Today the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) is scheduled to announce new rules that will prohibit interstate commercial truckers and bus drivers from sending text messages (or SMS) while they are operating moving vehicles.

At an October summit on the subject of distracted driving, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood pledged to crack down on distracted driving by truckers and bus drivers. He also indicated that the DOT would establish rules governing not just the use of phones and other devices by truckers and bus drivers to text and talk, but also the use of computers mounted on dashboards that are used to communicate with dispatchers.

The Department of Transportation said that it is still working on additional regulations that would govern the use of such computers by truckers, as well as when truckers are allowed to use cellphones for conversation. Truckers and bus drivers who violate the new rules on SMS, which are effective immediately, face civil or criminal fines of up to $2,750.

While the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute research study found that those truckers who used on-board computers faced a ten times greater risk of crashing, nearly crashing or wandering from their lane than truckers who did not use those devices, that figure is lower than the 23 times greater risk when truckers texted.

This is could be a lead reason why the DOT began issuing regulations banning texting. “We want the drivers of big rigs and buses and those who share the road with them to be safe,” Secretary LaHood said in a news release. “This is an important safety step and we will be taking more to eliminate the threat of distracted driving.”

States in dark blue ban texting for all drivers. Light blue indicates states weighing legislation to ban texting for all drivers. Gray indicates states with no active legislation. White indicates states with no legislative session scheduled for 2010. Click to enlarge.

Leading the charge for “taking more” steps to eliminate distracted driving may be the states. Twenty-three states are debating legislation to ban texting while driving, a practice that 19 states currently prohibit. One hundred ninety-four bills concerning various forms of distracted driving, including texting, are being debated in 34 states.

According to the Department of Transportation, 5,870 people — 16% of all highway fatalities — died in distracted-driving crashes and 515,000 were injured in 2008.

Senator Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., has introduced federal legislation to ban texting or emailing while driving. States that don’t go along with the proposed ban would risk losing 25% of their federal highway funds.