Fleet Management News & Business Info | Commercial Carrier Journal
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/725427
LEADING NEWS, TRUCKING MARKET CONDITIONS AND INDUSTRY ANALYSIS NTSB says Tesla in fatal crash with tractor-trailer was speeding A preliminary National Transportation Safety Board report issued last month on the fatal July crash involving a Tesla in self- driving mode and a 53-foot tractor- trailer determined the Tesla was traveling 9 mph over the posted 65 mph speed limit. The Tesla Model S hit a tractor- trailer that was crossing the road in front of the car, which was in its autonomous Autopilot mode. The car maker said the white trailer disap- peared into the bright sky behind it, causing the system to not detect the large vehicle in front of it. The Tesla's driver died in the crash. "The car's system performance data revealed the driver was using the advanced driver assistance fea- tures, Traffic-Aware Cruise Control and Autosteer lane keeping assis- tance," NTSB said in its preliminary report. "The car was also equipped with automatic emergency braking that is designed to automatically apply the brakes to reduce the severity of or assist in avoiding fron- tal collisions." Tesla issued a statement saying the driver should have been paying attention and ready to take control of the car if needed since its Autopilot system is only in beta mode. The crash prompted safety groups to call on the U.S. Department of Transportation to bar vehicles from operating in autonomous mode while on public roads. NTSB said in its preliminary report that a team of five board investigators went to the site of the crash, Williston, Fla., to conduct an on-site probe. A final report is expected to be released within the next 12 months. – James Jaillet Proposed rule to govern truck speeds to be published soon A proposed federal rule to require the use of speed limiters on heavy-duty trucks has cleared its final hurdle in the regulatory process and likely will be published in the coming weeks. The White House Office of Management and Budget stamped its approval on the rule Aug. 12, according to the White House's online rulemaking portal. The Notice of Proposed Rulemaking now may be published at the U.S. Department of Transportation's discretion. Rules generally are published in the weeks following OMB's clearance. The speed limiter rulemaking was initiated in March 2014 following a petition by the American Trucking Associations and Roadsafe America. ATA has said it asked DOT to implement a 65 mph speed limit on trucks weighing more than 26,000 pounds. Little has been made public about the rule's contents, however, such as what the regulated speed limit would be, when the rule would take effect and which trucks would be required to comply with the mandate. Those details will be made known once the proposed rule is published in the Federal Register. At press time, DOT's latest regulatory report had listed an Aug. 26 publication date. The NPRM likely will have a 60- or 90-day comment period, during which the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration will seek comment from industry stakeholders and the public at large about the rule and its requirements. FMCSA then will use the comments to craft a final version of the speed limiter rule, which then will have to go back through the regulatory process before being made final. That process could take several years. The rule then likely will have a com- pliance window, perhaps a year or longer, before it's fully in effect. – James Jaillet Scan the QR code with your smartphone or visit ccjdigital.com/ news/subscribe-to- newsletters to sign up for the CCJ Daily Report, a daily e-mail newslet- ter filled with news, analysis, blogs and market condition articles. commercial carrier journal | september 2016 9 Little has been made public about the rule's contents, such as what the regulated speed limit for heavy-duty trucks would be.