The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration will pursue a number of rulemaking proposals in 2023, including speed limiters, according to the Department of Transportation’s latest Significant Rulemaking Report.
The agency said it “intends to proceed with a motor carrier-based speed limiter rulemaking” with a supplemental notice of proposed rulemaking (SNPRM) expected to be published in the Federal Register by June 30, 2023.
Earlier this year, FMCSA revived a 2016 notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) that, at the time, was a joint rulemaking with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. This time around, only FMCSA proposed speed limiters.
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FMCSA Administrator Robin Hutcheson said in a recent interview with Truckers News' sister publication Overdrive that speed limiters are “definitely something we think is important for safety. The data shows us that speed is an indicator of whether or not someone dies or is seriously injured” in a crash.
Hutcheson said the agency is currently sifting through the more than 14,500 comments that were filed on the notice of intent earlier this year. “So if you would like to know if this is going to happen quickly, we need to be diligent about sifting through the comments, reading the comments, understanding the comments. That is what we’re doing now. We are working through the comments that we have received.”
FMCSA is considering mandating speed limiters on trucks equipped with electronic control units (ECUs) capable of governing speed. The speed limit to be set for these trucks hasn't yet been determined.
Other regulations projected to see some action in 2023 include changes to broker and freight forwarder financial responsibilities, the integrating automated driving systems-equipped trucks, automatic emergency braking systems, and safety fitness procedures.
