Cellphone ban for commercial drivers starts Jan. 3

With the new year comes a new rule for Missouri's commercial drivers -- no cellphones.

Starting Jan. 3, commercial motor vehicle drivers -- including those behind the wheel of a school bus -- are banned from using hand-held mobile phones and push-to-talk cellphones while driving.

The ban is being implemented by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and the Pipeline and Hazardous Safety Administration. The agencies cited research that shows drivers distracted by hand-held phones pose a safety risk to themselves and other motorists.

"Anything that takes attention away from the full time job of driving is dangerous," said Capt. Tim Hill, spokesman for the Missouri State Highway Patrol. "But we don't pass the laws. We enforce them. And we will absolutely enforce this one."

The rule is a primary offense, giving officers the authority to stop drivers observed talking on cellphones, Hull said.

Specifically, the rule prohibits drivers from reaching for, holding or dialing a mobile phone while driving, and it applies to commercial motor vehicle truck and bus drivers who operate in Missouri as well as interstate drivers.

School bus drivers and those driving vehicles designed to carry nine to 15 passengers are included. The ban applies when the vehicle is in operation on the highway, when temporarily stopped on the highway for traffic and when waiting at a stoplight or stop sign.

Local commercial transportation companies largely said they already disallowed their drivers from chatting on the phone while operating their vehicles.

Timothy Stokes is company spokesman at Cincinnati, Ohio-based First Group America, which operates First Student, Greyhound and First Transit. First Student provides bus service for the Cape Girardeau School District.

For several years, Stokes said, it has been company policy to forbid the use of cellphones while driving. Drivers have a dispatch radio and the company prefers they pull over to a safe location before using it, he said.

"The safety and security of passengers and our students we transport is the most important thing to us," he said. "... It's a start to make the roads safer as well."

Tom Mogelnicki, executive director of Cape Girardeau County Transit Authority, said the same holds true for the 50 operators of the 32-vehicle fleet, which includes four city buses and 15 passenger vans. Drivers use two-way radios and are already prohibited from talking on cellphones or texting while driving.

The Missouri Department of Transportation sent a video to the authority a few years ago showing a bus driver who caused a crash because he was texting.

"From then on, our drivers weren't allowed to use cellphones to text or talk," Mogelnicki said.

Under the ban, drivers can use a hand-held cellphone only if the vehicle is stopped in an area safe for parking a commercial vehicle, or to communicate with law enforcement or other emergency services to report emergencies.

"It's about safety," said Jan Skouby, the Missouri Department of Transportation's motor carrier services director. "Any steps that can be taken to reduce fatalities is something MoDOT will support in any way we can."

The new rule affects all commercial motor vehicles operated in interstate commerce with gross vehicle weight rating of 10,001 pounds or more or a vehicle transporting any amount of hazardous material requiring a placard. Violators can face federal civil penalties of up to $2,750 for each offense. Companies that allow their commercial truck or bus drivers to use hand-held phones while driving face a fine of up to $11,000. Citations of hand-held mobile phone violations will affect both driver and company federal compliance, safety and accountability scores.

Staff writer Melissa Miller contributed to this report.

smoyers@semissourian.com

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