Alberta official confirms province’s impending CB restrictions
EDMONTON, Alta. — An Alberta Transportation spokesperson has confirmed to Trucknews.com that the province’s far-reaching distracted driving legislation does indeed prohibit the conversational use of CB radios by commercial truck drivers.
Conflicting reports have been circulating about the scope of Bill 16, the Traffic Safety (Distracted Driving) Amendment Act, which prohibits the use of CB radios under most circumstances.
Unless a driver is required to maintain two-way contact with an employer, is driving a pilot or escort vehicle, or is using the CB to participate in a search and rescue mission, the use of CB radios will be forbidden, according to Tara Peters, a spokesperson with Alberta Transportation’s Office of Traffic Safety.
“Drivers, including commercial truck drivers, who are required by their employer to maintain two-way radio communication, for example via a CB radio, may use a hand-held two-way radio communication device for the purposes of contacting their employer while acting within the scope of that individual’s employment,” she told Trucknews.com. “Recreational use of a hand-held two-way radio communication device is not permitted under Bill 16.”
When asked to confirm that a truck driver will be in violation of the law when using the CB radio for conversational purposes, she confirmed: “Yes, the bill specifies that hand-held two-way radios can only be used by drivers who are required by their employer to maintain two-way radio communication for the purposes of contacting their employer while acting within the scope of that individual’s employment.”
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This is BS. How would you like to told you cannot talk to your co-workers if you are in the same workplace. This is a way of FURTHER isolating the driver of a commercial vehicle from maintaininng any social contact for hours and even days at a time. No wonder there is an impending shortage of professional drivers.
Are they really serious? Why did someone in the government go home and tell his wife that she would no longer be able to do herself up while driving to her social? Then she replied “Well what about those truckers always staring down at me while I’m in traffic and talking on those radios?” So the no ball government official thinks “self you better include them too to get yourself outta hot water” Government should higher the standards of who gets to drive rather than limiting those that do it for a living by classing them with everyone else.
F’ing bullsh–t. period.
I wonder if all it would take was for a few hundred drivers to sit at the entrance and exit of the truck stops and rest areas shut down the industry for a few days and see what happens then ?. I realise this is a far cry from ever happening but i would be nice to possibly be heard and possibly get a few problems ( $$$$$$$ ) sorted out at the same time.
There are so many laws, one can hardly be aware of them all.
I think we’d all be in the penalty box if the police could ref those laws like the ref’s do in a hockey game.
Bottom line, a small small amount of traffic violations are actually caught.
Eventually you lose respects for those laws and if you’re one of few who get caught, it just instills a sense of hatred at those who make laws and those who are suppose to enforce them.
Dealing with traffic is increasing complicated, why not simplify that!
Good luck enforcing that.. I can also see a lot of abuse by police dot etc when enforcing this law. just another reason for them to pull over a truckj and see what they can find.. (Probable cause issues)