Plans by federal regulators to issue a proposed rule requiring speed limiters on truck engines is getting pushback by a significant portion of the trucking sector.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s April notice seeking comment on the plan, which the agency aims to issue as a proposed rule for public comment in 2023, generated more than 15,000 responses. Most came from independent owner-operators and small trucking companies, which account for the majority of FMCSA’s regulated carriers. And most were adamantly against it.
“I lease my trucks to a company that requires us to limit our speed to 65 mph,” wrote the owner of IAB Trucking. “I feel it has made my drivers more unsafe, as they get caught up in packs of drivers now. They are unable to maneuver when necessary. And I think automobile drivers are even angrier around trucks that have their speed limited. Please, do not require this.”
IAB Trucking’s sentiment was typical and was echoed among a large sampling of responses: Roads are less safe when trucks are unable to adjust their speed to surrounding traffic.
Benefits underscored
FMCSA’s planned petition will be in the form of a supplement to a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) that was issued jointly in 2016 with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. It will propose that trucks weighing over 26,000 pounds that are equipped with an electronic engine speed governor be required to limit the truck’s speed to a rate to be determined by the rulemaking and maintain the speed setting for the life of the vehicle.
The American Trucking Associations, which developed a speed governing policy for commercial trucks in 2007, initially supported a fixed maximum speed of 65 mph for all Class 7 and 8 trucks with electronic speed governors manufactured after 1992.
ATA has since revised its policy to take into account the development of safety technology aimed at allowing trucks to travel faster and safer. For Class 7 and 8 trucks manufactured after 1992 equipped with automatic emergency braking (AEB) and adaptive cruise control, ATA supports setting speed governors to a maximum speed of 70 mph, according to comments filed at FMCSA.
The Truckload Carriers Association and Road Safe America, a nonprofit “with a mission to reduce the number of crashes between trucks and passenger cars,” both support ATA’s stance. Providing the option of a maximum speed of 70 mph for trucks using AEB and adaptive cruise control “would give existing fleets an incentive to purchase and use these amazing safety technologies,” wrote Road Safe America’s Steve Owings.
Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety also supports speed limiters — but it wants the maximum speed set to 60 mph.
The safety group cited “incontrovertible” safety benefits highlighted in the FMCSA’s 2016 NPRM, where the agency noted that crashes involving heavy vehicles traveling faster are more deadly than those involving trucks traveling at lower speeds.
“The 2016 NPRM estimates that setting the device at 60 mph has the potential to save almost 500 lives and prevent nearly 11,000 injuries annually,” commented Advocates President Catherine Chase. “By comparison, the NPRM clearly states that setting the speed at 65 or 68 mph will result in far less lives saved and injuries prevented.”
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) also considers speed limiters a needed safety requirement, although it did not advocate for a particular speed setting for the devices.
“Although the use of speed limiters on large trucks has raised concerns about creating speed differentials between trucks and other vehicles, research has documented that trucks already travel significantly slower than passenger vehicles, including on roads with speed limits raised to among the highest in the nation,” IIHS stated.
Less safe, more delays?
The thousands of individual owner-operators commenting on the proposal who opposed requiring speed limiters on their trucks were backed by associations representing small businesses, in particular the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association.
| Speed limit | Number | Percent |
| 25 mph or less | 123 | 2.7% |
| 30-35 mph | 316 | 7.1% |
| 40-45 mph | 635 | 14.2% |
| 50-55 mph | 1,491 | 33.3% |
| 60-65 mph | 897 | 20% |
| 70-75 mph | 860 | 19.2% |
| 80-85 mph | 24 | 0.5% |
| No statutory limit | 45 | 1.0% |
| Unknown | 88 | 2.0% |
| Total | 4,479 | 100% |
(Updated Oct. 2021). Source: FMCSA
In addition to unsafe speed differentials resulting if speed limits on certain roads have higher speed limits than those governed by the engine’s control unit, speed limiters take away a driver’s ability to avoid accidents and unsafe road conditions, according to OOIDA President and CEO Todd Spencer.
In addition, “speed limiters increase driver stress and make drivers more fatigued because they must operate longer hours in order to complete the work expected of them, and they must also operate at the maximum allowed speed for more of those hours,” Spencer said. “In a survey of our members, drivers that are required by their carriers to use speed limiters also report feeling pressure to ‘make up’ time on local roads when the posted speed limit is lower than the speed set on the truck.”
The Livestock Marketing Association, which represents more than 80% of local livestock auction markets, agreed that the use of speed limiters “ignores the very real safety hazard of speed differentials and fails to account for the safety impacts when a 60, 65 or 68 mph limit is applied to a [truck] while surrounding traffic are traveling speeds 10, 15 or even 20 mph faster. This difference in speeds will cause more dangerous conditions for the motoring public.”
Mandating slower truck speeds, he said, “will literally slow the movement of freight through the supply chain. At a time when businesses and families are having difficulties securing the supplies they need, this proposal would create additional challenges and delays.”
One commenter used FMCSA’s own data to counter research from safety and insurance groups used to support speed limiters (see table, above).
