Business Fleet’s Blog Tackles New FMCSA Phone Ban – and ZoomSafer’s Solutions

In a great piece published yesterday, Business Fleet‘s blog examined the impact on commercial fleets of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (FMCSA) new rule prohibiting commercial drivers from using hand-held mobile phones  - and name-checked ZoomSafer as an effective solution.

The magazine’s Executive Editor, Chris Brown notes that while many drivers simply ignore state cell phone laws due to lax enforcement, the new FMCSA rule will likely compel commercial drivers and their employers to take employee cell phone use while driving much more seriously. The law, which came into effect January 3, applies to any company with a USDOT number and imposes fines of $2,750 against drivers and of up to $11,000 for companies.Brown praises ZoomSafer’s innovative cell phone analytics service for providing a useful tool for fleets seeking to manage employee driver behavior. Writes Brown, “Ultimately, you can’t rely on a law to get your drivers to stop using their cell phones while driving. That must be generated within your company” through policy implementation and enforcement via mechanisms like ZoomSafer.

Is your company affected by the new rule? Take ZoomSafer’s 2-minute FMCSA survey and enter to win an iPad2!

Network World Praises ZoomSafer for Effective Distracted Driving Solutions

In the aftermath of the NTSB’s call for a total ban on mobile phone use while driving, Network World‘s Nearpoints columnist Craig Mathias recently praised ZoomSafer for creating effective solutions to cell phone-related distracted driving. Mathias does not echo the NTSB, and instead supports a ban on hand-held use (allowing for hands-free), and notes that ZoomSafer’s enterprise software enables companies to implement and enforce safe driving policies. Mathias commends ZoomSafer’s innovative solutions and “robust policy/analytics capability,”  which allow companies to measure and manage cell phone use policies – a solution Mathias says is “the next best thing to judicious use of the power switch.”

For companies now facing the need to ensure compliance with a hand-held device ban, we’ve published a free guide to complying with FMCSA’s cell phone rule – download it now!

ZoomSafer Publishes Guide to Complying with FMCSA Handheld Cell Phone Ban

Effective January 3, New Rule Will Impact 4 Million Commercial Drivers

 

HERNDON, VA – Effective today, a new Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) rule prohibits an estimated four million commercial truck and bus drivers from using handheld cell phones while driving.  Under the new rule, individual drivers face civil penalties up to $2,750, while employers can be held liable and fined up to $11,000 per infraction committed while drivers are carrying out company business or otherwise acting on the employer’s behalf.

 

To help commercial fleet operators understand and conform to the new regulation, ZoomSafer, the leading provider of software to prevent distracted driving, has published FMCSA Cell Phone Use Regulations: A Guide to Compliance for Truck and Bus Fleets.

 

“FMCSA has made it abundantly clear that employers are responsible if their employees violate the rule,” said ZoomSafer CEO Matt Howard.  “This new white paper offers commercial fleet operators a detailed explanation of the handheld phone ban and guidance on how to measure and manage employee compliance.”

 

To download a free copy of ZoomSafer’s FMCSA Cell Phone Use Regulations: A Guide to Compliance for Truck and Bus Fleets, please visit http://info.zoomsafer.com/fmcsa-cell-phone-use-regulations-white-paper/.

 

About ZoomSafer

ZoomSafer is a leading provider of enterprise software to prevent distracted driving. FleetSafer™ solutions enable employers to measure, manage and enforce cell phone usage policies to reduce crashes, risk, liability and expense. For more information, please visit www.zoomsafer.com.

Channel Partners Features ZoomSafer Perspective on NTSB Cell Phone Ban Recommendation

Channel Partners featured ZoomSafer CEO Matt Howard in an analysis of last week’s recommendation issued by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) that all 50 states and D.C. ban all use of cell phones while driving. In a great piece by Josh Long, some industry observers remark that such a move by the NTSB is “remarkably heavy-handed.” Notes Matt Howard, “Never in the history of this debate…[has] anyone suggested the possibility of an outright ban” on ALL phone use – including hands-free use – while driving.

While 38 states and D.C. have enacted some kind of legislation restricting cell phone use while driving, no state has currently implemented a total ban on all cell phone use on the roads. Check out Matt Howard’s blog post on the subject to learn why the NTSB’s recommendation might be a stretch.

