eletronic device debate

[eggd1ver]

O.K. I have not here any thing on the cell phone issue that is about to be decussed on captial hill this week coming. there also going to try to put pressure on our comp. cbs & gps's. I am one that use's a hands free device but you also have to push a button to make the call. I use my comp. while not driving are my wife gets on it for me. My gps is programed before driving I also have to look at it time to time as far as the cb I listen hardly ever talk on it but get traffic info which has saved me alot of time setting in traffic.

RICK & IDA, PANTHER DRIVERS

 

[greg334]

It is the same amount of BS that has taken place in the past.

6000 people have been killed or they claim killed from cell phone texting and general usage and they treat this as such a big deal.

The root of the problem is the inability to drive the vehicle in the first place, we need a uniformed licensing system that put safety first (somethjing like Germany's would be a good start), tough CDL exams for all commercial and RV driving where they have to actually prove they can handle the truck (toter) and the elimination of this idea that driving is a right.

Seeing first hand someone who has only had their license for 8 months get a speeding ticket (90 in a 45) not once but twice in 8 months and the judge not pulling his license both times but lecturing the kid illustrates the real problems. His brother followed in the kids footsteps, 110 in a 45.

 

[moose]

(somethjing like Germany's would be a good start), .

Can you please let us know how the system work in Germany ?

this is not about safety , its about money , just look for where the good Ole ATA stand on it ... they want to out law all but QC ...
also look for where the insurance Co. are pushing , not only youg drivers , but also commercial , like buses and taxi's .
if it will be outlaw , then they don't need to pay.
we are all next in line !

this is about driver training , i have no idea about taxting while driving , just because i never tried that before ,
but GPS/ Head set/ QC /music players & alike are not dangerous as long as the driver under go the necessary training .
i had the opportunity to do just that (it was free ) it is amassing what you can learn from a well trained instructor .

this will limits our competitive advantage as a well trained professional experience truckers ,
and will lower our lifestyle .

 

[OntarioVanMan]

Ban all electronics for a driver...100% attention span! not one second diverted anywhere but to driving....No more toys!! Ban the toys!!

 

[greg334]

Can you please let us know how the system work in Germany ?

Well it is not the read the 15 page pamphlet and take the 10 question test way of licensing. It is not the "well that's ok that you failed.... here's what you missed... that's a stop sign... see the word stop?..... go back and make the correction...." Michigan style of testing.

The first thing is an eye exam, then first aid course, then driving school (which can be long) and then a test(s) with weighted answers (I say test(s) because I have one book for one test and then I am told there are six for students). If you get that far, then you get a road test. The process is not easy and shouldn't be. It is also costly and time consuming.

I think it would help with a lot of the issues we have on the roads today. Trucking and RVs (toters) are a different issue, the practical test should also include actually doing a real prertrip with brake checks and other mechical activities. That last thing will discourage these "let's get a truck and see the country" people.

As for money, I was reading this fed thing is addressing a lot more than Trucks and the distractions, more like the Feds trying to do some good when not doing any good while trying to appear to do something to distract people from health care.

The solution for Texting issue is simple, tell the telcoms to stop the service - problem solved. No more massive deaths and carnige on the highway, no more truckers twitting to their pals while running over nuns in a cross walk at the fuel isles and no more kids sending texts while driving becuase they are mad at thier BFFs because of some faux paux when hanging at the mall.

See Michigan is so concern about distractions that they have been proactive in making sure drivers are distracted. On one of the many electronic signs (which the signs themselves are a distraction for the illiterate drivers) they have a big message - GO TO WWW.MICH.GOV/DRIVE FOR TRAFFIC INFORMATION - isn't that great, using the signs to tell the drivers to yank out their iPhones and blackberrys to go to the web site instead of posting the information on the sign.

 

[moose]

i will take most of what you say ,
but not the professional experience commercial drivers .
just like emergency's drivers , law informants and alike
in their case it is not about safety but about training and accountability .

if you prevent a trucker from communicating while driving , you will have trucks blocking traffic lines , and parking on trees , just so they can fined a needed piece of info.
if you limit their ability to GPS , they will get lost , simple as that .
there is only as mach info. that can be handed ahead of starting the trip,

the hands free cell phone is not dangerous by itself ,only if the driver is not trained on how and when to use it .
banding it from trucks will create a match more dangerous situations out there ,
i rather drive next to a well trained trucker , then let an untrained driver look for a place to park in southern New England.
it is a shame what our professional came down to.

why can't they just mandate the needed driver training ?
O'h yh'a , that will be the right things to do ...

 

[redytrk]

GPS can disable texting while vehicle is moving. MAKE IT A LAW!!!

 

[OntarioVanMan]

if you prevent a trucker from communicating while driving , you will have trucks blocking traffic lines , and parking on trees , just so they can fined a needed piece of info.
if you limit their ability to GPS , they will get lost , simple as that .
there is only as mach info. that can be handed ahead of starting the trip,

Why? Why would this happen? Only because they did not prepare in advance....they did not have these way back when and there was no chaos on the roads....

Lazy drivers need GPS devices....drivers in a hurry need GPS devices...unprepared drivers need GPS devices....

