New Safety Rule for my company

Yep. I'd hold them to that. I'd tell them don't expect a response from me until I'm logged off duty. Need me to relay with another driver? Fax in some paperwork? Too #### bad. Sorry I can't use my phone.

 

Yep, company enacts rule, saying no cell phone use while driving, including blue tooth, and locks the QC,Pnet while the truck is in motion, and then tears the driver a new ear when he won't answer the phone or the QC because he was following the company rules...
It is a new jerk reaction, caused by lawyers and insurance to companies to focus the blame else where.

 

Maybe the phone use had nothing to do with it and the driver was exhausted because he couldn't shut down and rest when he needed to. Sucks that people were killed though.

 

Yeah. Perhaps he was exhausted from imbecile HOS + elogs screwing up his sleep pattern, and was talking to someone on the phone in an attempt to stay awake. I've done that more than a few times...conversing with another human is a good keep-awake at times.

We'll probably never know. But you don't ever get anywhere with knee jerk prohibitions on speaking while driving.

 

I'd like tp see the correlation of accidents for truck drivers relating to the use of CB radios vs the use of a call phones...When... I 1st started driving we used hand signals...most of the old hands know what I'm speaking of...then came cb radios..and you very , very rarely , if ever heard tell of a driver having a traffic accident where talking on the radio could have been the cause....no , it's when the cell phones came around that the phrase "distracted driving" came into being...and it's not really the phones fault...cb's can be a distraction too. Most of this falls into the "personal responsibility" area...The I , Me , syndrome......my personal life is more important than paying attention is rampant in trucking , just like anywhere else..Companies should go back to the old days of the 8:00am check-in call...you stop , you call , no problem....simple......worked for decades....

 

MJE from previous post I can recall you being an arm chair wanna be trucking forum poster guy. Nothing wrong with that sir. But if you ever want to make that jump from wanna be. To big belly big rigging. I suggest you do away with that steering wheel holding mentality. This is real time trucking out here. That's why most of these forum guys don't last long. They can't think on the fly. They need 20 people to give them suggestions. They can't use the search feature and find things out for themselves. They need some trainer to tell them to slow down before you take the exit. They need some letters on the mirror that says GET OUT AND LOOK.

There was this forum chick the other day who said she jack knifed the truck in high winds, light load, and icy road. She said when she went into the jack knife she did absolutely nothing to try to correct it. Nobody gave her a hard time because she's a cutie. Every safety class I have been to and from experience has said to turn toward the jack knife. She probably still would of ended up in the ditch, but could have prevented lots of damage instead of doing nothing at all. First off I wouldn't have been on the road in the first place. Or trying to get off.

Nobody can think on their own no more. They need some law, some rule. Somebody to hold their hand, because they are to scared to take the blame for the decision they made. There are people who waste their time getting a cdl and they have no interest or desire in going OTR. They don't check that the local job market wants experience, and the sloppy training from CDL schools is barely enough to pass your cdl. Or better yet the guys who go to school and they have 5dui's 3 at fault accidents, Suspended licence's , Live out in the middle of nowhere, or Don't have a clue where they are going to park their truck.

They find out you have better odds of getting in touch with the president, then getting on the phone with your dispatcher. I had a problem with my reefer. I called break down. I say I'm in LA my reefer is cutting off. I give him the code. He calls me back later. Now I have already did a google search on Thermo King dealers in the area. He calls back 30 minutes later and tells me to get it looked at in Stockton CA. Which was close to my last stop in Tracy, CA.

I tell him again that I'm not going to be there till tmrw, and suggest to him the LA thermo King. That's 15 miles from me. I have already planned my route b4 he could say yes, because I wasn't about to lose a whole load of meat. Not on my watch. Somebody who didn't know any better would of headed up to Tracy and try to deliver some spoiled meat. Who do you think would of got fired. The break down guy or the driver?

In saying all this. Some of us know how to multi task. We know when and when not to be on the phone or text. We are big boys. We don't need somebody to flash their lights when we pass them. We don't jump out in front of speeding traffic that is close to us to pass somebody. We patiently wait until there is plenty of distance for people to adjust their speed. We are not trusting in fuel solutions and GPS devices. We are always looking out for those behind us who can't see what we see. So when we see problems we try to alert those behind us.

A 2 hand death grip on the steering wheel for 11 hours is not an option for us. Now to those who haven't graduated to this status. Please limit all and every distraction. Good day.

 

Really makes you wonder how we got along all those years without knowing on facebook that your classmate whom you graduated 25 years ago with and couldnt stand to begin with kids made the deans list last semester. I am happy to say that my son who is 12 has zero interest in a cell phone or social networking. Maybe there is hope for the future.

 

TMC trans has a policy like that although few drivers follow it from what i saw. If you called dispatch and they herd your gps/engine they would normally hang up. It has to do with liability. Blue tooth or not, of your on the phone any accidents blame will be shifted more towrdes the person on the phone. that being said, I turn off my radio when I get off the highway to reduce distractions on "non steering wheel holder" driving. I certainly wouldnt be on my phone, BT or not if im approaching a stop sign.

 

I remember. I actually liked it. It was a good way to build personal relationships with dispatchers and fleet managers. You helped them and they helped you (of course, some were jerks--that's life). If they needed a favor, you took care of it. They got to know who was professional, reliable, and easy to work with--and that meant good loads and good money for you.

 

So what happens if your load is canceled in route? How do you know if dispatch cant call you or send a voice message on qualcom. (that you can play with one button push) Are you going to drive all the way there before relizig its canceled? Im all for reducing distracted driving, but some times there is not place to pull over for 150 miles on a 2 lane road. I agree with reducing unnecessary use of communication devices while driving, but sometimes essential info needs to be passed on and there is now safe place to stop the truck. Also so many safty warnings and bs gets sent on the qualcome that if you pulled over every time it dinged instead of using the voice feature, you would pull over 20 times a day.