Petition to oppose FMCSA speed limiter mandate

Well said!

 

You see...I doubt there is a sample like that. I dare to claim that the number of trucks causing accidents due to their excessive speed is at best negligible.
If I were 100% impartial here and wanted to improve the trucker's behavioral patterns that are compromising the public safety, I'd ban any sort of display on and interactive devices while driving. Including phones, tablets, etc. Distraction is the no.1 cause of accidents done by trucks...watching videos, texting etc...that's what I see all the time. I am not sure how to go about it due to the fact that most ELDs, GDPs are integrated on smart phone and tablets and it would take some advanced technicalities to enforce it but out of all things the Safety zealots might want to address, this is the first one, speed of trucks is one of the last. It could also be enforced different ways, e.g. by an on-board GPS limiting the speed at a given speed zone, provided that it can be overridden by a driver and explained later in their ELD report but I can't stomach the idea that all of a sudden we all must to drive at Swift or Prime speed.

 

I'd be surprised if every driver had to drive that slow. I think there would be some rope given there. I think trucks being wide open will probably be a memory, but I think they'd at least give a window. I do agree, distracted driving is a big reason for accidents. All I'm saying is that speed is a contributor as well. I'm sure they'll come up with a way to measure distracted driving down the line, just right now speed is the easy fix.

 

The ATA wants to bring all companies down to their level. Because they can’t keep drivers because their nutted Cascadias suck at 65 on the pedal and they want to treat drivers like crap……

If every truck is speed limited at 65 theirs one less reason for a driver to change companies…..

One way around the rule is set the speed limit at 65 in the ecm and then in the driver reward area of the ecm set the speed limit at 80 or whatever if the driver averages like 3 mpg overall or some such low figure…..

Those of us up by Canada have dealt with this for years….It’s just another rule I will not follow period…….

 

Every time it’s come up (2011, 2016 to name a couple) the ATA has championed 65mph for all.

 

Yup, and the ATA still can't push it through. Here's the thing though. Some of the megas are starting to turn their trucks up to at least 68. Warner, Crete, and I want to say Swift. I've been passed by a Swift company truck and then I've passed them. So I'm not to sure on that. Some of the megas are evolving to up their speed, im guessing to appeal to as many drivers as possible. What if the aforementioned powerhouses stepped up and counter argued driver shortage? The ATA would pander to them for sure. It wouldn't surprise if that has already happened.....they would have passed it right with the ELD mandate. I'm only throwing thoughts out there.

 

And why do you think megas would turn their trucks up? To try and keep drivers. So if everyone is drug down to the lowest level to keep everything fair they could pick any speed they want. In the eyes of the megas and the ATA of everything is the same then it won’t be as hard to retain drivers. The rates will be what they’ll be, and that will effectively dictate what the upper end of driver pay can feasibly be for most of the for hire companies, so if we’re all governed at 65 there will be less of a reason for someone to leave a mega who treats them like dirt.

 

I don't know if I agree with that totally. Trucks could be wide open and drivers will still leave megas, moreso the industry altogether. It ain't the preferred lifestyle. You could have a regulation free industry and there will always be a struggle to keep drivers. No matter how much leveling of the playing field the ATA tries, they will never be able to rid the industry of the owner op and small fleets. For everyone that leaves the industry, it'll be a new driver trying his hand at such. Maybe the thinking is they can get the industry in their own image because newer drivers won't know any different. Just like drivers that started in the last 4½ years never knew paper logs.

 

Regardless the reason, which isn't safety, the result will be the same.

 

I don’t dispute that speed is probably a factor in many truck accidents, what I’m not buying is that speeding (above the posted limit) is a factor in many of them. Speed limit is 80 across South Dakota and you still see megas wadded up in the ditch.