The U.S. Department of Transportation this morning announced a ban on texting or the use of handheld cell phones by drivers of commercial vehicles, effective immediately, with violators subject to civil or criminal penalties of up to $2,750.


The federal guidance to expressly prohibit texting was announced by Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration chief Anne Ferro. The action is not a new regulation, which could take years to put into effect, but instead is a result of the department's interpretation of existing rules.

"I've directed the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, led by Administrator Anne Ferro, to use its existing authority to prohibit commercial truck and bus drivers from texting while driving, using any handheld cellphone or other device that takes a driver's attention off the road," said LaHood.

The move has been anticipated since last October, when LaHood said the department is committed to reducing distracted driving. (See Distracted Driving Summit Sets Stage for Reform," 10/1/2009.)

"Our regulations will help prevent unsafe activity within the cab," said Ferro. "We want to make it crystal clear to operators and their employers that texting while driving is the type of unsafe activity that these regulations are intended to prohibit."

LaHood has described distracted driving as a national epidemic. Researchers at Virginia Tech found that truck drivers who send text messages on a cell phone are about 23 times more likely to get into some type of crash or near-miss than drivers who keep their eyes on the road. A report last year by the Pew Research Center said that a quarter of U.S. 16- and 17-year-olds who have cell phones text while driving, and almost half of Americans between ages 12 and 17 have been in cars where the driver was texting.

You can read more about the secretary's reasoning behind the move on his blog.

The trucking industry generally applauds the effort to restrain reckless driver behavior. Many fleets already restrict cell phone use by drivers in the cab. The American Trucking Associations has told Congress and DOT that it supports banning the use of hand-held electronic devices, including texting, while a vehicle is in motion. Owner-operator Dale Wiederholt, a member of the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, said, "All drivers need to put safety first and fully focus on operating their vehicles."

Look for more details on Truckinginfo.com later today.