- Joined
- Mar 11, 2009
- Messages
- 41,104
- Reaction score
- 12,202
- Location
- South Carolina
- Gender
- Male
- Political Leaning
- Conservative
WASHINGTON - The U.S. government on Friday proposed prohibiting commercial truck and bus drivers from using cellphones while behind the wheel.
The Transportation Department rule would affect approximately 4 million drivers, who are already banned by the government from texting while working.
The proposal is the latest move in Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood's stepped-up campaign against distracted driving in which he has questioned cellphone use in passenger cars and "hands free" communications technology.
"Every time a commercial truck or bus driver takes his or her eyes off the road to use a cellphone, even for a few seconds, the driver places everyone around them at risk," LaHood said in a statement.
www.cnbc.com/id/40724585
I am so sick of this type of smear coming out of mental midgets like LaHood, and others that seek to blame the ills of driving and accident rates on Truckers. It is intellectually lazy.
We deliver the things you use every damned day, and what thanks do we get for it? Flipped off, honked at, called in on threatening our lively hood, and ever increasing regulation and taxation that will result in Americans paying much higher costs at the check out line.
Car drivers have over the years, my own some 20 years driving, become rude, rule of the road breakers, and completely selfish in their driving, not caring a bit whom they place in danger. And who constantly gets the blame for it? We do, Truckers!
Heck even stories on the news that show truck vs car accidents on the highways often don't tell the watchers until the very end of the story that the car was at fault.
Lawyers cashing in, suing even if their client was the cause of the accident like bottom feeders they are.
Now, I am not saying that there are some truckers out there that are inexperienced, and do cause some problems, however, you keep it up, (talking to the ungrateful masses here) and just wait. When myself, and my cohorts that do have the experience decide to pack it in, then you'll be left with nothing but greenhorns. Good luck with that.
j-mac
Do you see it as targeting? Every vehicle is taking the heat right now.
Doesn't seem logical to me to ban cellphone use by truckers. IMO, they are some of the safest drivers on the road, by the way. I could see mandating hands-free only....but I can see that for passenger cars as well. Truck drivers need some distraction to stay alert when driving, IMO. Cellphone calls can accomplish that quite nicely.
Do you see it as targeting?
Every vehicle is taking the heat right now.
Doesn't seem logical to me to ban cellphone use by truckers. IMO, they are some of the safest drivers on the road, by the way.
I could see mandating hands-free only....but I can see that for passenger cars as well.
Truck drivers need some distraction to stay alert when driving, IMO. Cellphone calls can accomplish that quite nicely.
And highly trained.
I am not sure I disagree with this.
If truckers went back to only using CBs, it would be more of a fun atmosphere.
I think the government should outlaw beaver hunting for truckers ONLY. It is just as dangerous as cellphone use.
Remeber the '70s
Most drivers don't have time for that silliness. I drive over 600 miles a day when on the road, and have a schedule to meet.
Negative stereo types only hurt those of us taking our responsibilities seriously.
j-mac
What I want overturned is the Fed ban on truckers having a gun in the cab.
What I want overturned is the Fed ban on truckers having a gun in the cab.
What negative stereotypes would that be?
I think the government should outlaw beaver hunting for truckers ONLY. It is just as dangerous as cellphone use.
Remeber the '70s
There is a ban on this? Really?
Oh yeah....Crossing into I think IL with a gun is a crime.
j-mac
Sometimes big rigs may be involved with interstate commerceBad idea and violation of the 10th Amendment, transportation is supposed to be a state issue.
I am so sick of this type of smear coming out of mental midgets like LaHood, and others that seek to blame the ills of driving and accident rates on Truckers. It is intellectually lazy.
We deliver the things you use every damned day, and what thanks do we get for it? Flipped off, honked at, called in on threatening our lively hood, and ever increasing regulation and taxation that will result in Americans paying much higher costs at the check out line.
Car drivers have over the years, my own some 20 years driving, become rude, rule of the road breakers, and completely selfish in their driving, not caring a bit whom they place in danger. And who constantly gets the blame for it? We do, Truckers!
Heck even stories on the news that show truck vs car accidents on the highways often don't tell the watchers until the very end of the story that the car was at fault.
Lawyers cashing in, suing even if their client was the cause of the accident like bottom feeders they are.
Now, I am not saying that there are some truckers out there that are inexperienced, and do cause some problems, however, you keep it up, (talking to the ungrateful masses here) and just wait. When myself, and my cohorts that do have the experience decide to pack it in, then you'll be left with nothing but greenhorns. Good luck with that.
j-mac
Yeah, but we're allowed to travel with a firearmCellphone use in Arkansas is banned for all.
So I don't get what you're complaining about - you're actually bringing up a different issue.
Is the fact of how other people are with their driving suppose to make cellphones permissible or something?
Yeah, but we're allowed to travel with a firearm
I think the trucking industry is too subsidized for our good:
(1) gas costs much less than coffee (if it were coffee we're talking about a quarter a cup); (2) they tear up publicly funded roads (there's no argument, larger trucks do the worst damage to intra-interstate highways)-- for starters.
We sacrificed railways for the trucking industry and it is coming back to haunt us. However, they should keep their cell phones.
We sacrificed railways for the trucking industry?
Since when - a lot of trucking is done from the rail depots TO the destination.
I live near a depot - the railways that come through town are constantly busy.
Irrelevant. The trucking industry is much bigger.
BTS | Table 1 - Commercial Freight Activity in the United States by Mode of Transportation: 2002
11,000 billion tons by truck 1,000 billion by train.
I think train transport is more efficient in terms of fuel usage, but infrastructure requirements are (obviously) higher - you probably see more trains because there is a track nearby - if a town isn't near one...I think Arkansas was settled later than PA, and because of that, it may have more towns that were built around tracks or tracks built to towns, due to that technology being developed in the interim.Could have fooled me - I definitely see far more trains than trucks but I guess when I lived in the city it was a different story.
Good, they need to ban cell phone usage while driving. If they have to start with truckers to do it then so be it. Just so long as it gets applied to everyone else that drives on the road eventually then I'll be content.
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?