I do while driving is drinking a pop and smoking a cigarette. Neither one is that much of a distraction as I can do both without ever taking my eyes off the road or both hands off the steering wheel. And even then I don't do either very often. However I would not object to banning drinking anything while driving. The rest of what you say you have seen is illegal already though. With the exceptions of eating and arguing with someone. Ban the eating. As for the arguing...not sure if that COULD be banned...free speech and all that. ;)

Now obviously not everything can be banned as it would be impractical to enforce alot of it or would run into rights violations. But for the stuff that can be...do it.
 
And Truckers are also easy targets because everyone thinks of us a large, slow, nuisance on the road causing them to be late until they get to the store and are told that their product they want to buy isn't in stock.....Face it most people, even a few in here are self centered jerks that think that they own the road and no one else should hold them up....

Not me. When it comes to truckers I do one of two things, when possible slow down until I am at least 4-5 car lengths behind them or I speed up and pass them and keep going fast until I am at least 10 car lengths ahead of them. I know that trucks cannot stop on a dime and I don't want my butt rear ended by a semi, or slam into one because I was too close...they're a hell of a lot bigger than me and I will give them a nice WIDE berth.

As for owning the road with the rest of cars and pickups...not me again. I always make sure that I am at least 2 car lengths behind any car..no matter how fast (or slow) they are going. If they are going too slow then I will wait until I can SAFELY pass them...and by wait I mean wait until I can't see a single vehicle ahead of them for at least a mile..perferably more. I won't pass if there is more than one car ahead of me. At four way stops I will always make sure that the person on the right goes before me if we arrived at the same time. And then I wait a bit longer to make sure that no one else that DOES think they own the road doesn't try and go out of turn.
 
I drive a lot.... probably 30-40 hrs a week, most of it business related. I have near-misses every week, because I'm out on the road a lot. Sometimes the back roads are worse than the highways.

Yeah, at lot of times when I see people veer into oncoming traffic-lanes they're on a cellphone. Ditto when they have to slam on brakes because they didn't see the cars at the stop-light.

But if I had to cite the one thing I think causes more accidents than anything else, it would be tailgating, and right after that, speeding. The two are usually related: people get impatient and think if they ride someone's bumper they'll speed up.

Sometimes they literally get within inches of your rear bumper. They'd hit you it you even tapped your brakes. This is insane. It gives the driver in front of you control over whether you have an accident or not, and in most states the guy who rear-ends the other is at fault.

Not to mention, tailgaters reduce their field of view and impair their ability to see and react to changing road conditions.

I've had professional driver training, because I spend so much time on the road in a company vehicle. We're taught that staying four seconds or more behind the next car will nearly cut accidents in half. I really wish more people would realize this and follow it.

If you asked me whether I'd prefer that cellphone use be banned, or that cops cracked down on tailgating, I'd prefer the latter.
 
Studies have shown that a person that is on the cell phone (be it a hands free device or not) drives as bad as a drunk driver..or a 60 (or was it 65?) year old. The studies were conducted on 18 year olds if I remember correctly.


18 year olds? Seriously, you are going to compare the driving habits of a 20 year veteran truck driver, with well over 2 million miles logged and verified, with an 18 year old in Mom's family truckster? As a NYC friend of mine would say....'Get the **** outta here!'

Please provide study you are talking of.

The only thing that I do while driving is drinking a pop and smoking a cigarette.

uh huh....both are a documented distraction.

Neither one is that much of a distraction as I can do both without ever taking my eyes off the road or both hands off the steering wheel.

Says you. Until that soda slips out of your hand and is spilling on the leather seats. or that cigarette cherry falls off onto the carpeted floor or in between your legs. Then it's into the other lane for you pal.

The rest of what you say you have seen is illegal already though. With the exceptions of eating and arguing with someone. Ban the eating. As for the arguing...not sure if that COULD be banned...free speech and all that.

