FMCSA reignites speed limiter proposal for larger trucks
Updated: May 3, 2022
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is moving forward with its 2016 proposed rulemaking that would require larger trucks to be equipped with speed limiter technology. In an Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking posted on May 3rd, the agency said it is “provid[ing] a series of questions to gather information and data to assist FMCSA in drafting a Supplemental Notice of Proposed Rulemaking” to offer proposed regulatory text and address comments from the initial proposal.
The 2016 rulemaking—a joint effort of the FMCSA and NHTSA—would require vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating of more than 26,000 pounds to be equipped with a speed limiting device initially set to a speed that will be established in the final rule and would require motor carriers operating such vehicles in interstate commerce to maintain functional speed limiting devices set to that speed. The agency believes that “limiting the speed of these heavy vehicles would reduce the severity of crashes involving these vehicles and reduce the resulting fatalities and injuries.”
The original proposal sought comments on “the benefits of setting the maximum speed at 60, 65, and 68 miles per hour.”
The American Trucking Associations responded to the Notice of Intent:
ATA is pleased that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is pursuing a constructive, data-driven approach to the issue of truck speed limiters in its latest proposal. We intend to thoroughly review FMCSA’s proposal, and we look forward to working with the agency to shape a final rule that is consistent with our policy supporting the use of speed limiters in conjunction with numerous other safety technologies.
The agency will be accepting comments for 30 days once the Notice is published in the Federal Register.