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Speed Limiters Proposal Sparks Debate Amongst Trucking Organizations

on Friday, 09 September 2016.

speedlimiterOn Friday, August 26, the U. S. Department of Transportation (DOT) published a proposal recommending that commercial vehicles weighing greater than 26,000 pounds be mandated to use devices that limit trucks to speeds of 60, 65, or 68 mph on the highway. While the proposal does not provide any details for implementation, the DOT has invited the industry to weigh in.

The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) argues that speed limiters could potentially make highways more dangerous as it would prevent drivers from driving faster in unique situations where it is necessary. “Highways are safest when all vehicles travel at the same relative speed,” stated OOIDA Executive Vice President Todd Spencer. “This wisdom has always been true and has not ever changed.” Spencer went on to reinforce that trained drivers are the best measure for increasing safety on the highways. “No technology can replace the safest thing to put in a truck, which is a well-trained driver.”

The American Trucking Associations (ATA), which has pushed for speed limitations of 68 mph since 2006, as anticipated supports the DOT in their proposal. “As an industry, we cannot be afraid of technology, but we also must make sure that technology has proven benefits,” ATA President and CEO Chris Spear said in a statement. “Carriers who already voluntarily use speed limiters have found significant safety, as well as fuel efficiency and equipment lifespan benefits with little to no negative impact on productivity. We will be carefully reviewing and commenting upon today’s proposal.”

In addition to the ATA, the Trucking Alliance, formally the Alliance for Driver Safety and Security, agrees with the DOT’s exploration of speed governors. “The Trucking Alliance supports a federal law to require speed limiters on all new and existing interstate commercial trucks,” Lane Kidd, the managing director of the Trucking Alliance said in an email. “Otherwise, some truckers will subvert the law. Why should some truckers be allowed to avoid installing speed limiters on existing trucks when it would be counterproductive to saving lives and improving highway safety? Also, there’s the question of why should it take a decade to make the truck speed limiter a reality? Perhaps a new Administration and Congress can hasten this rule along, so that truck speed limiters are a requirement sooner than later.”

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