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New Jersey has exempted truck drivers using with CBs and two-way radios from its prohibition against using handheld communication devices while driving.

Delaware has become the 30th state to ban drivers from texting or holding cell phones while driving, the Detroit News reported.

Massachusetts and Iowa enacted laws to combat distracted driving late last week, with Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick (D) signed legislation Friday outlawing texting while driving, making his the 29th state to outlaw the practice.

The Senate Commerce Committee last week approved a bill aimed at encouraging states to pass their own distracted driving laws, sending the measure to the Senate floor.

Kansas’ move to become the 26th state to outlaw texting while driving has drawn praise from U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood for pushing the country past the halfway mark to a nationwide ban on the practice.

Vermont is poised to become the 26th state to ban texting while driving, following closely behind Wisconsin and Michigan.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has broad support for its move to bar truck drivers from texting, according to public comments on the proposed rule filed with the agency.

The Department of Transportation has kicked off a pilot program in New York and Connecticut to test whether concentrated law enforcement can make drivers put down their cell phones.

The Department of Transportation last week issued a proposed rule outlawing text messaging by commercial drivers, taking another step in its ongoing effort to eliminate the practice.

The Department of Transportation released a proposed rule Wednesday that would ban texting by interstate commercial truck and bus drivers.