Texting and driving? I snitch.

Yeah, it was a prank. You start worrying too much about what the other guy is doing though and it could easily happen. One distraction is no better than the other.

 

What I do is not distracting for the 1 billionth time. Been doing it for over 2 years and not one authority has had anything to say about it. Been wearing my camera into and through weigh stations/ports of entry/AG Checks and Border Patrol Check stations and not one of those in authority have had one thing to say about it. My company has seen my videos and has said Zero about it.

Some drivers on Reddit put together a petition to the FMCSA to have my CDL revoked and failed. Other drivers have suggested if they saw me filming that they'd "knock my chicklets" (teeth) out. Not one person has ever approached me in real life in a threatening manner about the camera.

This being being TTR such as it is, the #1 best trucking online community on the internet, one would think my fellow TTR's would rally around ole scottied67 and celebrate his drive toward improving safety in the trucking community. *Heavy sigh*, well perhaps someday y'all will appreciate what I do when we are all old and grey.

 

Really, wow.

Relax, I was funnin' with you.

If you think you're improving safety, good job I guess.

 

Of course there's a difference between the two. The problem is that for some, not all, there is a similar, not identical effect. Some people simply cannot use proper judgement when it comes to prioritizing their actions, in this case talking to someone while performing a safety related function.
I spend up to several hours each night (hands-free) on the phone with coworkers. When you've got nothing but black asphalt with solid or evenly spaced broken white lines surrounded by near complete darkness, anyone here can recognize the potential hypnotic effect while driving. Talking to someone helps break the potential effect and keep your mind active.
The trick is recognizing when it's time to pause or break off conversation. In my case (and for my coworkers as well), I will maintain conversation as long as we have something to talk about, or until I'm within a mile or two of my exit. At that point, the focus needs to shift and get more refined because now there will be more hazards as I pull into Everett, Seattle, Portland, etc. Traffic lights, cars, pedestrians, hard turns in a downtown area with up to 53' trailers take center stage. Conversation can continue once I get back on the highway. Prioritizing is what can make the difference.

 

My latest in a continuing series of 'truckers on the phone' snitching videos, presented to professional drivers in the hopes that we can clean up our own industry without further regulation dumped upon us.....

 

It's clear as day, that little black sliver in front of him is his phone, he had ear buds coming up from it to his ears, presumably listening to music or talking with someone.

 

Coming home from a late run at 2:00 am, I come to a photo light intersection. Not a car on the road, and it's a divided 4 lane. Suddenly, as I hear the light, it mysteriously changes and dares me to run it. It even seemed to know my speed and exactly when to change it. Ah, technology. Freaking crooks.

 

Minnesota State Patrol getting serious with the texting and driving thing-- here's an article from their facebook page I have copied it here in case you don't have fb and cannot see the original post.

This situation is eerily similar to a fatal crash in February that killed a man on Highway 36 in Lake Elmo. Except this time, an officer stopped the semi driver before he killed anyone.

A Blaine police officer stopped a commercial vehicle this morning. The driver of the 18 wheeler admitted to using his phone to shop on Craigslist while at a traffic light. One of our troopers responded to help with the traffic stop and conduct an inspection. The driver was issued a citation.

If you’re texting, surfing, clicking, posting … you’re not driving. Extra distracted driving enforcement is on Minnesota roads through April 22.

Minnesota State Patrol

Meanwhile here is my latest snitch video - saving lives one video at a time as always!