That is just the point, if I am using a hands free device, either incorporated into the cars system, or my headset, my hands never leave the wheel, and my eyes never leave the road. So what's the problem.

Now obviously not everything can be banned as it would be impractical to enforce alot of it or would run into rights violations. But for the stuff that can be...do it.

There is a good point, and thanks for bringing this up....Who is going to enforce it? Heck, Seat belts aren't aggressively enforced now unless you are stopped for something else. Weigh Stations remain closed in a majority of places because of lack of manpower to open them.

Not me. When it comes to truckers I do one of two things, when possible slow down until I am at least 4-5 car lengths behind them or I speed up and pass them and keep going fast until I am at least 10 car lengths ahead of them. I know that trucks cannot stop on a dime and I don't want my butt rear ended by a semi, or slam into one because I was too close...they're a hell of a lot bigger than me and I will give them a nice WIDE berth.

As for owning the road with the rest of cars and pickups...not me again. I always make sure that I am at least 2 car lengths behind any car..no matter how fast (or slow) they are going. If they are going too slow then I will wait until I can SAFELY pass them...and by wait I mean wait until I can't see a single vehicle ahead of them for at least a mile..perferably more. I won't pass if there is more than one car ahead of me. At four way stops I will always make sure that the person on the right goes before me if we arrived at the same time. And then I wait a bit longer to make sure that no one else that DOES think they own the road doesn't try and go out of turn.

If I believe you, you are in the minority....Consider...

An average of at least 1,500 men, women, and children are injured or killed each year in the United States as a result of "aggressive driving." A review of 10,037 incidents gathered by Mizell & Company from newspapers, police reports, and insurance reports clearly illustrates that anyone can be targeted and victimized.

AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety - Resources

In order to quantify the extent of the road rage problem, the Automobile Association commissioned a survey of 526 motorists. The survey, carried out in January, 1995, found that almost 90 percent of motorists have experienced "road rage" incidents during the last 12 months. Sixty percent admitted to losing their tempers behind the wheel.

Aggressive tailgating (62 percent) was the most common form of "road rage," followed by headlight flashing (59 percent), obscene gestures (48 percent), deliberately obstructing other vehicles (21 percent) and verbal abuse (16 percent). One percent of drivers claim to have been physically assaulted by other motorists.

Although 62 percent of drivers were victimized by aggressive tailgaters, only 6 percent admitted to doing it themselves. Gender differences were not as great as expected; 54 percent of women admitted to aggressive driving behavior, compared with 64 percent of men.

AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety - Resources

Consider, for instance, walking in a hurry along a very long and narrow corridor without any chances to pass a large person walking very slowly in front!4

Our aim, then, is to determine why "pedestrian rage" does not exist; if road rage has simply provided a convenient handle on which coincidental and unrelated incidents can be hung and thereby be given more weight, or if the driving environment provides a unique situation liable to give rise to aggressive behavior.

In 1968 Parry, an early researcher in this area, raised a similar point:

...anyone who, late for an appointment, tries to walk briskly along a crowded city street, heavy with slow-moving shop-gazers, will not improve his speed of progress if he angrily pushes aside his fellow-citizens, swears at them, or threatens them with physical assault. Yet this is precisely what a number of drivers in their vehicles do when pressed for time.5

Our comparison of the driving and walking scenarios can be divided into two primary questions:

1. Is the driving environment more likely to give rise to aggression?

2. Is the experience of aggressive emotion more likely to be translated into violent behavior in the driving environment?

AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety - Resources

I'd say these are far more problematic than the trucker talking to his wife while on cruise control in the slow lane, a wife that he hasn't seen for the past week, at least.


j-mac
 
On a lighter, and more chauvenistic note....

Are women aware that cars will start and run without being on the cellphone?
 
18 year olds? Seriously, you are going to compare the driving habits of a 20 year veteran truck driver, with well over 2 million miles logged and verified, with an 18 year old in Mom's family truckster? As a NYC friend of mine would say....'Get the **** outta here!'