The commenter noted that according to FMCSA, highways with posted speed limits of 50-55 mph account for 33.3% of all fatal crashes and that highways with speed limits of 60-65 mph and 70-75 mph account for significantly fewer fatalities.
“What is more, this data shows that out of 4,479 fatal crashes only 1.0% (45 fatal crashes) occurred in areas with no statutory speed limit” and 97% occurred in areas with speed limits. “This evidence suggests on its face that fatal crashes are less likely, not more, as posted speed limits are increased or removed altogether.”
Related articles:
- Speed limiters, automatic braking on NTSB Most Wanted List
- Safety ratings at risk for violators of proposed speed limiter law
- US senators propose 65-mph truck speed limiters
Click for more FreightWaves articles by John Gallagher.
Thomas Marlowe
Set speed limiters to less than 75 and you will CONDEMN the midwest to moldy produce, canned produce, or OVERPRICED produce (as it will take a team only operation to get fresh produce from the west coast to the midwest in a single duty cycle). There’s a reason strawberries are often moldy at Wal-Mart. They sat on a truck for 5 days before getting unloaded, another one in the distribution center, and another one for transport from DC to shelf. OURS are on a truck for 3 and on the shelf by day 4. We are governed at 75. Most of MY close calls and unsafe situations happened at companies where I was governed at 65 or less. Most of those situations were caused by a road raging 4 wheeler. I deal with very few road rage situations because I’m fast enough to get the heck out of their way.
Vince
I want to ask a specific question to all that are against speed limiters also known as governors. Do you know what the average speed rating is on your tires. Most heavy truck tires have a speed rating of 70 mph. Anything faster can cause premature tire failure and blow outs. So I ask again with all the push back do you know what your tires are rated for. This is greater safety concern than the slower speeds your concerned with.
Thomas Marlowe
recaps have a speed rating of <70. Virgin rubber is <80 to my knowledge.
Guy Brown
As a professional CDL truck driver for many years myself I think the truck should be coming down the drivers are getting more and more desperate the CDL driver that is some of them can’t even speak or read English the truck that I drive is goven to 64 I set my cruise control when possible to 55 it should be a speed limit for CDL Trucks/Buses Drivers and an interstate speed for passenger vehicles. Safety should always come first
Thomas Marlowe
Tell everyone you’re not a trucker, but a FMCSA employee without telling everyone that’s what you are
Kent Klink
If the government is going to overreach and place speed limiters on vehicles they need to place them on ALL vehicles. Otherwise speed limiters on trucks only will cause aggressive drivers in passenger vehicles to drive even more risky and aggressively in order to get around slower moving traffic, creating even more dangerous driving conditions for everyone on the roadway. If you don’t think this true, I have hundreds of hours of video from my dash cam to prove my claim.
Sam
If I’m clear FMCSA proposal is to mitigate the crash impact rather than address the cause of most trucking accidents which is the inattentive passenger car driver making erratic, unpredictable maneuvers that truckers have very little response time in which to react.
As a 7 year commercial truck driver, two of the most common situations I deal with on the roads and highways are passenger vehicles speeding up to pass but then slow and hang out alongside my trailer. I’m already driving at my maximum speed governed at 65 mph. This forces me to slow to regain my safety zone but impeded the traffic behind me further frustrating drivers behind me.
The second is passenger vehicles that pass me but cut in front and slow to my speed or slower, again forcing me to slow below my governed speed often when I’m struggling to pull a hill. To avoid dropping my speed I may change lanes if traffic permits which now creates another potential hazardous situation when I need to merge back over into the truck lane and traffic may no allow me in.
Big John
Truck speed kills. All large trucks should be limited to 58 miles an hour. That goes for buses too.
Shagi
You are obviously one of those people who purposely brake check trucks to commit insurance fraud.
UglyTrucker
Obviously the pro 58 mph idiot probably drives a Prius…..
Car speed kills. Car texting and driving kills, car aggressive drivers kill…
Don
Speed limiters are also a salary cap
Melvin D. Howard
Most of the time truck driver get citation of an accident but he is not the cause because some automobile has pulled out front of him and.he loses control trying not to hit him at 55 mph. Let the trucker have the speed as long as it’s safe with the traffic flow, and he is safe about all his movements for the situation.
Dave mc nutt
This has been nothing but a curse in canada, traffic all backed up , frustrated drivers, engines not working to there full potential, causing lower fuel mileage, and more break downs. No wonder there is a driver shortage, you don’t have to drive the truck no more,it drives you.
Eddie
I am not apposed to the idea of limiting big trucks. BUT of the government does that then they should also govern POV’s as well. People will get over it over time. Highways would be safer if Mr. and Mrs. Jones could get up ridiculous speeds. If all were governed at 70 MPH they would be forced to slow down, save a little on pollution and save on fuel. In my eyes it is a win win win situation. I have owned my own trucking for a short time and I like my cars as well.
Ray
This would be a huge mistake.
What’s going to happen when 1 truck is running 60 mph, and the 1 behind it is going 60.25, and pulls out into traffic thats moving 75-85?? If there’s by chance a crash feom that, then that truck would take probably 5 to 10 minutes to pass, leaving everyone in the fast lane frustrated beyond imagination!
Now, I ask you, does this sound smart?