Industry Awaits Final Rule to Ban Cell-Phone Use by CDL Drivers
With so much attention on the final rule to change truck drivers’ hours-of-service (HOS), a slightly less contentious issue is also in the hands of the White House’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB): the proposed rule to ban cell-phone use by commercial drivers.
Unlike HOS reform, the proposed cell-phone ban is expected to move through the OMB review process more swiftly.
According to the FMCSA’s submitted abstract, this rulemaking “would restrict the use of mobile telephones while operating a commercial motor vehicle.” In addition, the rulemaking addresses a safety recommendation on the National Transportation Safety Board’s “Most Wanted List”.
Many in the trucking industry have asked for the distinction between the use of handheld and hands-free mobile devices, arguing that hands-free use does not elevate crash risk, and perhaps even reduces it.
NTSB acknowledged that the recommendation to ban all cell phone use – including hands-free devices – may not be popular. According to NTSB Chairman Deborah Hersman, “We’re not here to be popular. We’re here to do what needs to be done.”
This is another step in the Department of Transportation’s ongoing national effort to curb distracted driving. Late last year, a rule that bans the specific act of texting while operating a commercial motor vehicle was finalized and became law.
For more information on DOT’s efforts to reduce driver distraction, please visit www.distraction.gov.
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