Smart Service Truck Operators Avoid Smartphones When Driving

Drive even a few miles down the road, and you’re likely to see more than a few people behind the wheel and staring down at their phone.

Distracted drivers busy with their smartphones and other digital devices are a growing hazard across the country. And for service truck operators and others who make their living on the road, the phenomenon is prompting new questions — and new regulations — for using those devices on the job.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recently released a notice of proposed new federal guidelines for in-vehicle devices. The NHTSA recommended that electronic systems be linked together so they could be operated through a single system — and that certain functions be disabled while the vehicle was in operation.

The proposals are now under review, so it’s not yet clear when and if they’ll be implemented. Either way, service truck operators across the country said it’s clear that individual drivers, the companies they work for, and federal regulators all need to work together to reduce distracted driving.

Regulations and testing needed

“We need regulations, restrictions on driving and testing, especially,” said Alfred Boeck, owner of A.L. Boeck & Co., an on-site heavy equipment repair company in Boeoerne, Texas. “We, as a business owner, make our employees (talk) hands-free only, but they’ll get cut off the road by someone who is texting and driving.”

In proposing new regulations, the NHTSA points to the growing number of road fatalities caused by distracted drivers. In 2015, the most recent year for which data is available, 10 percent of traffic deaths in the U.S. — 3,477 fatalities — were caused by a distracted driver. That was a nearly 9 percent jump from 2014.

Meanwhile, distracted drivers caused, 16 percent of the non-fatal crashes in 2014. Those incidents injured 424,000 people. The leading cause of all of those crashes: cellphones and other portable devices.

The agency’s report breaks down the reason why a few glances at a text message can lead to a deadly crash. When sending or receiving a text message, it said, a driver focuses his or her eyes of the road for an average of 23 seconds.

“That means while traveling at 55 miles per hour, a driver’s eyes are off the road for more than a third of a mile for every text message sent or received,” the report says.

While several states have mandated hands-free technology for in-vehicle phone use, and others have specifically prohibited texting while driving, there are no federal guidelines for using other devices, like those sometimes mounted inside service trucks.

“Lock out” mode proposed

In making its recommendations, the NHTSA notes that it discourages the use of phones and other devices and it is supportive of state’s moves to regulate them. But the agency is also aiming to ensure that other devices meant to be used while driving are set up to provide the smallest amount of distraction possible.

The guidelines suggest a “lock-out” system that would block the devices from displaying video, images, automatically scrolling text or text messages while in “driver mode.” The agency is also encouraging products designed to be able to tell the difference when a driver or a passenger is operating them, so they can display different options.

Some service truck operators said they already have their own, low-tech system for staying off their computer or other devices — they keep them powered down and out of reach while on the road.

“I have a laptop but I do not make it accessible to me,” said Dan Anderson, a service tech with Van Wall Equipment in Perry, Iowa. “It’s very tempting to glance over there.

In Iowa, it’s illegal to use a phone while driving a commercial vehicle, unless the driver uses a hands-free system. Anderson’s company provides headsets and some useful guidance on when to take a customer call and when to focus on the road.

“My boss said the only call you have to answer is from me,” said Anderson, who is also a Service Truck Magazine contributor best known for authoring the Spec My Truck feature. “There’s a priority list: the boss has to be answered, another mechanic is my choice and customers are my option. I certainly want to serve my customers, but I have that flexibility.”

Phone essential on the road

Fear of missing out on a job in a fast-paced world is one of the reasons some service truck operators have a hard time keeping devices out of reach.

Larry Bryant, a road service tech with the Virginia Truck Center in Roanoke, Va., said he tucks away his laptops in a storage area in his truck. The phone, however, is usually nearby.

“There’s no way to do this job without using your phone and especially in situations where time counts,” he said. “You can’t pull off the side of the road every time your phone rings, as much as you’d like to.”

Bryant said truckers facing regulations about how long they can be on the road are often on a particular time crunch when they call for assistance, making it hard to be out of reach.

“It’s more so now than ever that people don’t want to wait,” he said, “and if they can’t get a hold of you and you don’t answer the phone when they call, they’re just going to find somebody else.”

Still, Bryant said he prefers using hands-free systems and would like to see a solution to the mentality that calls need to be answered right away.

In Texas, which also has a law requiring hands-free devices, Boeck said his rule for his employees is simple: hands-free headsets for phones and no laptops while driving. He said the hands-free system isn’t a perfect solution, but it’s better than nothing.

“I’m sure it distracts them somewhat, but it’s nowhere near as bad as if they were holding the phone, trying to shift a standard transmission and driving with their knee,” Boeck said.

Erin Golden is a writer based in Minnesota.