Loaded and Rolling: FMCSA slams brakes on 68 mph speed limiter plan

Daimler’s hydrogen truck breaks record with 650-mile run, ACT Index shows elevated driver availability

Thomas Wasson

1 year ago

FMCSA slams brakes on 68 mph speed limiter plan

Confusion erupted on Monday following reports that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration was looking to set a 68 mph maximum speed setting for trucks newer than the 2003 model year. Matt Cole with the Commercial Carrier Journal wrote that the FMCSA “said the 68 mph speed limit originally included in the report is one of the options being considered for the supplemental notice of proposed rulemaking that the agency is planning to publish before the end of the year, but noted that no decision has been made on the maximum speed limit that will be proposed.”

FreightWaves’ John Gallagher wrote, “A supplemental notice of proposed rulemaking mandating speed limiters on trucks weighing over 26,000 pounds equipped with an electronic engine control unit (ECU) has been delayed six months, from its original date of June 30 to Dec. 29.” The American Trucking Associations (ATA) is a proponent of limiters, noting, “official ATA policy supports 70 MPH in trucks equipped with Automatic Emergency Braking and Adaptive Cruise Control. In trucks without these safety technologies, our policy supports a maximum set speed of 65 MPH.”

The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association opposes the requirement, noting, “such a mandate would increase the interaction between large trucks and passenger vehicles, thereby decreasing overall highway safety. Despite the best efforts of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, there is no clear evidence which supports that the use of speed limiters will improve safety.”

This comes as the FMCSA pushed back its final rule on automatic emergency braking (AEB) systems to April 30, 2024, and has yet to set a date for formal rulemaking on a requirement for side underride guards for trailers.

Daimler’s hydrogen truck breaks record with 650-mile run

A Daimler-built hydrogen truck powered by a Mercedes-Benz GenH2 fuel cell broke a record recently as it completed a 650-mile (1,047-kilometer) overnight run on a single fueling of liquid hydrogen. The tractor-trailer was loaded with 55,100 pounds of gravel for a total weight of 88,200 and was tracked by a drone as its route wound along autobahns from Woerth am Rein to Berlin, passing by the Brandenburg Gate before arriving at the destination.

FreightWaves’ Alan Adler, who was in Berlin for the event, wrote, “The record-setting run showed a fuel cell truck could match the long-haul capability of a diesel while emitting only environmentally harmless water vapor. Where the fuel and hydrogen infrastructure will come from remains an open question. It is one that governments and industry in Europe are beginning to tackle.”

One challenge is cost, as zero-emissions vehicles continue to be higher than diesel options, but customer emissions reduction goals are creating a large incentive for fleets to test these technologies. Andreas Gorbach told FreightWaves, “Customers don’t buy these trucks because they want them. They buy them because they must. Both [fuel cells and battery-electric trucks] require two ingredients that go beyond the truck. The first is infrastructure. The second is a viable business case. It needs to be on eye level with diesel or better, such that we get a real pull from the market.”

Market update: ACT Index shows elevated driver availability

ACT Research’s September For-Hire Trucking Index on driver availability remains elevated, reaching near-record levels in August at 59.5 points.

The report notes, “The results are likely overstated versus the broader market, as drivers seek refuge from low spot rates in larger, financially sound fleets. We expect the driver index to begin to moderate as capacity growth slows and real wages continue to decline, but as mentioned above, fleets remain focused on driver retention.” The report anecdotally added that one customer mentioned fleets have been adding additional driving and safety bonuses in the face of lower miles per day.

An irony of trucking is that you can get drivers when you don’t always need them. When the freight market is soft, it’s easier to hire drivers compared to a hotter market struggling for truckload capacity. Larger fleets with chronically high turnover will always need more drivers, but current market conditions make it easier to fill the bucket.

FreightWaves SONAR spotlight: Carrier declines in authorities show no sign of easing

Summary: The ongoing exodus of carriers leaving the market amid stagnant low spot rates and higher fuel costs continues unabated. The Carrier Details Net Changes in Trucking Authorities (CDNCA) is the difference between total authorities and net revocations. It fell 343 authorities in the week ending Sept. 22. Total net revocations fell 1,539 authorities during that same period.

Persistent spot market pressures from truckload overcapacity continue to weigh down spot rates. The FreightWaves National Truckload Index 7 Day Average (NTI) fell 2 cents per mile week over week from $2.29 per mile all-in to $2.27 per mile. Removing fuel surcharges, the FreightWaves National Truckload Index Linehaul Only (NTIL) fell slightly more sharply at 3 cents per mile w/w from $1.59 to $1.56 per mile.

Part of spot market declines can be attributed to a historically high outbound tender compliance rate. The Outbound Tender Reject Index (OTRI) fell 15 basis points nationwide, from 4.04% on Sept. 18 to 3.89%. A lower outbound tender rejection rate will cause carriers further down contracted routing guides to offset the lack of truckload volumes by adding more spot market freight.