When the National Safety Council (NSC) in January called for a nationwide ban on the use of cell phones and text message devices while driving, it turned up the heat on an issue that has been simmering for some time: Are the convenience and time-savings of communicating on the road worth the risks they pose to life and limb?

Contractors’ reactions to such a ban range from acceptance (if not support) to sputtering in exasperation at just one more attempt to stick the government’s nose where it doesn’t belong.

At present, no state bans the use of all types of cell phones (handheld and hands-free) while driving. However, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety reports that California, Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, Utah, Washington and the District of Columbia prohibit drivers from using handheld cell phones. At the same time, all drivers are banned from text messaging in Alaska, California, Connecticut, Louisiana, Minnesota, New Jersey, Washington and the District of Columbia.

Don’t take away my phone

Whatever your opinion about driving while talking on a cell phone, don’t try to deny Danny Kleinpeter the use of his phone when he’s behind the wheel. Kleinpeter, owner of Ranger Sewer, an onsite system service and sewer cleaning firm in East Northport, N.Y., depends on his phone to keep in touch with his customers and suppliers throughout the day. Complying with a New York state law that prohibits the use of a handheld cell phone while driving, he takes calls on his hands-free unit.

“I don’t want anyone telling me how to run my life and that I can’t operate my truck or car safely with a phone in my ear,” he says. “When I turn on my phone, I don’t turn off my brain. I have the skill to drive and use my hands-free phone responsibly and safely. If the call is going to be a lengthy conversation, I pull off the road and stop to complete it. I shouldn’t have to give up my cell phone while driving just because someone else hasn’t mastered the art of driving and talking on a phone safely.”

As executive director of the National Association of Wastewater Transporters Inc. (NAWT), Tom Ferrero recently asked members what they thought of a ban. “The polite ones said it would really be a step backward, because we all lean so heavily on cell phones these days,” he says. “Others definitely would not like it.”

Bans inevitable

Peter Allard considers cell phones a necessary evil for his business. He’s vice president of operations for Rooter-man of Tampa Bay, Fla. The company employs 18 technicians who use cell phones and two-way radios. The safe and sane use of these devices is a frequent topic at the company’s weekly safety meetings.

Allard agrees with prohibiting text messaging while driving. “That’s a ridiculous practice,” he says. However, he doesn’t want to lose mobile voice communications with his technicians. “Cell phones and two-way radios have become a way of life for our business,” he observes. “I sure hope that we don’t lose them.”

Donald MacDonald, president of ACorp-Rooter-man in North Billerica, Mass., says he hasn’t heard of any crashes related to cell phone use by drivers among his company’s franchisees, who provide plumbing and sewer and drain cleaning services. He’s resigned to the idea that all states will eventually pass laws prohibiting the use of cell phones while driving.

“Even though cell phones can save a lot of time, the safety risks of using them while driving are valid concerns,” he says. “But laws to prevent it would be more government interference with commerce. You’d be operating your business with one hand tied behind your back. Still, I’m sure that it’s just a matter of time before there is a national ban on drivers using cell phones.”

Responsible use

The Safety Council cites numerous studies highlighting the risks of talking on the phone while driving. However, say some contractors, the solution is not to ban the practice, but to promote more responsible use of mobile communications technology.

The ability to reach drivers on the road offers businesses real economic benefits, these contractors say. They use cell phones to exchange dispatching information with technicians, and technicians use them to check in with the office and talk directly with customers.

Septic cleaning contractor David Hapchuk of Hapchuk Inc. in Washington, Pa., likes drivers of his 10 service trucks to talk with customers on their cell phones. It’s more convenient than relaying information through the office and, he says, it can save each technician 45 to 60 minutes a day.

At Allard’s operation, technicians have been using two-way radios and cell phones for nine years, after switching from pagers. “Instead of going to a supply house and waiting for parts as we used to, our technicians now call ahead and the parts are waiting for them when they arrive,” he says. “There’s also the security aspect of being able to call for assistance, if necessary. And, have you tried to find a pay phone these days?”

