Is a speed limiter part of your truck driving future?
If the federal government has its way, it may very well be. However, there are those in the trucking industry who are pushing back, and not surprisingly, there are other voices in favor.
James Jaillet, writing for our sister publication “Commercial Carrier Journal,” outlines the arguments on both sides of the issue:
“Though the U.S. Department of Transportation formally proposed last month a rule to require many, if not all, trucks operating in the U.S. to install and use speed limiting devices (aka speed governors), the debate on limiters and their role in truck crashes remains contentious.
“The key argument among proponents is that capping truck speeds will reduce the number of truck-involved crashes. Supporters of a speed limiter mandate also push limiters as a means to increase fuel economy, which would cut carriers’ costs and reduce emissions, advocates say.“Opponents of the rule argue the opposite: Setting maximum truck speeds would increase crash risk by creating unsafe speed differentials between cars and trucks, putting truckers and the motoring public at greater risk. Detractors of the rule also argue a speed governor mandate would create more “rolling roadblocks,” making highways more inefficient and unsafe, and simply make it more difficult for truckers to perform their jobs in an already restrictive regulatory environment.”
Read Jaillet’s complete article.
And, if you wish to weigh in on the issue yourself, you have until Nov. 7 and you can click here to do so.
Use the comments section below to tell us what you think.