In a surprising turn of events given that they were the ones who called for the mandatory speed limiter rule in the first place, the ATA has paused for a moment and asked the FMCSA to extend their comment period to allow for more time to consider the controversial proposal.
Unless you’re a completely brand new not-yet-even-a-CDL-holding member of the trucking community, you’ve probably heard that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has proposed a new rule which would make it illegal not to have a speed limiter installed on every heavy vehicle weighing over 26,000 lbs. Read more about the proposed rule here.
The notice of proposed rulemaking (which you can read here) was published on 9/7/16, and the ATA immediately called the proposal “a potential step forward for safety” and noted that it was “pleased” that the FMCSA had released the proposal.
Now that the ATA has had time to pick through the proposal it has found a few issues which make it a “dramatic departure” from what they initially expected.
“The rule, as proposed, would have a significant impact on the whole of ATA’s membership and many more industry participants,” claimed the ATA in a letter to DOT Secretary Anthony Foxx according to Fleetowner.
But that’s not to say that the ATA is likely to do an about-face and change its stance on mandatory speed limiters. It may be that the ATA just wants to make sure that the rule put in place is the as close as possible to the rule that they want put in place.
The ATA is seeking a 30-day extension on the comment period. If you want to make sure your voice is heard on this topic, you can submit an official comment here.
Source: fleetowner, overdrive, truckersreport, truckersreport, FMCSA, ATA, ATA, Regulations.gov
James willett says
The ATA needs take lobbying money stick it up their arse.
Crow says
James, your DEPLOABLE
Letrel says
Drivers park these trucks
Letrel says
Every day i am on the road cars passing me every day going well pass over the speed limits and get down the road and come to a traffic jam and you wounder whats the traffic jam its that car just pass you doing 10 miles over the speed limit just hurted somone
John Coffman says
I feel a lot of truckers will retire if and when this takes place ! I for sure am one!
Jerry says
I may be right behind you brother because I am just fed up with the Government and these no nothing advocate group’s.The ATA are not for truckers and you can add some of these trucking companies to that list. They no that the trucking industry is weak when it comes down to drivers taking a stand and band together they no it will not happen. They no that they can keep pissing in our faces and we will just wipe it off and stand there with our towel in hand waiting on them to piss again. I have sent my letter from OOIDA to my congressman and I did get a response and I suggest if you have not done this yet to do so.be safe out there my brothers and sisters. God bless.
Austin Ford says
I really am not trying to be dense here, but I really can’t see that speed limiters are going to accomplish anything. A 4-wheeler that cuts off a truck will be smashed just as flat at 60 miles an hour as at 80 mph. I don’t suggest that trucks have any business going 90 mph, but I have never believed that split speed limits are safe either. I know that there are cdl drivers that have no business riding a tricycle much less driving an 80,000 lb. truck, but in my 30 year career, I have seen a lot more cars pulling stupid crap and cause more mayhem on the road than trucks. How about more enforcement of traffic laws already on the books. How about more officers on the roads instead of relying on one patrol car for thousands of square miles of road. It seems that nearly every law created is to see how hard it can be made for the truck driver to put food on their table.
AT says
I think dashcams would make a more appreciable dent in idiotic behaviour behind the wheel than speed limiters.
Just last week, I had a trooper pull the classic “drive 85mph in a 65mph zone until you are right beside the exit you need to take and swerve through the hash marks almost coming over my hood to take that exit” move. No lights, no sirens and if I hadn’t smoked the brakes, I would have clipped him and no doubt been charged without camera footage to prove my case.
Happens every day, and maybe some people would act a little more sensibly if they knew they were being recorded, tags and all, and could be charged for reckless endangerment.
Thomas Smith says
There has to be a balance in the police forces. There has to be traffic enforcement,crime deterrence and public relations.
Rufus Crank says
We all already have speed limiters. Those little signs on the side of the road that say “Speed Limit”. Granted, reading is a secondary skill any more, just like professionalism, all the same though…
Brian McIntyre says
What is the difference between the proposed rule and what ata wants?
Don says
We have to realize, ATA is for everything Truck drivers are against. 90,000 weight limits. Imported drivers, they said 15% imported drivers will keep driver pay down. They have to slow the trucks down b4 raising the weight. Same people brought 53 ft trailers, longer hours driving. Did we make any more money? No, it’s by design
Cherokee says
Typical government organizers, trying to make laws that they themselves have virtually no idea what is going on. And the ATA belongs in that same category (they are the most harmful organization in the trucking industry) with all their big corporation backers that’s why most smaller companies won’t back them because their not for this industry only their pockets.
