Ban on Hand-Held Cell Phone Use for Truck Drivers Effective Soon « Houston Accident Attorney | Texas Personal Injury Lawyer Houston

Ban on Hand-Held Cell Phone Use for Truck Drivers Effective Soon

In the next few weeks, a ban on the use of handheld cell phones by commercial truck drivers will go into effect. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has finalized a rule that bans the use of handheld cell phones by commercial truck drivers, except in emergency situations. The rule follows another one on texting while driving for commercial truck and bus drivers.

The rule is scheduled to be published in the Federal Register on December 2. It’ll go into effect about 30 days after it is published in the Federal Register. Under the rule, commercial truck drivers who use a handheld cell phone while driving are liable to be fined up to $2, 750. In case of repeat offenses, they also face revocation of their commercial driver’s license. Under the new rule, employers whose drivers are caught using a handheld cell phone while driving can also face fines of up to $11,000.

The rule has been supported by Houston truck accident lawyers, the American Trucking Associations and trucking safety groups. There is enough research to indicate that the use of handheld cell phones while driving increases the risk of an accident because it encourages a driver to take his eyes off the road on his hands off the wheel. Ideally, Houston truck accident lawyers would be happy with a ban on all kinds of cell phone use behind the wheel, but a ban on hand-held cell phone use will do for a start. Under the rule, drivers are forbidden not only from using a cell phone while driving, but also from reaching out for a phone, and dialing a phone.