Even more important, loss of instant communication between office and driver risks losing business. “In our fast-paced society, people want service now,” Allard says. “If there’s a plumbing emergency and we can’t respond right away, they’ll call the next guy.”

The industry’s role

As Ferrero sees it, safety issues surrounding cell phone use relate more to the driver than to the phone. He thinks most truck drivers can handle cell phones more safely than a typical motorist. “Because of the size of a truck and the added workload in the cab, a truck driver tends to be much more conscious of safety and of the need to use cell phones responsibly,” he says. “Rather than imposing another mandatory requirement on our business, the government should let the industry address safe cell phone use.”

Ike Casey, executive vice president of Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors – National Association, says the association doesn’t have an official position on the NSC proposal. However, his group has surveyed members to learn what they think of a ban and how it would affect their operations.

“We do know that cell phones and text messaging have been banned in California, and some of our members report that it has not had as much of an impact on them as they thought,” Casey says. “They have just changed their procedures so that techs respond to voicemails and texts at their next stop.

“The safety of employees is always a priority for association members. Safe driving is a topic at many of their safety meetings, and many take advantage of a “Distracted Driving – At What Cost?” safety program, which emphasizes the many ways business owners and their drivers can avoid the pitfalls of distracted driving.”

Safe phoning

Recognizing the risks of driving while distracted, some contractors promote responsible cell phone use.

Anthony Heath, president of Tidy Coast Containers Inc., provides portable sanitation and trash container services and transports various types of equipment from his base in Hobe Sound, Fla. The company, which operates 15 trucks, has been using cell phones to communicate with drivers since it opened for business 10 years ago. “Our drivers have never had an accident while using a cell phone,” he reports.

“Answering a cell phone is left to the driver’s discretion. Normally, if we’re giving them instructions from the office, they’re either at the jobsite or have pulled off the road. If they get a call en route, they’ll call back when they have a safe place to stop, unless they’re on a back road with little traffic, in which case they may take the message.”

Two years ago, the company added dash-mounted GPS units to trucks to supplement cell phone communications. Now, customer information can be sent to the driver from a computer in the office, eliminating this use of the cell phone.

Other approaches

Over the years, Rasmik Hovsepian, who owns a Rooter-man business in Burbank, Calif., has communicated with eight technicians on the road in several ways: first with pagers, then with two-way radios and now with hands-free cell phones.

He agrees with state bans on handheld cell phones and texting while driving, but says hands-free cell phones are easier and more convenient to use. In fact, because he doesn’t like headsets or earpieces, he has equipped his pickup with a system that allows him to talk using a microphone mounted near the sun visors and to listen over the truck’s sound system.

Technicians use the voice feature of their cell phones to talk with the office and with customers. However, they receive their dispatch instructions via text messages from a computer in the office. “More and more communication is going to text messaging,” Hovsepian says. “It works out much better for us. Often, when we called technicians on the radio, we’d be interrupting them. Now, when they get a text message, they can respond after they are stopped.”

Portable sanitation contractor Jeff Wigley, co-owner of Pit Stop Sanitation Services of Marietta, Ga., has abandoned cell phones in favor of two-way radios to talk with his 10 technicians. This eliminated use of the cell phones for personal calls and fostered better customer relations by forcing technicians to talk face-to-face with customers rather than leaving messages.

“We tell our people to keep their hands on the wheel when driving, to use the radios only when they are stopped and to leave the radios in the truck when they are working at a jobsite,” he says.

Wigley is a member of the Georgia Motor Trucking Association. “For a number of years, many members have prohibited their drivers from using communication devices while driving,” he says. “I’m in favor of that. All those motorists engross-ed in their cell phone conversations make the roads unsafe for our drivers.”

Meanwhile, the NSC is urging businesses to enact policies that prohibit phoning and texting while driving and is asking governors and legislators in all 50 states and the District of Columbia to pass laws banning those practices.

As evidence that it is serious, the NSC cites its record of turning the “Click It or Ticket” seat-belt campaign from a one-state pilot project to a 50-state program.