NTSB Recommends Banning All Cell Phone Use While Driving

New Proposal Recognizes Need for Innovative Enforcement Solutions Such as ZoomSafer

 

HERNDON, VA – The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) voted yesterday to recommend that all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia enact laws banning drivers from any use of personal electronic devices, including both handheld and hands-free cell phone use, while driving. The recommendation also called for states to implement high-visibility law enforcement programs in conjunction with public awareness initiatives. For the modern American society whose long-standing love of motor vehicles is rivaled only by its newfound lust for mobile phone use – all the time and everywhere – this new recommendation has potentially massive ramifications for individuals, employers and government organizations.

 

35 states and D.C. currently have laws on the books prohibiting all drivers from texting behind the wheel, and nine states and D.C. also ban handheld cell phone use. No state currently has a law banning all drivers from all (handheld or hands-free) cell phone use. Recent studies have shown, however, that laws on their own are not sufficient to deter distracted drivers – and also emphasize the need for innovative enforcement solutions as complements:

 

 

“There’s considerable research showing that state laws restricting driver cell phone use are difficult and expensive to effectively enforce,” said Matt Howard, CEO of ZoomSafer. “This new NTSB recommendation recognizes that distracted driving is a complex and dangerous behavioral problem and appropriately highlights the important role that technology can play in terms of affordable and effective enforcement.”

 

Employers seeking to promote the safe and legal use of cell phones at their organizations are encouraged to evaluate FleetSafer Mobile and FleetSafer Vision, ZoomSafer’s simple, affordable technology solutions that respectively actively or passively enforce policies governing employee cell phone use while driving on-the-job.  To take advantage of a demo of FleetSafer™ solutions, please visit http://zoomsafer.com/cell-phone-ban-solutions/.

 

About ZoomSafer

ZoomSafer is a leading provider of enterprise software to prevent distracted driving. FleetSafer™ solutions enable employers to measure, manage and enforce cell phone usage policies to reduce crashes, risk, liability and expense. For more information, please visit www.zoomsafer.com.

Politico Forecasts FMCSA Cell Phone Rule Will Be Good News for ZoomSafer

In a write-up of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (FMCSA) new rule prohibiting interstate truck and bus drivers from using handheld cell phones, Politico notes that “this little bit of rulemaking is good news” for ZoomSafer. The new regulation penalizes individual drivers with fines and commercial driver’s license suspensions – but it also holds employers liable for ensuring their drivers comply with the regs. Employers face fines of up to $11,000 for employee cell phone use violations.

While FMCSA has not yet made recommendations on *how* companies can ensure compliance, ZoomSafer”s FleetSafer distracted driving solutions offer commercial fleet operators simple, affordable tools for enforcing employee cell phone use policies.

Fed Tech Bisnow Predicts ZoomSafer Will Be Key for FMCSA Phone Ban Compliance

Last week, the DOT announced a new FMCSA regulating banning interstate truck and bus drivers from using handheld cell phones – but didn’t explain *how* employers should fulfill their compliance responsibilities. This week, Fed Tech Bisnow predicts ZoomSafer’s distracted driving solutions will be key for companies seeking effective ways to ensure compliance. Fed Tech Bisnow explains, “ZoomSafer co-founder and CPO Michael Riemer tells us [the] DOT didn’t tell companies how to enforce cell phone rules but said a written policy is not enough” – and speculates that companies will turn to ZoomSafer for policy enforcement solutions.

DOT Bans Handheld Cell Phones for Interstate Truck and Bus Drivers

New Rule Is Clear on Employer Liability, Silent on Enforcement Methods

RESTON, VA – The U. S Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) and Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) have handed down a new joint rule prohibiting interstate truck and bus drivers from using handheld mobile phones while driving.  While the new rule is crystal clear with regard to employer liability and penalties, it is silent with regard to suggestions on how motor carriers should enforce driver compliance.

Regarding employer liability, the rule states that carriers are responsible for the actions of their employees and will generally be held accountable (with a maximum penalty of $11,000) for handheld ban violations that occur when drivers are carrying out company business or otherwise acting on the employer’s behalf.

Regarding enforcement methods, the FMCSA felt it unnecessary to make recommendations, choosing instead to clarify that an employer having a written policy in place is not deemed a method of enforcement, and if a violation occurs, the employer will still be held accountable for its employee’s actions.

“Research has shown that bans on handheld mobile phone use while driving are inherently difficult to enforce and, left to their own devices, drivers are not inclined to put their phones down just because they are told to,” said ZoomSafer CEO Matt Howard. “This new rule is clearly a step forward in the fight to prevent distracted driving – but with no clear guidelines for compliance enforcement, it unfortunately leaves employers holding the bag as far as liability is concerned.”

