Truckers May be Banned from Using Cell Phones

Truckers may be banned from using cell phones on the job completely.

One driver tells NewsChannel 9 that a decision made by the National Transportation Safety Board could make roads more dangerous.

In this day and age cell phones have almost become a necessity for drivers.

"Helps you keep your mind occupied a little bit because the road gets kind of boring, there's nothing around you, nothing behind you, next to you, for hundreds of miles, it's pitch black, it's dark," McDonald said.

But, if the road is your job truck driver Howard McDonald says no phone could mean more wrecks.

"If they ban from using it in the truck, it's going to be a bad thing there might be more wrecks, more fatalities on the road," McDonald said.

The National Transportation Safety Board recommends states ban the use of cell phones by commercial truck drivers.

But, McDonald says his phone keeps him safe and alert.

"I think it would be a bad idea. Typically because guys need to stay awake, they need to contact their families. It's a tool we use in more than one way. We need it for our safety."

The recommendation includes banning the use of hands-free devices, something McDonald says he uses to stay safe and connected to those who matter most.

"We're up when everybody else is sleeping, we're driving when everybody is home nestled in their beds so, we need our phones. We need our phones we need to speak to our families, we're gone for weeks," McDonald said.

Chances are the cell phone ban will be adopted.

82% of the recommendations posted by the NTSB become laws.