Texting While Driving is Illegal for Semi Truck Drivers
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), which regulates semi truck drivers and bus drivers, has issued a regulation making it illegal for semi truck and bus drivers to text while driving a commercial motor vehicle. The FMCSA noted that texting takes a driver's eyes off of the road for an average of 4.6 seconds. At 65 miles per hour, a tractor trailer or other vehicle would travel approximately 146 yards in those 4.6 seconds the driver is looking at his/her cell phone or other mobile communication device. That is almost a football field and a half.
Because driving while texting is so dangerous and contributes to very serious accidents, particularly when a semi truck is involved, the FMCSA has made it illegal to drive while texting. But what exactly is included in the word "texting"? For semi truck drivers, texting includes not just sending text messages but also preparing text messages and reviewing text messages. Basically if a law enforcement officer sees a driver doing anything with a cell phone or similar device other than talking into it, that semi truck or bus driver can expect to get a ticket for texting while driving.
