There may soon be speed limiters controlling how fast truckers can drive.
The Obama administration recently proposed a rule that would have truckers use a device on their rigs that would limit their top speed. Proposed in combination by the Transportation Department’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, the agencies would like to cap maximum truck speeds at 60, 65, and 68 miles per hour. Regulators claim the measure would save lives and more than $1 billion in annual fuel costs.
Trucking Safety
Large truck and bus collisions accounted for nearly 4,000 deaths in 2014, and speeding trucks kill about 1,000 people annually. The FMCSA says that this proposal will not only save lives but ensure the nation’s fleet of commercial vehicles operate more efficiently. The ruling was first proposed in 2006 and still likely won’t take effect until 2018, but regulation details have been published in the Federal Register, giving the trucking industry 60 days to comment on the regulation. The regulation already has the support of the American Trucking Associations and nine of the largest trucking carriers, including Schneider National Inc., C.R. England Inc., and J.B. Hunt Transport Inc.
Speed Limiter Technology
Speed limiter technology uses the truck engine’s electronic control module to govern the speeds at which a vehicle can travel. Older trucks, however, don’t have such controls. This begs to question whether older trucks will be grandfathered in or will a retrofit requirement be in place. Some have said that this is just another useless government mandate that will add expense to trucks, as the fixed limits may already be higher than the maximum legal speed for trucks in many states. The technology could also create a safety hazard, as trucks running side-by-side won’t be able to pass each other and will just end up creating rolling roadblocks and traffic congestion.
What are your thoughts on this news?
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Tags: department of transportation, speed limiters, trucking industry