Please provide study you are talking of.

I would if I could remember it. But here's a couple that shows other studies done on it...

AAA Foundation
Drivers on Cell Phones Are as Bad as Drunks

uh huh....both are a documented distraction.

True, but not near as bad as cell phones and drunk driving.

Says you. Until that soda slips out of your hand and is spilling on the leather seats. or that cigarette cherry falls off onto the carpeted floor or in between your legs. Then it's into the other lane for you pal.

Been there, done that. I don't go into the other lane. I pull over to the side of the road ASAP and then deal with it.

That is just the point, if I am using a hands free device, either incorporated into the cars system, or my headset, my hands never leave the wheel, and my eyes never leave the road. So what's the problem.

Hopefully this was answered in the above studies.

There is a good point, and thanks for bringing this up....Who is going to enforce it? Heck, Seat belts aren't aggressively enforced now unless you are stopped for something else. Weigh Stations remain closed in a majority of places because of lack of manpower to open them.

I would have no problem with them pulling a person over for talking on a cell phone. IE make cops be more aggressive.

If I believe you, you are in the minority....Consider...

Yes I am in the minority. I don't even need your links to tell me that. (and I haven't even read them) It constantly amazes me just how idiotic and inconsiderate most drivers are. By my estimations 70% (granted my estimation doesn't mean squat..but still, it's my opinion :D )of accidents could be avoided if people simply paid attention and were considerate.
 
I would if I could remember it. But here's a couple that shows other studies done on it...

AAA Foundation
Drivers on Cell Phones Are as Bad as Drunks



True, but not near as bad as cell phones and drunk driving.



Been there, done that. I don't go into the other lane. I pull over to the side of the road ASAP and then deal with it.



Hopefully this was answered in the above studies.



I would have no problem with them pulling a person over for talking on a cell phone. IE make cops be more aggressive.



Yes I am in the minority. I don't even need your links to tell me that. (and I haven't even read them) It constantly amazes me just how idiotic and inconsiderate most drivers are. By my estimations 70% (granted my estimation doesn't mean squat..but still, it's my opinion :D )of accidents could be avoided if people simply paid attention and were considerate.


You won't read mine, but I did read yours, and here is something from your own provided link

Research has demonstrated that drivers are susceptible to virtually innumerable distractions that can
contribute to the occurrence of a crash. For example, a study conducted in 2001 for the AAA Foundation
for Traffic Safety analyzed a nationally-representative sample of crashes that occurred between 1995
and 1999 and resulted in one or more passenger vehicles having to be towed due to damage, and found
that 8.3% of drivers in these crashes were reported to have been distracted (Stutts, Reinfurt, Staplin, &
Rodgman, 2001). The most common sources of distraction cited in these crashes were an outside person,
object, or event (29.4% of crash-involved drivers); adjusting the radio, cassette, or CD (11.4%),
passengers (10.9%). Distraction related to the use of a cell phone was cited in 1.5% of crashes.

So changing the radio station was responsible for nearly 30% of crashes, while cell phones were responsible for 1.5%

Yeah, should we remove radios from cars as well?

And from the other:

The study included 25 men and 15 women ages 22 to 34 who were social drinkers (three to five drinks per week) recruited via newspaper advertisements. Two-thirds used a cell phone while driving. Each participant was paid $100 for 10 hours in the study.

Wow, a whole 40 people? Really, and from that, and 10 hours they conclude this trash? Give me a break!


j-mac
 
Now, I am not saying that there are some truckers out there that are inexperienced, and do cause some problems, however, you keep it up, (talking to the ungrateful masses here) and just wait. When myself, and my cohorts that do have the experience decide to pack it in, then you'll be left with nothing but greenhorns. Good luck with that.


j-mac

oh good grief.

pack it in. someone else will take the job.
 
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