FMCSA proposes ban on handheld phone use while driving

Hmmmm....If LaHood gets his way.....I would suggest when you need to place or receive a call...just stop right there on the interstate or in the intersection......

Remember..."Safety first"..........

Btw.....Will we be required to log placing or receiving a call on Line 4 or do we go to Line 1 and flag it as "Off duty, talking on phone"?

 

I can deal with level 1 inspections.....
I can deal with getting hassled by CO DOT for tugging a Cali spread with 40K on the tail...Which is legal btw.....
I can deal with Ashland's bull sheyat in regards to their interpretation of a "proper" Oversize Load banner....

I can deal with NM DOT giving me two Level Threes in a manner of 2.5 hours between them....

I can deal with CSA...In fact I welcome it...

However...........


..........LaHood needs to concentrate on other things....

We use hands-free.......

We don't text while driving......

Does the man not realize that O/O's use their rigs as their office?
There are days when I'm on the phone coordinating loads etc.....All day long.....

To stop and sit in a rest area or on an off-ramp....which btw is now illegal in AR.....Is wasting valuable time......

So does this mean a commercial pilot will have to land his plane before he communicates with the tower?....That pilot btw uses hands-free......


Does this mean an "Evel Knievel" (Two-wheeler motor cop to you 4-Wheelers...) has to park his/her bike before he or she can communicate?

LaHood is a typical bureaucrat.....
Has he ever been in a Large Car?

Does he not appreciate that driving a rig is multitasking?

I suppose LaHood will also require that we all drive "Two pedals" versus an 18 speed Tranny....You know....Too much shifting is a "major distraction" as well.....



I guess I'm ranting....but for Christ's sake.....I for one have driven in just about every condition one could possibly drive in or through......I don't need Ray LaHood to tell me how to drive or how to run my business.....

 

Most drivers I see with their brain thinking about the conversation...

Slow down 5-10mph without knowing it.

Stay in their lane of travel, even the hammer lane. They come up on a slower vehicle, they will slow down instead of passing.

Fail to use turn signals for those that do change lanes.

I like to talk like everyone, but it is a problem that needs addressed. You can defend your actions because you are not aware of what you do when you talk.

When you are pushing buttons, then your eyes are off the road. More and more are hitting stopped traffic.

If you are hands free, nobody knows. This stuff pertains to hand helds which is the majority.

Truckers survived for years before the cell phone days. It's just a convenience.

FMSCA controls just trucks. I wish laws were implemented for everyone and not just a select few.

 

The thing you never hear from the government is that around 70% of all highway fatalities do not involve any trucks, of that remaining part that do involve trucks another 2/3's or more are the fault of the automobile. So let's pass a bunch more laws to improve highway safety on........... wait for it...........the trucks that aren't the problem!

 

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40724780/ns/technology_and_science-wireless

emphasis mine, color change MINE...LOL, just to make a point

 

Its gone beyond safety I think. Its almost like a power trip thing for some bureaucrats. These knuckleheads like LaHood have got to be constantly coming up with something to "prove" their worth and that they're earning their paycheck. I've said it before and will say it again...we are despised by a lot of people. Lawmakers should be regulated just like the trucking industry (particularly drivers) are. I'm not much of a phone talker and only have a 400 minute per month plan. Theres usually about 175-200 minutes left according to the bill so this pending law wouldn't affect me hardly at all. But it stinks to high heaven. Its like gun laws..they basically punish the huge majority of responsible and law abiding gun owners because of the actions of a few (often time criminals) who commit crimes with guns. This law if passed will be a HUGE moneymaker for cops everywhere. They will be some on here who think I am not an advocate of safety...that couldn't be more wrong. I got my first mobile phone in 1989 and have allways been careful about where and when I use them. If I receive a call in heavy traffic or in a situation where making turns and manuevers need my attention I simply say I'll call back and hang up. I have seen drivers trying to make tight turns, back in bad spots and other scenarios while making a mess of it because of blabbing on a phone and driving and shifting with one hand, instead of hanging up and calling back later. I guess I just plain get disgusted with the regulation our profession gets these days and need to rant a bit. Whats next, computer chips in the drivers seat that will analyze your food intake so if you fart you will be fined for not eating healthy enough??

 

Just more proof that the idiot obama isn't alone in his stupidity!

 

I posted when he was appointed, there was not a friend to trucking in his bones.

 

Before the days of cell phones most drivers were not O/O's.........

As for myself...to remain competitive...I need the phone and the internet...it's a different world now than back in the days of "Smokie and the Bandit".....

 

I use a bluetooth headset while driving (in my car since I'm not driving rig anymore.), and I can maintain my speed, maintain my lane, and drive the same whether I am on the phone or not. Why? Because I use common sense. Also, Those that can't talk on the phone and drive are usually the same ones that can't talk to a passenger and drive either. Using a headset while talking on the phone is no different than talking on the CB while driving. I've done both and never wrecked because of it.