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.”
Hector Sosa
I think it’s going to be akos since where doing the speed limit and we still get flashed light to move out of the way or a finger up.
Pete
I’ve been in a truck that was governed at 65 mph. The fatigue and lack of focus that comes from traveling at such a low highway speed is immense. Expect a lot more rigs on the sides of the highway for 10 hr. Breaks. Especially in the northeast as infrastructure for trucking is very poor at the least. Before any new laws regarding our speed why don’t we address the pay shortage first..
Kristopher Puroth
I wonder how many out of that 71% increase was due to four wheelers causing the accident. From what I researched most truck accidents happen due to the fault of a regular driver, not the trucker.
Ralph
Why dont u slow the cars down to 55. They cause most if the problems and if u slow trucks down it would be impossible to get around .there would be trucks lineded up for miles while cars would get tird of being stuck behind them
Samantha
Crashes are at an all time high because they require E logs which require the driver to continue driving while even while dead tired. They can no longer stop and take a nap whenever they feel tired. They have so many hours to get to a certain spot before they’re down for so many hours. Get rid of the ridiculous elogs and let drivers go back to sleep I g whenever they’re tired!! And crashes are NOT always caused by the truck. I have see. So many cars cut off big rigs or speed up and slow down just to mess with them. They got exactly what was coming to them for being an idiot.
Bill Steadman
They’re going to do what they’re going to do. You’re a government is corrupt your government let your employer hold you slavery between your medical insurance and retirement they spend your money charge you more to do less when you didn’t have a deficit you would probably have $500 more a month your 500 goes to paying the interest on the deficit they don’t secure your borders. You don’t have good health insurance The government has done nothing for the people of America and well over 50 years. This is a small problem compared to all the others that hanging around your neck. Thank you. Your government is a criminal. Who is the peace river
dave beall
same old problem in trucking ever since de-regulation… it’s called OVER-REGULATION.
As more and more regulations are pilled on, the less safe trucking is.
Remove ALL regulations on drivers that were added since de-regulation and the roads will be safer.
New drivers MUST be acclimated to heavy trucks via apprenticeship programs where new drivers have the opportunity to ride along with and be additionally trained by experienced drivers -on the road- in real time.
Electric log books are ok, but hours of service regulations are to blame for many accidents.
All the communist drug testing must be stopped in order to get good quality drivers back on the road.
—-
I no longer have any trucks due to over-regulation.
Driving on the same road with the current batch of divers is very UN-safe.
Stay away from trucks, make any moves necessary to keep them away from your car.
Johnsilveira
There we go again, FMCSA protects this CDL mills, specially ones called, ” in house training from those mega carriers”, the result is simple, poor trained drivers, unsafe drivers. And irresponsible drivers, those speed devises are major cause of accidents, speed control max 65 mph, will certainly cause rear end collision, seeing it happening, what it should do is train the trainers, better train drivers, not a drive thru cdl mills.
Thus war against drivers are taking possible candidates away from the industry, those businesses, who are supporting it they should remember who bring they stuff to them, TRUCKERS, people, car drivers, safety(?) Associations should became truck drivers before they even talk about this industry.. 4whellers are the ones causing all the disgraced accidents on the road, keep driving like maniacs, provoking truckers, merging in front the trucks and slowing down,, those are the real reason of accidents,
Troopers are pursing trucks more and more, even old veteran truckers are leaving, because of safety, and pursing,..