Texting is Now a No

from Reuters

( By the way is it texting when someone is typing in an address to get a telephone number to call?)

U.S. Bans Texting by Drivers of Large Trucks, Buses

The U.S. government Tuesday banned hand-held "texting'' by drivers of large commercial trucks and buses to avoid the danger of distracted driving.

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said in a statement the prohibition takes effect immediately. It follows a similar ban in December for drivers of federal government vehicles.

"We want the drivers of big rigs and buses and those who share the roads with them to be safe,'' LaHood said. "This is an important safety step and we will be taking more to eliminate the threat of distracted driving.''

The new ban carries fines of up to $2,750.

Research by trucking regulators show that drivers take their eyes off the road for much of the time that they send and receive text messages, and they are significantly more at risk of getting into an accident than someone who is not texting.

The National Safety Council, a research and advocacy group, estimates that 200,000 crashes of all types on U.S. roads are caused by drivers who are "texting.''

Nearly two dozen U.S. states ban "texting'' while driving for all motor vehicles and others are considering similar action. Legislation has also been introduced in Congress to prohibit the practice.

Many U.S. companies also ban "texting'' by their employees while driving on the job.

CAB- 2009 Review and Look Ahead to 2010

CAB again stands for the Central Analysi Bureau, a GTU partner and friend, who we think espouses great knowledge with respect to transportation insurance in particular and the transportation industry in general. I attach their year-end review and there is something in it for everyone. Here are some things I see which gave me some pause:

Simple survival was the main objective for most of the country in 2009.
The USA saw over 1.4 million reported bankruptcy filings.
With respect to trucking in 2009, 785 companies with an average fleet size of 50 power units or 39,030 trucks are no longer on the road.
The trucking industry lost 90,000 jobs or a decline of 6.7%.
From a bright spot perspective, owner-operators reported the number of miles driven up 1.5%.
Based on a commodity flow survey, electronics, electrical, and office equipment were the top commodities in terms of values shipped representing $1 trillion in values.
With respect to tonnage, coal was tops at 836 billion ton miles.
The average loss per major cargo theft was $2.1 million.

You can see the entire report:

http://www.cabfinancial.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=901:2009-review-and-look-ahead-to-2010&catid=23:resume&Itemid=30