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.”
snowman 363
Real truck drivers (that DON’T wear flip flops) are sick and tired of inexperienced young punks & government elds telling us what’s good for us when they are the LAST people that are knowledgeable and experienced elds are one of the HORRIBLE ideas in the history of truck driving
Chet
Keep giving CDLs to people who’ve been in the country for 15 minutes with NO skills of ever driving any type of vehicle and you will keep getting the increased crashes.
Put your ‘speed limiters’ on regular passenger vehicles if you want crashes to decline. Let the folks who want this stupid regulation, lead by example and get this done to their vehicles.
Actually, put ALL the CMV regulations on passenger vehicles.
California, New Jersey and New York are responsible for giving CDLs to thousands of people who dont have any type of skills, can’t maintain a lane, NO knowledge of basic courtesy.
They like spouting numbers, well show the numbers of who are involved with all these crashes. Why won’t those numbers be published???
This is ALL by design to destroy the trucking industry by making big trucks into an evil that THEY are causing.
James
Most of the commercial truck traffic already runs at a set speed. This will do nothing but further high speed accidents because then you will have passenger vehicles running into semis at a higher rate of speed. Just like they do now.
If I had to put a speed on avg passenger cars I would put it between 75-85mph. Most cars that pass me on the interstate are somewhere in that speed range. How do you think that’s going to workout when a truck is going 60mph and collides with a vehicle going 75+ mph? It’s not gonna be a good look.
I read an article some years ago about this when the bill was shot down previously. In the article someone stated that they were trying to stop high impact accidents and that they were not concerned about who was actually at fault. This isn’t gonna help that cause. Trucks are heavy cars are lite . The same truck at 60mph will just as easily kill someone the same as it would at any other speed. Anyway I’ll drive 45mph if my pay is adjusted for the loss of time. Just don’t expect to have products on the shelves regularly.
Jay
Well if you going to do this to trucks. Then slow cars down to 65 mph. Put grover on all cars. Because I drive truck I can only go 70 mph. Most cars past me running 80-115 mph on highway. I got raider in my 2021 truck so I see how fast cars are passing me. The speed limit in the Midwest is 75 mph. So if you speed all trucks up to 75 mph. Then you have less wreck. Because they can keep up with traffic. So you people in Washington need to SLOW ALL CARS DOWN. if you going to slow all trucks down.
Dan maclean
Ok then. First we have killer elogs. Then speed limiters? LOL let me suggest bullet proofing doors and windows for new…. And retrofit bullet proofing for older trucks. I’m curious what articles will be written about victim drivers. LOL? Not! Those. ” Safety group ONLY want death stats of 4wheelers. It’s THEIR PAYCHECKS that the bodies supply for those people….. Full Stop !!!!!
RON Zinn
The only thing that will stop the insanity of those people and groups is a flat out truck strike. We need to take back our industry and make it a great place to work again. Why did we not do it twice when our dad said no is fear .a strike will do that ooida should be doing that but there not because of fear. Let’s get it together set a date and get it done
Kevin rekeweg
Biggest problem with truck accidents is cars cutting off trucks causing them I am truck driver I could have 10 to 20 accidents a day if I didn’t pay attention as I do
Eric Stahl
I’m regards to the FMCSA and speed limiters, there are several factors that are not thought about. It seems everybody not in the industry want to blame us, truck drivers for accidents. Also, people who know nothing about the industry, never held a CDL, or work in the transportation field, seem to be the one who makes and pushes the laws. Come on people. Speed limiters will cause several problems. The leading problem will be road rage. Faster cars will get angry as slower trucks block up the roads. That angry will turn to aggressive driving, then into accidents. I’m not saying truck drivers are innocent when it comes to accidents, but during Covid, when car traffic was reduced, trucking accidents declined. Think about that! Less cars = less accidents with big trucks. Hmmm. Maybe speed limiters need to be placed on personal owned cars and maybe they should have to follow the same rules as the truckers. In essence, instate laws which make normal individuals to follow laws relevant to the FMCSA. And enforce said laws. I guarantee accidents would decrease. Mainly because most individuals could not follow the laws in which truckers have to. Instead of separating us, make them same laws for all. You want trucks doing 65 mph. Set all vehicles at 65. If a speeding ticket for a big truck is 500 and a car for the same speed is 250, make them both equal, 500. So on and so forth. .08 is the legal limit for dui. A CDL is .04. Make it the same around the board, .04.
In closing, why don’t you let truck drivers who have clean records and been in the industry for 20 hrs make the laws concerning transportation. I think about safety every time I turn the key on. I have 20 hrs exp., and a fmcsa score of 0. It isn’t hard, it just takes professionalism and dedication.