Legislation Trucking Transportation

Lawmakers introduce bill calling for speed limiters, set at 65 mph, on all new large trucks

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Photo: WendellandCarolyn/iStockphoto

Washington — Bipartisan legislation recently introduced in the Senate is aimed at limiting the speed of heavy commercial trucks to 65 mph by requiring new trucks to be equipped with speed-limiting devices.

Introduced June 27 by Sens. Johnny Isakson (R-GA) and Chris Coons (D-DE), the Cullum Owings Large Truck Safe Operating Speed Act of 2019 (S. 2003) would direct the secretary of transportation to promulgate standards and regulations requiring speed limiters on all new trucks heavier than 26,000 pounds, and would extend the maximum speed requirement to trucks that already have the technology installed. Older trucks without the devices would not be required to be retroactively fitted.

The bill is named in honor of Owings, a 22-year-old who was killed after a tractor-trailer rear-ended his vehicle while he was returning to college after the Thanksgiving holiday in 2002. It would codify a pending speed limiter rule that has “languished in the federal bureaucratic process for 10 years,” a June 27 press release from Isakson’s office states. The Department of Transportation, during the first days of the Trump administration, indefinitely delayed action on a proposed speed limiter rule, according to a June 28 Associated Press report.

“This legislation would officially enforce a long-awaited speed limit of 65 mph on large trucks and reduce the number of preventable fatalities on our busy roadways,” Isakson said in the release. “The majority of trucks on our roads already have speed-limiting technology built in, and the rest of the technologically advanced world has already put them to use to ensure drivers follow safe speeds.”

The Alexandria, VA-based Truckload Carriers Association, which represents dry van, refrigerated, flatbed and intermodal container carriers throughout North America, voiced its support for the bill in a July 10 press release.

“As an association which represents roughly 78% of freight market share by revenue, it is fair to say that any rule regarding speed limiters will have the greatest effect on our segment of the trucking industry,” the association states in the release. “TCA and our members recognize that traveling too fast for conditions is one of the most prominent reasons for accidents on our roads today. We have a safety obligation to responsibly operate our vehicles at speeds in which we can effectively control and limit the opportunity for accidents.”

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In contrast, the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association released a video in 2017 opposing speed limiters in large trucks, citing concerns about higher crash rates, congested highways and increased pressure on drivers to make up for lost time when encountering inclement weather.

A position statement on the OOIDA Foundation website states that speed limiters “would decrease overall highway safety because the interaction between large trucks and passenger vehicles would increase. The greater a driver deviates from the average speed, the greater his chances of being involved in an accident.”

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23 year veteran trucker
July 18, 2019
So the agencies against this bill are more or less saying if weather or other things delay the truck it's ok for the truck to break the 65 mph speed law to make up for the time lost?? How stupid is that train of thought. Another says congestion on highways, trucks doing 65 would be in right lane, cars go by in right. Not as much congestion as you'd think. More accidents? How about less accidents for the trucks who tailgate cars with less than 10 feet between them doing 70 mph. The bill needs to be passed !! I spent over 23 years on the road. And unless you're out there and not pushing a pen to paper in an office you have no idea what goes on out there in the real world. And the truckers against the bill are the ones who are truely doing much more than the speed limit all the time, so their opinions are very biased and don't need to be considered.

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Andy Blair
July 19, 2019
A position statement on the OOIDA Foundation website states that speed limiters “would decrease overall highway safety because the interaction between large trucks and passenger vehicles would increase. The greater a driver deviates from the average speed, the greater his chances of being involved in an accident.” OOIDA - decrease in safety due to interaction between cars and trucks. SO slowing trucks down to at or near the speed limit will be unsafe ? I guess allowing them to drive as fast as they want is safer ? OOIDA - the greater a driver deviates from his average speed , the greater chances of being in a crash ? That means if they cannot go as fast as they want , they will be in more accidents. Again, allowing them to go as fast as they want is safer ? OOIDA supports the independent drivers who are typically paid by the mile. If they aren't moving , they aren't making money. The FASTER they go, they can move onto the next delivery and make more money. A higher income is not a bad thing. Forcing them to adhere to the speed limits ( of course their 65 limit will still allow them to speed in any kind of reduced speed or construction zone) The 30 minute break rule should be removed. If a driver wants to take a break , they can. If they don't want to , they should not be forced to sit still for 30 minutes when they could be driving.