 

[Scuba]

Funny how they want to take gps from trucks and we are supposed to be professionals. Yet in most brands of new cars they come equipped with gps built in. Nice to know that they think more about the driving skills of car drivers than they do about “professional” truckers. also are the cops going to take the computers out of their cop cars? or is the plan to only ban these things for the "professionals"

 

[OntarioVanMan]

Funny how they want to take gps from trucks and we are supposed to be professionals. Yet in most brands of new cars they come equipped with gps built in. Nice to know that they think more about the driving skills of car drivers than they do about “professional” truckers. also are the cops going to take the computers out of their cop cars? or is the plan to only ban these things for the "professionals"

why the ordinary commuter that goes back and forth the same way everyday needs a GPS....thats funny but stupid...

A real professional driver will prepare for his trip in advance...NOT fly by the seat of his pants...

 

[Scuba]

Well I guess that after 27 years I’m just not real enough. First you would need a friggen map of every town in the country to be able to plan every load from start to finish. If not at some point you are guessing. There have been times while stuck in traffic my gps will show me there is a way to get back to rolling at a glance unlike a map that I will have to unfold find my location then try to find my way around then refold the map so you can start rolling again. Not all secondary roads show up on all maps. It’s a tool nothing more nothing less if you don’t wish to use the tool then don’t know one makes you use one. How many times have you called a shipper or a cons only to get really crappy directions. You get passed to several people until you get the one person with an iq higher than 10 that can tell you the right way into their place.

 

[Scuba]

GPS can disable texting while vehicle is moving. MAKE IT A LAW!!!

Yes that;s what we need more laws i vote for the no chewing gum while walking it could get lodged in your windpipe while walking. Do you people need the government making a law to control everything you do??????

 

[OntarioVanMan]

Well I guess that after 27 years I’m just not real enough. First you would need a friggen map of every town in the country to be able to plan every load from start to finish. If not at some point you are guessing. There have been times while stuck in traffic my gps will show me there is a way to get back to rolling at a glance unlike a map that I will have to unfold find my location then try to find my way around then refold the map so you can start rolling again. Not all secondary roads show up on all maps. It’s a tool nothing more nothing less if you don’t wish to use the tool then don’t know one makes you use one. How many times have you called a shipper or a cons only to get really crappy directions. You get passed to several people until you get the one person with an iq higher than 10 that can tell you the right way into their place.

Oh...I agree...but some drivers can't even find the exit of the parking lot without the GPS....
Example...look at how many post they are out of service to get the AC fixed...especially when it is busy....

 

[moose]

a good read on the issue at hand :

TruckingInfo.com : We've got trucking covered. Your Source for Trucking News and Information

 

[CharlesD]

Right now while cruising up I-95 I am typing this post, turning up the radio volume, selecting something on my ipod, talking on the phone, playing online euchre, eating lunch, and submitting a bid on the Panther bid board. I'm not the least bit distra

 

[cheri1122]

Ban all electronics for a driver...100% attention span! not one second diverted anywhere but to driving....No more toys!! Ban the toys!!

OK, toys are banned - but what about kids in the backseat, and passengers? The radio, and CD [or cassette] player?
And how about those billboards, too?
The root problem is driving while distracted. The solution lies in education of ALL drivers on the need to focus attention on one's driving.
PS I believe the GPS has eliminated more distractions than created them: looking for streets, route numbers, buildings, etc. Particularly in dark and/or low visibility situations, and places where the street sign is missing, the address is nonexistent, bldg has a different name - and we've all been there, eh? The GPS shows me what my eyes can't see, and I think that's a GOOD thing.

 

[virginiaham]

I believe the GPS has eliminated more distractions than created them: looking for streets, route numbers, buildings, etc. GPS shows me what my eyes can't see, and I think that's a GOOD thing.

100% agree and probably one of the best comments to come out of this discussion.

 

[OntarioVanMan]

OK, toys are banned - but what about kids in the backseat, and passengers? The radio, and CD [or cassette] player?
And how about those billboards, too?
The root problem is driving while distracted. The solution lies in education of ALL drivers on the need to focus attention on one's driving.
PS I believe the GPS has eliminated more distractions than created them: looking for streets, route numbers, buildings, etc. Particularly in dark and/or low visibility situations, and places where the street sign is missing, the address is nonexistent, bldg has a different name - and we've all been there, eh? The GPS shows me what my eyes can't see, and I think that's a GOOD thing.

Oh, I agree.....i was being a little sarcastic....

 

[Turtle]

The New York Times: Utah Gets Tough with Texting Drivers

After a crash here that killed two scientists — and prompted a dogged investigation by a police officer and local victim’s advocate — Utah passed the nation’s toughest law to crack down on texting behind the wheel. Offenders now face up to 15 years in prison.

The new law, which took effect in May, penalizes a texting driver who causes a fatality as harshly as a drunken driver who kills someone. In effect, a crash caused by such a multitasking motorist is no longer considered an “accident” like one caused by a driver who, say, runs into another car because he nodded off at the wheel. Instead, such a crash would now be considered inherently reckless.

Full article at the link.

In a related story, Federal employees are now banned from texting while driving. Bus drivers and interstate truckers will also face the ban, once the government, in their infinite wisdom, can come up with a definition of "texting while driving".
Texting While Driving Banned for Federal Staff

 

[moose]

Yha'p they got it wrong ... again .
nothing good came up from that Texting Summit.

"Girls gone wild behind the wheel ,
& truckers pay the price..."

There was not one word about driver training .
or rewarding safe driving.
this summit was all about the Money.