Hazmat and texting while driving

Discussion in 'Ask An Owner Operator' started by windsmith, Jan 8, 2013.

  1. windsmith

    windsmith Road Train Member

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    Sooo... today I'm passed by a fuel hauler. Not sure if he was loaded or not, but he was placarded. As you all know by now, I always drive AT the posted speed limit, and never above it. This guy comes cruising by me on the left, so you know he was traveling above the posted limit. I look over as he comes by, and he's got his phone up in front of his face, just thumbing away at the screen.

    Unbelievable.
     
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  3. pokerhound67

    pokerhound67 Heavy Load Member

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    driving a huge 80k lb death machine, the placarding is kind of an afterthought as far as how unsafe that is, isnt it?
     
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  4. pokerhound67

    pokerhound67 Heavy Load Member

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    on THAT guy i wouldve called his safety department
     
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  5. windsmith

    windsmith Road Train Member

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    Perhaps, but a large fireball is a bit more sensational in the media than a mountain of spilled cheerios on the highway. Ok, maybe not - but you get the point. :)
     
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  6. dannythetrucker

    dannythetrucker Road Train Member

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    I have kind of mixed feelings about the texting while driving. I mean, it's illegal, don't do it, it's not worth a ticket regardless of how safe or unsafe it is. no mixed feelings on that.

    But I spent some time with my niece who is a freshman in college over the holidays. I mean her and her friends can text without hardly looking at the screen, carry on a conversation with someone else at the same time, while fixing supper or studying. Frankly, it's a skill, and some people are a lot #### better at it than others. I think there are people who can do it and drive just fine.

    I suggest using the voice recorder to reply to texts, I guess that's legal ? Someone prolly bust my chops for that, but how much concentration does it really take to drive down an interstate anyways ?
     
  7. Jynxx

    Jynxx Medium Load Member

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    I would NEVER text while driving my fuel tanker. It only takes a moment for distracted attention to result in an accident. There are talk to text programs but I wouldn't even use those.

    Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2
     
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  8. LandShark

    LandShark Road Train Member

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    Hmmm maybe he was telling his dispatcher he was running a bit late.
    So where did this all happen at?
     
  9. NavigatorWife

    NavigatorWife Road Train Member

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    Actually its not the concentration that is needed, it is that split second that someone jams on his brakes or cuts in front of you that you might just miss. I believe Alabama is doing a program in schools now where a kid is killed texting, don't remember what it is called, "My last 10 seconds" or something like that. It is based on the last text the kid sent before he rearended another car.

    If you are a parent and have driven in a car with a kid you know how distracted you can get just taking your eye off the road to turn and look or swat at them, can you imagine a person on a cellphone texting for miles and miles not watching.
     
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  10. Quickfarms

    Quickfarms Heavy Load Member

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    Is it any worse than those annoying Qualcomm messages from the company?
     
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  11. dannythetrucker

    dannythetrucker Road Train Member

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    well, no, I can't really imagine a person not watching for miles and miles. It only seems logical to me that someone would only glance at the screen quick when there were no cars in front of them or passing and then get their eyes back on the road. Or type a character or two and return eyes to the road. I mean, I know you're right I've seen people staring at the screen, but that's my point. There's the stupid way of doing it and then there's the smart, safe way to do it. I guess our benevolent big brother has decided that since some of us can't do it right that none of us should. However, it seems the ones who can't, still are. I don't know, I guess the arguments already been lost, so I should just drop it. But I'm just saying if you can't figure out how to text safely while driving, maybe we should reconsider whether you should even be driving to begin with ? If you can't glance at a screen when it's safe and return your eyes to the road, does that mean that every billboard that gets your attention you are going to stare at until you crash the car in front of you ?? Maybe we should ban radios too. I mean if the more concentration the better, who knows how many accidents would be prevented if people would hear the cars around them ?
     
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