Transportation tosses recommended cell phone ban for drivers
When was the last time that you were cut off in traffic only to realize that the driver of the other vehicle was distracted by their cell phone? Last week, yesterday or even on the way to work this morning … it’s a common annoyance these days. Distracted driving causes most of the accidents on the road today. Now imagine that the automobile is an 80,000 lb. commercial auto transport truck. That’s not just annoying, that’s terrifying.
Regulations enforced to ban cell phone usage while driving
In September 2010, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) set forth a regulation to the commercial trucking sector that banned texting while operating a vehicle. Subsequently in November 2011, a final rule banning hand-held mobile phone use by the same transport sector went into effect. The American Trucking Association supported the 2011 ban, acknowledging the Transportation Department’s statistic that in 2010 alone more than 3,000 people were killed in accidents as a result of distracted drivers. The National Transportation Safety Board is working hard to reduce these gloomy numbers, and one way is dedicated April as national distracted driving awareness month, and promoting safe on the road extensively. Currently there is a conversation going on in Washington about a possible ban on all communication technology usage, including hands-free devices. While the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is calling for the sweeping ban, lucky for the trucking industry that Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood is in disagreement.
Banning commercial drivers from using cell phones?
Whether a driver is delivering a load of tomatoes to a grocery store chain or transporting an exotic car directly to a customer’s door, communication is a necessity in completing the job. A GPS device can, and often does, fail to give 100% accurate directions to a drop-off location. When this occurs it can be necessary for a driver to contact the customer via mobile phone to amend driving directions. With a hand-free device this act can be as simple as saying the customer’s name out loud to dial. If a complete ban were to go into effect a driver would need to: search for a place to pull over that’s possibly off the set route, make the phone call and then get back on route to complete the delivery. Such a scenario would add time onto a schedule as well as waste fuel, two things that would increase costs, dealing a devastating blow to an already stressed industry. Unfortunately such additional costs would be passed onto the consumer to offset the increase to the supplier because that’s just business. As a consumer who is searching for an auto mover for example, it’s important to inquire about an auto transport company’s safety policies regarding driver’s mobile phone use. First, a person would feel some blame if he or she did not vet the auto shipping company properly and the driver, who was playing Angry Birds while driving, mowed down a group of school kids. Second, that same person would want to know that their vehicle is going to arrive unscathed by the car hauling process. Lastly, knowing a company’s safety record assists the consumer in understanding some of the factors worked into the shipping rate.
Let’s all cross our fingers for now that the government has shunned such a vast ban, but keep an eye on the news impacting the car transport industry.
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