Graves said ATA supported new regulations, made effective in October 2010, that prohibit commercial drivers from texting, and encourages lawmakers to go a step further and prohibit passenger vehicle operators to do the same. ATA also supported FMCSA’s ban on handheld cell phone use by truck drivers.

Graves said the NTSB report also exposes flaws in how federal regulators monitor the safety performance of commercial trucking fleets. Under FMCSA’s safety monitoring and measurement system, Compliance Safety Accountability, the crash will be attributed to the involved trucking company’s and driver’s records and increase the carrier’s likelihood of being selected for government intervention and scrutiny.