Important Ruling on In Cab Laptops pending

[Scuba]

How can a tiny 4 inch screen 2 feet away from be any safer to look at than a 17 inch screen that is a foot and a half away. It would take me having to tilt my head to use my bifocals so I could read the darn thing. What i get here is i have a 4 inch screen and cant afford the computer stand so i want them banned. If the laptop is banned i hope they ban the little tiny gps devices as well. Personally i don't care what you use but to say something should be banned because you don’t like them is foolish. Lets ban xm radio in trucks people listen to radio shows. But remember they may ban them in trucks but the car passing you will be using them and their won't be anything stopping the,. If i can't use my laptop then cops shouldn't be able to use them either

 

[greg334]

I am all for banning people.

 

[TeamCaffee]

We are still running our Lane Departure Warning System, the electronic rumble strips I have talked about before. It is amazing to us that about 95% of the time when we push talk on the phone, or just reach for the phone 1/2 of our tire goes over the passenger side white line. Never knew that happened till we started testing this device. When we look over to read the QC messages over 1/2 of the time we crowd the white line once again setting of the electronic rumble strips. If we do not program our Lowrence GPS before leaving the dock no matter if the passenger or the driver puts the address in you once again try to cross the white line and get a loud reminder to watch what you are doing. We do have our GPS hard mounted on the dash near a vent so you cannot move her. Once the address is in place "Lori" is navigating no more getting close to the white line while navigating. We trust the speed shown on the GPS more than our speedometer so we also read that off of the GPS screen. Once again though to verify our direction and we have to read QC we are again trying to cross the white line.

The LDWS I believe would wake up a lot of drivers to how many times a day you really do swerve even though you would swear on a bible you do not. We were lucky enough to find out by the LDWS and not by sideswiping a car you eye need to be looking ahead, scanning your gauges and looking out the mirrors not down studying a PC screen or a QUALCOMM.

We have tried all three Maps, Computer, and GPS and for us the GPS is the only way to go, the quickest when in a bind usually. We still have to bring out the map and we will still look directions up on Streets and Maps. On a dark night though not being able to read the buildings for building numbers the GPS is right on when she says you have arrived at the destination on the left and the whole time we had been looking to the right.

“Lori” is good very good at what she was designed to do, save our butts!

 

[iceroadtrucker]

Well they can ban all they want when they take the laptops outa the police cars and away from the HGH Bulls I rest My case. Far as rumble strips go sounds like your truck pulls to the right as many straight trucks that are Freights. Or Hinos for that matter.

Personaly I only use it manuvering in big citys ect Like New York and Boston ect.
Other wise I use my map for the main roads.
Guys like Creature may need to have them on all the time due to altimers HG, I got a good memory.
have fun and stay outa trouble

 

[Scuba]

If you can visualize the windshield & your navigational aid as tv screens, the standalone GPS is like watching a picture-in-picture screen, vs watching two separate screens, the second one of which requires turning your head to see. Which of the two would logically seem to be less of a distraction?
Even if they were equally good, I'd still consider the stand alone unit superior, because of the ease with which it can be placed out of sight - an important consideration, considering the risk of theft of electronics we need to worry about. (There's no telltale suction cup or ring on the windshield, either, just a strip of Velcro, which could be for anything. Like a bobblehead, for instance

Cheri key words "I'd still consider the stand alone unit superior" That may be for you those things wouldn't work for someone like me. As far as someone pulling in front of me well my alarm would go off. I have the eaton vorad system which sounds an alarm BEFORE the car is fully in front of me. Plus the layout lets me see an arieal view so i have the best info i can get its not just a line with an arrow. I can also log the trip showing where i went and my speed if i get a speeding ticket i can prove my speed. Can your garmin do that? the gps track is time and date stamped does your do that. Yes mine talks to me if traffic is heavy i stick my headset on so i dont miss what it tells me. Can your gps do that ? I don't know what you drive i think its a van i am in a class 8 truck it makes more noise my hearing isnt the best

 

[Tennesseahawk]

Well they can ban all they want when they take the laptops outa the police cars and away from the HGH Bulls I rest My case. Far as rumble strips go sounds like your truck pulls to the right as many straight trucks that are Freights. Or Hinos for that matter.

Personaly I only use it manuvering in big citys ect Like New York and Boston ect.
Other wise I use my map for the main roads.
Guys like Creature may need to have them on all the time due to altimers HG, I got a good memory.
have fun and stay outa trouble

Huh??? Umm... huh???

 

[cheri1122]

Cheri key words "I'd still consider the stand alone unit superior" That may be for you those things wouldn't work for someone like me. As far as someone pulling in front of me well my alarm would go off. I have the eaton vorad system which sounds an alarm BEFORE the car is fully in front of me.
I'd like one of those - never quite fast enough with the train horns, sigh.
Plus the layout lets me see an arieal view so i have the best info i can get its not just a line with an arrow. I can also log the trip showing where i went and my speed if i get a speeding ticket i can prove my speed. Can your garmin do that?
No, my Garmin can't - but it does tell me my speed, and I make sure it's legal, so speeding tickets don't worry me.
the gps track is time and date stamped does your do that.
Again, no. But frankly, I don't want it to do that.
Yes mine talks to me if traffic is heavy i stick my headset on so i dont miss what it tells me. Can your gps do that ?
I don't know, I keep it muted.
I don't know what you drive i think its a van i am in a class 8 truck it makes more noise my hearing isnt the best[/quote]
I drive a Class 8 D unit.
Leo will be happy to hear that I have rethought the whole issue, and agree that banning specific items is a bad idea. A good idea would be a massive public education campaign (remember "Your brain on drugs"? ) on the real danger of driving while distracted.

