Hallelulah!
The FMCSA and PHMSA are amending the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations and the Hazardous Materials Regulations to restrict the use of hand-held mobile telephones by drivers of commercial motor vehicles.
By preventing tractor-trailer drivers from using hand-held cellular phones, these new rules will obviously improve safety on the nation’s highways by reducing the prevalence of distracted drivers. Distracted drivers are the number one cause of crashes, fatalities, and injuries caused by drivers of commercial vehicles.
The agencies are also implement new driver disqualification sanctions for drivers of vehicles who do not to comply with this restriction and new driver sanctions for holders of commerical driver’s licenses who have multiple convictions for violating a State or local laws that restricts the use of hand-held mobile telephones while driving.
Motor carriers are now also prohibited from requiring or allowing drivers of CMVs to use hand-held mobile telephones.
I applaud these agencies for their commitment to protecting the welfare of innocent drivers everywhere. I have represented too many people who have been injured as a result of truck drivers either talking on cell phones or texting while driving — while hurling down our roads in big rigs.
When I file suit in these 18 wheeler cases, I subpoena the driver’s call logs from the cell phone carrier to prove that he was talking instead of caring about what he was doing.
I recently concluded a case where I was able to prove that the trucker had been calling on his cell phone immediately before he crashed into the rear of my client’s pick up truck, seriously hurting him and his wife.
If you’ve been hurt in a wreck, call my office at 817-885-8000 or fill out this form for a free evaluation. The sooner I start working on your case, the sooner I can start collecting time-sensitive information to help you get the maximum amount of money possible.