Like I said before unless your going to govern every vehicle on the road, I will not comply with this rule.
I was in Canada over the weekend and found out that are very likely going to change their rules and go back to allowing commercial vehicles to take the governs off because it simply made no difference on their accident statistics.
I repeat myself again, if you don’t pay for my equipment and I obey the posted speed limit and pay my taxes on time (which is a complete ripoff) you don’t tell me how to operate my business.
robin says
Will see how they feel about speed limiters when you have slow moving convoys going down the freeway in what I call a “governor race” as one governed truck tries to unsuccessfully pass another governed truck and traffic backs up for miles.
I wish these guys would just stop trying to fix a problem that’s not there.
I have not driven for a while and yes, at times I miss it. However, add my name to the ever-growing list of drivers who are just tired of the over regulations and stupidity.
EZmule says
KISS… It’s real simple. It’s been proven, time and again; that it is far safer on any given roadway, when every vehicle is traveling the same speed.
Second.. As far as fuel conservation. Lower RPMs equals fuel economy. Not lower speeds. So give us higher gears for traveling higher speeds to Keep RPMs < 1500.
Tim says
BS… It’s real simple. “Every vehicle traveling the same speed” is a mathematical idealization that has a safe sound to it, but has never actually been realized ever in the whole history of the human race, on any roadway anywhere. I’m not arguing in favor of split speed limits, I’m arguing against speed limiters. Anyone who’s ever driven a speed-limited vehicle knows what it’s like to labor through a five-minute pass with a five-mile line of angry four-wheelers lying in wait…you call that “safe?”
Pete says
Speed limiters aren’t about safety. The purpose of them is to drive the O/O out of business. Why do you think the ATA and big trucking firms have been hard at lobbying to have them installed in the first place.
Anthony Bellard Sr. says
putting the small independent business out has been the objective for 35 40 years,they have to do it slowly for it not to be noticed by the masses, go read up on the torture techniques the Vietnamese and other south Pacific people did with the nail or pen pressed through the hand without a sound from the victims.
Andrea McIntosh says
I think you may have a very valid point here. I drive I-70 across Ohio to Indiana and back on a shuttle route and DOT and State Troopers of both states love to lie in wait for trucks. Who do I see pulled over? An occasional 4-wheeler but mostly O/O and smaller operational trucks that aren’t limited. I drive for one of the mega companies in a governed 62mph truck and they ignore us completely. They also seem to ignore all the RV’s and idiot 4-wheeler trailer haulers who pull the most dangerous moves and overloaded trailers. AND as far as limiting speeds, a line of twelve governed trucks just jams up the road. I’m glad there are trucks out here that can still go 70+ mph and break away from the herd. Nothing worse than all of us bunched up together with cars mixed in. That’s just asking for trouble. These rules make the roads unsafe and frustrating for everyone.
robert allard says
A note on speed limiter: I am in Canada and been driving from Vancouver to Toronto Ontario where speed limit posted is 90kph about 55 mph the cops are very vigilant they allow up to 99 kph and no sppedind ticket so this truck am driving is limited to 105kph about 65 mph.
So just an eample speed limiter could be deadly, driving on a two way highway having a motorhome in front of me driving about 50mph so I am trying to pass so the opportunity was and started to pass got half of my unit true passing and mister decided to accelerated and in mean time someone coming towards me I had no power to go faster and had no other alternative but to almost get that tourist in the ditch thank god he applied brakes to let me in. See speed limiter could kill you and other not safe what so ever.
Infosaur says
I wonder if ATA’s backers crunched the numbers and realized that a national slow down wouldn’t work financially.
Remember if you can’t cover 650 miles in 11 hours, you have to add a day. It wouldn’t take long for all of those, “I don’t care if your tired, it’s gotta be there by 8 am!” Loads become, “I hit morning rush hour and I’m out of time, I’ll deliver it tonight” & “oh darn, the reciever closed at 5, I’ll have to deliver it the next morning.”
Jon Harvey says
This is lunacy. ATA needs to go away along with every money grubbing greedy trucking company. One of the reasons I became an owner operator was to be able to spec my own truck. I think your low rpm cruising just above a downshift is stupid. E Logs , Speed limiters, Out dated low pay, not enough parking. It will be restrictor plate racing. Good job ATA , I for one salute your act of stupidity, you have just about sold out the whole industry.
