When the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) in May 2022 asked for comments on the possibility of mandatory speed limiters on trucks, the trucking industry response was immediate and massive. Over 15,650 comments were officially filed, according to the Federal Register count.
Trucking comments were mostly negative but almost always seeking more information from FMCSA on what the agency intended. Some examples:
Trucking will need to raise those points again. The Advance Notice of Supplemental Proposed Rulemaking that FMCSA published earlier this year mainly concerned itself with the adjustment or reprogramming of the engine control units (ECUs) to allow the setting of a maximum speed. FMCSA did not disclose a prospective speed limit or address the other industry concerns. In 2016, when the agency last considered a mandatory speed limiter rule, it asked about speeds of 60, 65, or 68 mph but did not settle on one figure.
Trucking will see the proposed maximum speed on June 30, 2023, when FMCSA says it will issue its Supplemental Notice of Proposed Rulemaking concerning heavy vehicle speed limiters.
The agency said the proposed rule will affect commercial motor vehicles (trucks and buses) with a gross vehicle weight rating over 26,001 pounds, operated in interstate commerce, when those vehicles are equipped with ECUs capable of governing the maximum speed. Motor carriers would be required by the proposed rule to limit their trucks to the maximum speed to be set by the rulemaking and to maintain that ECU setting for the service life of the vehicle.
Until the proposed rule is released and a final decision made, ICSA’s motor carriers and professional drivers should remember that traffic, weather and road conditions may call for truck speeds slower than the speed limit. The best “speed limiter” made is a safe driver who consistently maintains speeds that are safe for conditions.
Every year, TAT (formerly called Truckers Against Trafficking) honors a member of the trucking, bus or energy industry, whose direct actions help save or improve the lives of those exploited or prevent human trafficking from taking place, with the Harriet Tubman Award
Bob Costello has indicated that the freight market has improved – but very slowly – since January. It must be said that ATA’s indices are dominated by contract freight as opposed to spot rates.
Now, however, with Republican control of both houses of Congress and the White House (and, some say, the Supreme Court) I am optimistic that trucking will get a fairer shake than it has during Biden’s term in office.