WASHINGTON — An owner-operator-backed bill aimed at preventing a speed mandate for trucks is getting heavy pushback from safety groups aligning with small-business trucking’s big-business competition.
A coalition that includes Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, the Truck Safety Coalition, the National Safety Council (NSC) and Road Safe America are lobbying lawmakers to oppose the Deregulating Restrictions on Interstate Vehicles and Eighteen Wheelers Act, known as the DRIVE Act, which was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives earlier this month.
The proposal, which would prohibit the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration from issuing a planned rulemaking requiring trucks to be outfitted with speed governor devices, was immediately opposed by the American Trucking Associations, whose members — many of them — have already invested in such devices for their fleets.
Safety groups are aligning with major trucking companies, warning that the bill would be a major setback at a time when fatalities from truck crashes are on the rise.
“Since 2009, truck crash deaths have increased by 71% with over 5,700 lives lost and nearly 155,000 injured in 2021 (the most recent year for which data is available),” the groups state in a letter to the leaders of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. “Fatalities to large truck occupants (largely truck drivers) surged past 1,000 for the first time in nearly 40 years.”
The coalition, which also includes The Trucking Alliance, a group backed by major truckload carriers, and The Road to Zero Coalition, an NSC-managed coalition of cities, counties and state governmental agencies, points out that “arbitrarily stopping FMCSA from this rulemaking process would compromise the agency from pursuing its stated mission — to reduce large truck crash injuries and fatalities.”
According to a recent Trucking Alliance survey, 98% of the 62,000 trucks operated by the group’s member carriers use speed limiter technology, they told lawmakers, with maximum speed settings ranging from 61 mph to 70 mph.
In addition to safety benefits, members of the coalition point to economic advantages of installing speed limiters on fleets.
“Aside from the research that shows speed limiters to be highly effective at reducing high-speed collisions, there is ample real-world use by leading trucking companies that show speed limiters diminish a company’s crashes and improve their profits,” said Road Safe America Co-Founder Steve Owings in a separate statement, referring presumably to money saved by reduced fuel use and other cost savings.
Speed limiters were a topic of debate at a Capitol Hill hearing this week. Lewie Pugh, executive vice president of the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, which backs the legislation, argued that studies find having different speed requirements for cars and trucks make the roads less safe. In addition, slowing down goods movement will require more trucks to move the same amount of freight, adding to congestion, Pugh said.
Asked to comment on the coalition forming against the bill, OOIDA underscored the potential for more accidents resulting from speed differentials.
“Nobody cares about road safety more than truck drivers,” said OOIDA President and CEO Todd Spencer in a statement.
“Truckers know this mandate will take safety in the wrong direction. The most significant step the trucking industry could take to improve road safety is to keep experienced, safe drivers in the workforce, so we challenge those who signed this letter to work with us on increasing driver compensation, ensuring restroom access, and expanding truck parking.”
Dorothy Mellott
Do those people really expect drivers to remain in the driver’s seat,how about we limit everyone ones car that’s backing this bill to 61 to 70 mph,see how they like being in our shoe’s for once,how about ,we limit how long they are allowed to drive, garenteed they won’t even consider it,lol upset to many voters right,or how about us truckers taking a stand and shut down.
Grant A Blodgett
Should first educate regular drivers/ cars. The most problem is respect out here okay. We deliver your product okay. Speed is a dangerous thing but slowing us down is not the correct answer to the problem okay!! It’s even more dangerous to be slower than automobile traffic! Get in the truck for one month and tell me different okay!!
TheGearJammer
I told a state patrolmen that we don’t have a parking problem. We are just all on the same schedule. Same sleep schedules same driving speed. That’s traffic jams day n night. Talk about frustrating times. Thanks FMCSA nothing like sitting in traffic; your eld ticking away can’t make your park so u sleep roadside. Gonna have to reschedule the load.
Douglas Gutsche
As a driver for a company that was going 73 and was slowed to 67 the company says they are saving in fuel costs but don’t seem to understand we as drivers are losing thousands of dollars.
The other thing they say it is safer for everyone but we cause backups on roads and then people get mad at us and cut us off or break check us.
All drivers I’ve spoke to all say the same thing about regular people in cars, they see the billboards and see money if we hit them. That’s 1 big reason wrecks with heavy trucks have gone up.
Jason Lee Clifton
Trucking justce the clock from the time it starts not slowing in construction zone because if you can run the speed limit look in your mirrors and you got the companies that can’t run the speed limit all over the your icc bumper trying to make up a little bit of time because there still trying to run all there truck is set at dangerous situation with road rage with car’s because of not being able to pass and get out of the way of traffic
Garret A. Sudbring
ELDS FORCED UPON TRUCKING INDUSTRY BY FMCSA AS CAUSED MANY DEATHS .KNOW FMCSA WANTS TO INCREASE MORE DEATHS WITH THIS SPEEDLIMITER B.S. WANT LESS DEATH TERMINATE FMCSA!!!!!ASAP!!!! GARRET A.SUDBRING
Frank Armendariz
Don’t agree with reducing speed. As soon as you leave CA going back to Arizona, you wake up. When trucking got deregulated, the industry safety, changed too. Also, this 14/11 puts more negative pressure. Rushes people to be in a hurry. 49 yrs driving, I’m glad I’m almost at the end of my trucking journey.
Richard Witzel
Common denominator in the increase of fatalities is the FMCSA.
At what point will they realize that every regulation the FMCSA puts on the industry actually leads to MORE fatalities. Imagine I95 where all the trucks are going the same max speed. They will be bumper to bumper for miles and all of the autos will be crashing as they desperately try to pass the slower moving trucks. When drivers get frustrated, bad things happen. FMCSA needs to stop all of this BS and just let us do our jobs. Just like with “Gun Control,” the Gov’t seeks to punish the law-abiding citizens. They will not save 1 single life.