Just after Thanksgiving, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) announced that they would be implementing a ban on the use of cell phones for drivers of commercial motor vehicles. The ban does not apply to totally hands free operation such as a bluetooth ear piece or wired mic and ear bud combination as long as those devices can be operated by use of a single button on the device. That being said, push-to-talk operation of any sort on a telephone is not permitted even if the PTT is done on a earpiece.

The use of CB’s and other two-way radios are not covered by this ban. The rule is quite clearly targeted to cell phone and, in particular, smart phones. The use of totally voice operated dialing is the only way to initiate a call but the driver my use the single button on the earpiece to answer or hang-up a call.

More information on the ban can be found on the FMCSA website . Most of the frequently asked questions can be found on a site dedicated to those questions at… http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/about/other/faq/cellphone-ban-faqs.aspx

The ban goes into effect Jan 1.

You can contact Association Staff if you need more information.
DSF