Carlos Cavasos hears a lot about how truckers cause problems for other drivers, but he never felt more singled out than he did Tuesday.
That's when President Obama's transportation secretary released a policy that prohibits truckers and bus drivers from sending and receiving text messages behind the wheel. If caught texting by police, commercial drivers could pay up to $2,750 in fines.
"There is no difference between a big truck and a car going down the road texting or anything else," Mr. Cavasos said Thursday while stopped at Cochran's Auto Truck Stop in Ringgold, Ga. "I couldn't afford it."
The policy states that truckers are responsible for the full fine, requiring no financial assistance from their employer.
Last year, Tennessee legislators passed a law that makes text messaging illegal for all drivers, including truckers. Georgia legislators are considering similar legislation.
The maximum fine in Tennessee -- $50 along with $10 in court costs -- is considerably lower than the federal agency's recent texting ban on commercial drivers.
The $2,750 federal fine for texting drivers would be added on top of the state fine.
"The fine should be even for everybody," said Mr. Cavasos, a Michigan native who was heading back home in his truck after a turnaround in Augusta, Ga.
But a local trucking company official sees the policy as an opportunity for truck drivers to set a positive example for other motorists.
"We support the ban," said Greg Thompson, spokesman for U.S. Xpress Enterprises in Chattanooga. "It tells the professional drivers, 'You guys need to lead the way on this,' which I think we're willing to do. It confirms what everybody knows -- that distracted driving is dangerous driving."
Research cited in a U.S. Department of Transportation news release shows that texting drivers are more than 20 times more likely to wreck.
Officials see a correlation between distracted driving and catastrophe, but state authorities are scrambling to find ways to add substance to the new policy. Like many policies issued by the federal government, state and local authorities must enforce the rule.
TEXTING WHILE DRIVING FINES* New federal policy states that commercial truckers who text while driving can be fined up to $2,750.* Tennessee law states that all drivers caught while texting can be fined $50 plus $10 in court costs.* Georgia does not have a law against texting while driving, but is contemplating one.Source: U.S. Department of Transportation, newspaper archives
"First and foremost, realize that when rules like this are set out, most follow the rule," said Bob Dallas, director of the Governor's Office of Highway Safety in Georgia. "But there are components that are very difficult to enforce. Hopefully, existence of the policy results in a lot of folks saying, 'That's the law; I'm going to follow it.'"
Georgia state officials said that, despite the lack of a grace period to understand the policy, the Obama administration worked with them to promote safety on the road.
"Safety is our No. 1 concern, so we encourage safe driver practices for all motorists," said Erica Fatima, spokeswoman for the Georgia Department of Transportation. "And certainly texting while driving is something that can be considered very unsafe."