What are texting while driving rules for truck drivers?

While texting and driving laws can vary by state, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has promulgated strict rules that prevent truck drivers, bus drivers and other drivers of commercial motor vehicles from texting while driving and also limiting their use of a cell phone and ability to hold a cell phone while driving, as well as participating in other distracted driving behaviors while driving.

It is important for victims who have suffered injuries and harm in truck accident to be familiar with these rules and what is considered truck driver negligence.

Texting is considered writing a text or reading a text while driving. Truck drivers are prohibited from phone use greater than pressing a single button to accept or terminate a phone call while driving. Research conducted by the FMCSA found just how risky texting while driving is for truck drivers. It found that the odds of being involved in a safety-related accident were just over 23 times greater for commercial motor vehicle drivers who texted while driving than those that did not.

Further, texting while driving removes the driver’s eyes from the roadway; hands from the steering wheel and focus and attention from driving. According to research, texting while driving removes the driver’s eyes from the roadway for an average of 4.6 seconds which, if the driver is traveling at 55 miles per hour, is the distance equivalent to traveling the length of a football field without their eyes on the roadway.

Truck accidents can result in catastrophic accidents and injuries for victims injured in one. As a result, a personal injury claim for damages can be brought against a negligent truck driver who caused the accident, such as a distracted truck driver or truck driver who was texting while driving, to recover compensation for their physical, financial and emotional damages.