Overdrive Magazine | Trucking Business News & Owner Operator Info
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/391783
Voices 4 | Overdrive | October 2014 T he speed limiter rule that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is pursuing made news regarding an expectation that the rule would clear the White House Office of Management and Budget early next year. The proposal would require the installation and use of gover- nors on trucks weighing more than 26,000 pounds. Neither the U.S. Department of Transportation nor FMCSA have specified what the speed limit will be. Industry groups' support of a mandate for new heavy-duty Class 8 trucks goes back years now to Road Safe America's 2006 petition to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to limit new- truck speeds to 68 miles per hour. It was mirrored by a similar one from the same time period filed by the American Trucking Associations. In years since, there has been more than a little talk of the rule potentially requiring existing ve- hicles to limit speed electronically as well. Road Safe and ATA now advocate all 1992 and later Class 7 and 8 trucks be limited to 65 mph. ATA likewise supports a national 65-mph speed limit for all vehicles. North Carolina-based Joey Slaughter, commenting via the Overdrive's Trucking Pro LinkedIn group, called it a "solution in search of a problem. … Excessive speed for trucks is not a problem at all. Most trucks that aren't governed are oper- ated by owner-operators like myself who buy their own fuel. And we are some of the slowest drivers." Owner-operator Blair Blakely, via the same venue, noted he believed the rule is less about safety and more about eliminating any advan- tage that might come from speeds above 65: ATA is "in favor of anything to increase profits of their members, and one way to increase profits is to eliminate competition, and we are the competition." Slaughter cited research, in part from ATA's own affiliated organiza- tion – the American Transportation Research Institute – and the Trans- portation Research Board. While studies "concluded that there is Speed proposals rile readers The American Trucking Associations shared this image via its Facebook page, noting its support not only for a national speed limit but also for mandatory truck governing at 65 mph. As the poll above shows, little support exists among owner-operators for mandatory speed governing/limiting of trucks. But a return to a national approach to maximum speed garners a small mea- sure of support, provided it will slow down many four-wheelers. Clinton Seals called out the 80 mph speed limit on some Western highways for "creating a lot of potential for major accidents, especially with all of those negligent text/handheld device users that are a danger to our highways." Seals' support for a 65-mph- truck/70-mph-auto split national speed limit, however, drew the ire of others. They echoed the thoughts of many over the years that split speeds increase interactions in close quarters between autos and trucks. "We all know that most of the motoring public will still go over these limits," Seals wrote, "so let our Highway Patrol do their work." An anonymous commenter noted that today's state-to-state approach to speed limits reflects the reality that safe "speed is relative to the traffic and road conditions. … I am more worried about traffic congestion, poorly main- tained road surfaces and bad weather." No amount of speed regulation is going to change those factors, and in the first case, many believe, governing truck speed may exacerbate the effect. Owner-operator support for 65-mph national speed limit for all vehicles or mandatory truck speed limiting at same speed Do not support 66% Support 13% Support only 65-mph limit 18% Support only governing mandate 2% Other 1% OverdriveOnline.com poll Jodan Loan