 

[morningstar55ny]

i have a lap top in my truck....
BUT ......... i do NOT use it when driving......
it stays in the back ...... period.
its like texting on your cell phone..........
while driving........ i seen people do it...... heh i know i tried it a couples times. guess what??
IT MAKES U SWIRVE AND NOT KEEP UR EYES ON THE ROAD.
I also DO not answer or even half the time read the QC when it beeps in......
i will pull over to read it........ i figure if its something extremly important ...... they can call me .
i wear a head set...... sooo my hands r free to drive and shift when needed.

 

[Turtle]

I can also log the trip showing where i went and my speed if i get a speeding ticket i can prove my speed. Can your garmin do that?

Won't make any difference in court. There are many reasons why courts routinely reject GPS logs as evidence, not the least of which the data can be manipulated (hacked) prior to showing up in court to reflect any data you wish. Plus, there's the time lag from the satellite, the frequency of of the updates, and the fact that when it updates it is an average speed, not an exact speed.

People who go into court to contest a ticket with GPS data will win at the same rate, and for the same reason, that people without GSP data do, namely, the officer doesn't show up in court.

 

[greg334]

Won't make any difference in court. There are many reasons why courts routinely reject GPS logs as evidence, not the least of which the data can be manipulated (hacked) prior to showing up in court to reflect any data you wish. Plus, there's the time lag from the satellite, the frequency of of the updates, and the fact that when it updates it is an average speed, not an exact speed.

Turtle,
This is a point I tried to make about most of the electronic logging systems, including QC, there is always a way to change the data behind the scenes and much of the regs ignore the need to have a good audit system built in.

 

[terryandrene]

Greg: Much of the regs may ignore audit procedures but 49 CFR 395 does not ignore the requirement for driver and carrier responsibilities for Electronic On Board Recorders used in commercial vehicles

395.15 Automatic on board recording devices


(b)(3) Support systems used in conjunction with on board recorders at a driver's home terminal or the motor carrier's principal place of business must be capable of providing authorized Federal, State or local officials with summaries of an individual driver's hours of service records, including the information specified in §395.8(d) of this part. The support systems must also provide information concerning on board system sensor failures and identification of edited data. Such support systems should meet the information interchange requirements of the American National Standard Code for Information Interchange (ANSCII) (EIARS 232/CCITV.24 port (National Bureau of Standards "Code for Information Interchange," FIPS PUB 1 1)).

 

[ATeam]

More about in-cab use of laptops

 

[nightcreacher]

Well they can ban all they want when they take the laptops outa the police cars and away from the HGH Bulls I rest My case. Far as rumble strips go sounds like your truck pulls to the right as many straight trucks that are Freights. Or Hinos for that matter.

Personaly I only use it manuvering in big citys ect Like New York and Boston ect.
Other wise I use my map for the main roads.
Guys like Creature may need to have them on all the time due to altimers HG, I got a good memory.
have fun and stay outa trouble

my gps talks,dont need to watch it,she speaks very good english,and only use it for the final approach
I only have part timers,not full fledged yet Marvin,oh think you meant alzheimers,but what is HG

 

[ATeam]

It's funny. They'll let someone who does not speak English drive a truck, but they'll ban from the cab an English-speaking device that gives valid directions.

 

[ATeam]

This long and sometimes-informative thread began with Dreamer's post, in which he expressed concern about regulators subjecting laptops to TV rules.

It seems that as technology marches on, regulators will have their hands full. In a Best Buy store yesterday, I saw Garmin GPS devices that mount on the windshield and display maps and your present location, which is useful for navigating a truck in unfamiliar areas. The same device can play movies.

No early adopter of new devices, I figured out that with an iPod, a Bluetooth adapter and a top-end Garmin Nuvi, someone can mount a small screen on the windshield near eye-level and watch a full-length movie while he or she drives. Detection can be avoided. A push of a button can instantly stop the movie. A crude shield can keep other motorists from seeing what the driver is watching.

I fear thousands of people will think this is cool, set up their cars and trucks as described above and then boast about how they can safely drive while watching a movie. Some of these people will go to their graves believing it, having died in the wreck that proves them wrong. Worse, they may take out innocent people in the same wreck.

We are seeing right now accident reports where people using cell phones claim to have not seen the stationary truck they rear ended while talking on the phone. How many lives will motorist/movie watchers destroy with their irresponsible use of this "cool" technology?

Technology is a double-edged sword and I do not envy the regulators. With the technology that is here now and expected to come down the pike, talking about laptop use in the truck cab is akin to talking about slings and arrows in an arms race debate.