US Bans Texting By Commercial Drivers

Avatar photo

WASHINGTON, D.C. –A recently-announced US ban on text messaging by commercial drivers has triggered mixed reaction from the trucking industry. The ban, announced Jan. 26, went into effect immediately. Truckers caught texting while driving could be subject of fines of up to US$2,750.

“We want the drivers of big rigs and buses and those who share the roads with them to be safe,” said US Transportation Secretary, Ray LaHood. “This is an important safety step and we will be taking more to eliminate the threat of distracted driving.”

The American Trucking Associations (ATA) applauded the legislation.

“To promote highway safety, and further improve the trucking industry’s continually improving safety record and that of all commercial vehicles, ATA supports DoT’s action to ban the use of handheld wireless devices by commercial drivers to send or receive text messages while driving,” said ATA president, Bill Graves.

Graves said the ATA would like to see the law extended to all motorists. However, the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA), representing independent truckers, said it had reservations about how the law came to be.

“We support where they are going, but not how they got there,” said OOIDA 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. We very much share in their goal, but their legal justification for taking immediate action raises many concerns.”

Avatar photo

Truck News is Canada's leading trucking newspaper - news and information for trucking companies, owner/operators, truck drivers and logistics professionals working in the Canadian trucking industry.


Have your say


This is a moderated forum. Comments will no longer be published unless they are accompanied by a first and last name and a verifiable email address. (Today's Trucking will not publish or share the email address.) Profane language and content deemed to be libelous, racist, or threatening in nature will not be published under any circumstances.

*