To minimize liability and foster compliance with this new rule, commercial fleet operators are encouraged to evaluate FleetSafer Mobile and/or FleetSafer Vision, simple and affordable technology services that respectively actively or passively promote safe and legal use of cell phones while employees are driving on the job.  To request a demo of FleetSafer™ solutions, please visit http://zoomsafer.com/fmcsa-solutions-demo/.

About ZoomSafer

ZoomSafer is a leading provider of enterprise software to prevent distracted driving. FleetSafer™ solutions enable employers to measure, manage and enforce cell phone usage policies to reduce crashes, risk, liability and expense. For more information, please visit www.zoomsafer.com.

Washington Post Identifies ZoomSafer as Important Distracted Driving Technology

In an excellent piece by reporter Steven Overly, The Washington Post‘s Capital Business blog named ZoomSafer as an important and potent solution in the fight to prevent distracted driving. Overly writes, “Even as app makers look to mitigate the risks [of cell phone use while driving], other businesses have emerged to stamp it out entirely by rendering devices incapable of receiving calls or e-mail.” Overly singles ZoomSafer out as innovative technology whose granular and flexible controls enable companies to reduce the risks associated with employee cell phone use while driving.

And why is policy enforcement so important? Explains our own CEO Matt Howard:

“You can pass all the laws you want. You can tell people it’s a bad idea. But what we know is when you’re there behind the wheel of your car, left to your own devices, and your phone beeps, it’s very hard to put it down and not reply.”

iNmotion Application Launched to Help Corporate Fleets Prevent Distracted Driving

PHH Arval, ZoomSafer Create New Service that Enables Safe and Legal Use of Smartphones While Driving

Sparks, MD – In an effort to reduce distracted driving, PHH Arval has partnered with ZoomSafer to create the fleet industry’s first smartphone application that detects when employees are driving and automatically encourages safe smartphone use.

“It’s really very simple – employee texting, emailing and browsing while driving leads to increased crashes and creates safety hazards on the road,” said George Kilroy, President and CEO, PHH Arval, which is one of North America’s largest provider of fleet management services. “We partnered with ZoomSafer to deliver iNmotion in direct response to customers seeking solutions to improve the safety of our roads.”

ZoomSafer, which is a leading provider of policy software to prevent distracted driving, created the iNmotion software application. Once installed on a driver’s BlackBerry®  or Android™ smartphone, the application detects when employees are driving and will automatically enforce company cell phone policy. For example, it can:

  • Restrict the use of cell phones except emergency calls,
  • Restrict drivers to ‘hands-free mode’ when making and receiving calls, and
  • Send automated responses that the driver is unavailable via text message or email.

“PHH has a long and outstanding reputation for developing innovative products tailored to meet the constantly changing needs of commercial fleet customers,” said ZoomSafer CEO Matt Howard. “We’re pleased to provide the technology in support of iNmotion and we look forward to helping PHH customers promote safe and legal use of cell phones while driving.”

The software is available for drivers in the United States and Canada.

About PHH Arval

PHH Arval, a subsidiary of PHH Corporation [NYSE: PHH], is a leading fleet management services provider in the United States and Canada. PHH Arval provides outsourced fleet management solutions to corporate clients, including nearly one-third of the Fortune 500 companies. Through consultative expertise, flexible customer service, and award-winning Internet technology, PHH Arval helps clients reduce costs and increase productivity.  For more information, visit www.phharval.com, or call 800 ONLY PHH.

 

About PHH Corporation

Headquartered in Mount Laurel, New Jersey, PHH Corporation is a leading outsource provider of mortgage and vehicle fleet management services. Its subsidiary, PHH Mortgage, is one of the top five retail originators of residential mortgages in the United States, and its subsidiary, PHH Arval, is a leading fleet management services provider in the United States and Canada. For additional information about the company and its subsidiaries, please visit our Web site at www.phh.com.

 

About ZoomSafer

ZoomSafer is a leading provider of enterprise software to prevent distracted driving. FleetSafer™ solutions enable employers to measure, manage and enforce cell phone usage policies to reduce crashes, risk, liability and expense.  For more information, please visit www.zoomsafer.com

 

Contact Information:

PHH

Heather McElrath

heather.mcelrath@phh.com

410-771-3949

 

ZoomSafer

Jason Ovitt, Asylum PR

jovitt@asylumpr.com

(847) 275-2553

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