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M H Williams
July 19, 2019
Very dangerous idea. I have been in Heavy Highway construction over 30 years. One of the most common factors in accidents is differential speed. Having lived in Europe for 5 years I have seen these laws in action. The right lane becomes one long continuous line of trucks with all smaller vehicle traffic in the left lane. Can you understand the amount of congestion this will cause on interstates?

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Emerson Arnold
July 20, 2019
OOIDA is on target with their assessment. Just travel I35 between San Antonio and Laredo to see the negative effects of limiting speed to 65 mph on trucks.

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William Lee
July 20, 2019
Stupid bad idea with all trucks going same speed will clog the highway for hours when they try to pass each other, and the very people that want the limiters will be furious because they cant get pass them and will be late to where they are traveling to.

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Allen Krausse
July 25, 2019
Lowering the speed limit of large trucks will not only NOT be safer BUT, will create road blocks. Traffic flows smoother when all vehicles are moving the same speed. Today when trucks are allowed to move with the flow of traffic are in the process of legally passing another truck on a long pull and unable to maintain the normal flow, traffic stacks up behind them and THAT is when people do something stupid . Just think what it will be like when a truck driving 60 in being passed by a truck driving 65 on a 70 or 75 mile speed limit. And, that is on interstate or 4 lane highways. It would be compounded on two way highway. I am not a CDL driver but, I observe traffic movement. It is not driving the speed limit, whatever that is, is not the problem it is mismatch of speeds that creates congestion and then accidents follow. Congestion is bad enough on our highway system without artificially creating it. My state has a law not to impede traffic. This law would demand that that large vehicles would be forced to impede traffic. THIS IS NOT ROCKET SCIENCE. Just common sense.

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Tammy
August 1, 2019
So the next step is they will do the same to cars? No matter how many choices you take away from people there will still be accidents and there are times where you need to go faster or slower to merge with traffic or to avoid accidents. There are so many vehicles on the road with rude drivers who don't obey the law and are not courteous to others. These drivers are the problem not truck speeds. You will never be able to force people to obey the law. They will always find a way to get around it. Just like gun restrictions lowering the murder rate in Chicago. I don't think so!

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Michael herrera
March 26, 2020
So in essece these clowns are going to blame the entire Trucking entry for the acts of one person. I wonder if they would ever do that kind of legislation to all of Congress because of one thief in Congress.. because based on that. Every financial transaction. Even if they buy a candy bar the store. They should turn to receive in as evidence of their expenditures daily very much like how we have to do

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Name
December 27, 2020
i,ve been driving about 35yrs. the number of times i have seen public awareness as in billbords, traffic signs etc. i can count on one hand. lets just compare it with the motorcycle traffic. "WATCH FOR MOTORCYCLES,THEY'RE EVERYWHERE" . Nothing about a truck. lawmakers should be ashamed of the way it has left the american people. is it treason? iI think so.

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John Brown
May 8, 2022
This is fine to reduce speed but should be on all vehicles as well driving myself out there at times there are a lot of wreck less drivers in cars that are far worse in cutting big trucks off and other situations causing these accidents and yes they can be regulated as well as nog trucks technology is there .

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Donnie Hodges Jr.
May 15, 2022
This Law should not pass! I have been driving for thirty years. I have seen and been in wreaks where the driver of the car said they didn't see me. I have also seen smaller cars and trucks cut in front of trucks just so they could get out of traffic or make and exit. I ask how can you not see a 80000 pound truck on the road in daylight or at night with all the lights and reflectors we have. Let me tell you! They are not watching the road like they should they are playing with the cell phone .I was in an accident on i16. I saw a car merging onto the highway so I got in the left lane way before she stared coming down just like I should. She came down into the right lane and right into my lane and she told law enforcement she never saw me. What should be looked at is cameras for all trucks so law enforcement can see what happen.

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Charles Quail
May 9, 2023
As professional drivers for over 30 years, we have significant experience with speed variances between trucks and cars. Anytime you see a truck trying to pass another truck and seeming to freeze next to it, you know it has a governor. And because it does not have the ability to speed up to get around the other vehicle, the traffic buildup just keeps growing. And then the cars start zipping around one another looking for an opening to go past them, which they can't. Now this does not happen when a state posts different speed limits for trucks and cars, because all vehicles can have the ability to pass a sluggish vehicle safely and resume their legal speed. Even the ATA agrees the road rage created by limiters/governors just contributes to more unsafe conditions. Perhaps all vehicles should drive slower to make passing a quicker incident and stop the cars from becoming impatient at not being able to go these increased speeds.