The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) jointly released their proposal requiring speed limiters on heavy trucks today.
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U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx backed a proposal on Friday to put speed limiting devices on all new U.S. trucks, buses and multipurpose passenger vehicles weighing at least 26,000 pounds. The proposal is more of a solicitation for feedback from carriers and equipment makers about the technical aspects of requiring speed limiters and employing them on trucks already in use.
Speed limits on interstate highways vary across the United States, with some states allowing vehicles to drive as fast as 85 mph (137 km per hour), though many states have lower maximum speeds for trucks.
The agencies argue that the safety measure would save hundreds of lives and cut down on $1 billion in fuel costs each year.
Federal agencies hope to cap speed limits for large trucks and buses on US highways, the US Department of Transportation announced Friday.
The government says capping speeds for large vehicles will reduce the 1,115 fatal crashes involving heavy trucks that occur each year.
American Trucking Associations is the largest national trade association for the trucking industry.
The ATA has urged safety regulators to limit the speed of all vehicles, including passenger cars, to 65 miles per hour.
NHTSA said retrofitting vehicles made after 1990 with the speed-limiting technology could be too costly, and it is still seeking comments and additional information. Sean McNally, spokesperson for the American Trucking Associations, told Trucks.com that speed is a factor in nearly a quarter of all truck crashes and a third of all motor vehicle accidents overall.
“The government’s proposal to mandate speed limiting devices on large trucks would be risky for all highway users”, OOIDA states. In some states, speed limits are as high as 85 miles per hour.
Most of the states with speed limits of 80 or above either didn’t know about the truck tire speed ratings or didn’t consider them.
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Spencer said limiting the speeds of trucks electronically would prevent drivers from being able to accelerate to avoid trouble if necessary. For the past month, Trinity United Church of Christ in Concord has been holding weekly support group meetings in its fellowship hall, and it’s gaining traction. States set their own speed limits, having been given sole authority to do so by Congress in the mid-1990s.