JC says
Just roll convoys of as many trucks as you can get together at the same speed through every capital city, especially Washington and see what it does to traffic until the rule is reversed.
Longtimegone says
Fine, they can just plan on absorbing the cost of installing the equipment on my truck. And they can absorb the cost of money & time lost because of their ridiculous rules. I’ll see you in court… Class-action lawsuit. Speed limiters are not going to fix “stupidity”…
Jolly Roger says
Every speed limiter advocate should visit a stockyard.
Classic situation:
Two trailers to load. One of hogs and one of big steers. Time management.
You run them all down and separate at the loading chutes.
Hogs and steers are penned across each other opening to the out alley.
Both gates are opened simultaneously . All animals plunge out to the alley.
Hogs trip the steers, steers trample the hogs.
Now, compare trucks and cars, with speed limiters on trucks.
Hogs are trucks, steers are cars.
En route to the loading chutes, hogs cluster and steers trample over.
Near the end of the alley (a hill, traffic speed variance, two side by side) you
get CHAOS…
Run I 40, Memphis to Nashville and observe this phenomena.
Jerry says
I am a firm believer speed limiters save lives! In fact, all big trucks should be speed limited to 40 mph to help save lives and fuel! Next, on board logs to really make sure some drivers arent cheating and getting freight delivered. In a short period of time everyone will get out of trucking and get those nasty lawbreaking truckers and nuisances off the road! Utopia at last!!!! As long as the fuel and food hold out! About 2 weeks later maybe truckers would get some love and appreciation!
E Gonzales says
If they want speed limiters in trucks let them put them in. If you continue to work for the same wage that you make now, then who’s the fool ??? Pay me by the hour to do what I do now by the mile , oh and don’t forget the sitting and waiting for your dam load I will charge for that time also. And I’ll run your 65 mph heck I’ll even slow down to 55 mph !! My minimum is $ 120 an hour lunch break included and not no 15 minutes! Do what you want FMCSA just pay for what you ask.
Kathy says
I live in Michigan where the speed for trucks is 60 mph and the cars are allow to do 70 mph. It causes issues. Not as bad as when it was 55 for trucks and 70 for cars. The short get on ramps combine get off ramps are another problem that the government created.
Jude Ossowski says
Since we can see that speed limiters will not be required on cars, we can easily, and correctly, surmise that this issue is not at all about “safety”. It is about control. Someone at the federal level decided we don’t have enough regulations restricting us and controlling our every waking move so they decided to come up with this garbage. Pretty soon they’ll be mandating our truck colors – JB Hunt tan, Swift blue or Schneider orange.
Don says
Follow the money, lawyers and shippers.
Ask who is for this? They line the pockets of lawmakers.
Mike Stewart says
I sold my truck and trailer because of this unmitigated BS from Big Brother. I refused to bow to Elogs and I am DAMNED sure not going to let ANYONE tell me that I can’t do the posted speed limit! A 2 week vacation for ALL trucks is in order and see how the FMCSA likes that! I am SICK of people telling me how to run my business!
Rutro says
I totally agree with your post, speed limiters have no worth in the trucking industry. Big corporations can do this due to insurance breaks, however, for those who are O/O, the FMCSA needs to pull their political heads out of their butts. Now, as far as e-logs, they are very convenient for corporations. This should be a choice the I/O/O should be able to make. Look, most of us are used to standard measurements, remember when the government decided we were going to have to switch to metric? Hardware stores still sell measuring tapes in standard lengths. If enough of us express our opinions with the link that’s provided, we might have a chance to get this taken off the table. Everyone, be safe out there!
Richard Gonzalez says
In behalf of all over the road C.D.L holders…”To He!! With The A.T.A.” May they collapse just like Hanjin. Yes, It is true we despise the A.T.A We are apalled, that your organization has the word Trucking in its name. Your organization does absolutely nothing for trucking but starve out the little Owner Operators by helping the Mega Carriers monopolize the industry! You are a disgrace to the Trucking Industry and may your so called Association fail miserably at any attempts to continue to ruin our Trucking Industry.
Truckers We Need To Unite And Rid Our Industry Of These Corrupt Individuals.
Bob says
Every thing on this page has been about trucks. If trucks have to have speed limiters then all vehicles need to be controlled and all at the same speed. Split speed limits are a real problem.
Set them all the same if we have to have them.