The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association is asking its approximately 150,000 members to support a bill that would prevent a speed limiter mandate on heavy trucks.
Last week, Rep. Josh Brecheen, R-Okla., reintroduced the DRIVE Act. HR2819 would prohibit the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration from issuing any rule or regulation that requires speed limiters on large commercial motor vehicles.
OOIDA has been a vocal opponent of a speed limiter requirement, arguing that slowing trucks down well below the normal flow of traffic would increase vehicle interactions and crashes.
Safety groups have advocated limiting trucks to 60 mph. Doing so would force trucks to travel as much as 25 mph slower than the speed limit on some U.S. highways. In slower zones, such as construction zones, speed limiters could motivate truck drivers to make up for lost time.
“Speed limiters raise crash risks by increasing speed differences between cars and trucks – leading to more interactions and more accidents,” OOIDA wrote. “This is confirmed by decades of research.”
OOIDA has created a page on its Fighting For Truckers website that allows truck drivers to reach out to their representatives in support of the DRIVE Act.
Speed limiter rulemaking
FMCSA issued a notice in 2022 that considered requiring commercial motor vehicles with a gross vehicle weight of 26,001 pounds or more to be equipped with speed-limiting devices.
President Donald Trump’s administration is not expected to advance a speed limiter mandate. However, the DRIVE Act would not only end the current speed limiter rulemaking but also prevent future administrations from resurrecting the effort.
“Under the Biden Administration, we saw blatant overreach that would have required speed limiters as low as 60 mph for heavy-duty trucks,” Brecheen said. “For example, if a rancher or farmer is transporting tractors with equipment across state lines, under this rule, the federal government would require a speed limiter device when above 26,000 pounds. I have spent years driving a semi hauling heavy equipment and years in different ranch vehicles hauling livestock and farm equipment. Safety is enhanced in keeping with the flow of traffic as set by state law, not on a one-size-fits-all regulation enforced by bureaucrats in Washington. The DRIVE Act will ensure a future administration cannot revive this dangerous rule.”
As of Monday, April 14, the DRIVE Act had 19 Republican co-sponsors. LL
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