In July, a tractor-trailer plowed into 10 cars on Interstate 64 in Missouri while the driver was trying to make a phone call. Three people died.

In September, a trucker talking on his cell slammed into the back of a school bus on U.S 301 in Citra, Fla. One child was killed.

Now the trucking division of a Boise company, whose truckers have had two much more minor cell phone-related accidents, is banning cell phone use by its 250 drivers.

BCT Inc., a division of paper producer Boise Inc., acknowledges its measure is "extreme" and says it may be a first.

"We aren't aware that any other company has banned the use of cell phones completely," said Clayton W. Boyce, vice president of public affairs for the American Trucking Association.

Drivers from other companies are skeptical. Many are convinced that a hands-free phone device is a safe and necessary part of doing business on the road. Some say requiring big trucks to leave the highway and stop before the driver uses a cell phone could create even more dangerous situations.

Other companies require drivers to use a hands-free device when talking on the phone, but BCT reviewed studies and accidents before deciding it needed to go a step further.

"Last year we had 1.46 accidents per million miles driven, the third lowest in our history," said Craig Lockwood, BCT safety manager for trucking operations. "But we also know that one of the first things attorneys who represent victims of trucking accidents do is ask for the driver's cell phone records."

Research shows cell phone use while driving "is as dangerous as drinking," Lockwood said.

He cites recent studies by the Harvard University Center for Risk Analysis, which estimates the cost of cell phone-related accidents at $43 billion annually, and the University of Utah, which said hands-free devices are no safer than hand-held phones. Even with hands-free devices, drivers still suffer from "inattention blindness," making them unable to process visual information, the Utah study said.

The Federal Motor Carriers Safety Administration, a division of the Department of Transportation, suggests drivers avoid using their cell phones while driving.

"If you must use your cell phone, try to find a safe place to stop or pull off the road, and keep your conversations short," the agency says. "The risk of a crash when using a cell phone is four times higher than the risk of a crash when a cell phone is not being used."

The American Trucking Association released its own safety study in October. It took no position on cell phone restrictions but recommended training to reduce or eliminate driver distractions in all kinds of vehicles.

Seventy percent of BCT's drivers are independent contractors and bear the costs of fuel, wear and tear, and down time. The new rule increases costs and decreases productivity. It hasn't been an easy sell.

"It is not the most popular policy, especially with over-the-road guys," said Dan Bernert, general manager of BCT. "We knew there would be pushback. It's a tough job, and they really resisted this policy."

Company officials say neither of its two minor cell phone accidents caused injuries. One occurred while a truck was backing up.

About 68 percent of BCT's drivers are on the road for a week or more at a time. BCT has terminals in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, California, Louisiana, Alabama and New Jersey.

But Bernert expects a break from insurance companies when he renegotiates his liability policies. "They were very pleased to hear about it," he said.

Cell phones have replaced citizen band radios as truckers' major way to communicate, mainly because of CB radio's limited range and lack of privacy.

Lockwood said that phone conversations are more distracting than talking on the CB or to a passenger.

"It may be because CB conversations tend to be brief, or because the people involved are more aware of the demands of driving," he said.

A veteran trucker who stopped in Boise last week said that if everyone had to pull over to communicate with dispatchers, brokers and families, the shoulder would be lined with trucks pulling on and off the interstates.

"That would cause even more accidents," said Paul Thomkins of Jasper, Ga., who owns and operates his own rig and is not one of BCT's contractors.

And before cell phones, "drivers wasted time waiting for pay phones," Thomkins said.

One of Idaho's largest truck fleets belongs to the J.R. Simplot Co., which has 600 trucks carrying agricultural and industrial products around the country.

The company uses cell phones to communicate with its drivers and hasn't seen a need to limit cell phone use beyond what the law requires in the states in which it operates.

"We encourage them to use their hand-free to communicate with us," said Bill Mode, director of fleet operations. "It doesn't make sense to have the trucks on the side of the road. It uses up fuel and productivity, and it's not a safe place for them to be."

A bill in the Idaho Senate would forbid cell phone use without a hands-free device while driving, and another would forbid texting while driving. Neither has made it out of committee. Both bills are sponsored by Sen. Les Bock, D-Boise, who did not return a telephone message.

Kathy Fowers, president of the Idaho Trucking Association, said she thinks the push for further restrictions will continue.

"In this day and age, everybody is trying to limit their risk," she said.

Brad Talbutt: 672-6737