BRUCE, MS - Hardin Trucking, Inc. and affiliated partners announced April 2 that all employees are banned from texting or talking on a hand-held cell phone while behind the wheel of a company vehicle or while using a company-issued phone in their personal vehicle, according to the Calhoun County Journal.

"We have a responsibility to make sure every time one of our employees gets behind the wheel they put down their cell phones," said Jimmy Hardin, president. "Putting away our cell phones is a critical part in making sure that not only is our employees safe, but those traveling around them are safe as well."

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety reports that drivers who use hand-held devices are four times as likely to get into crashes serious enough to injure themselves.

More information on distracted driving is available at www.distraction.gov.