Trucking organizations are leading a chorus of support for the reintroduction of legislation aimed at stopping the government from limiting the speed of commercial vehicles.
The legislation -- Deregulating Restrictions on Interstate Vehicles and Eighteen-Wheelers (DRIVE) Act -- was reintroduced this week by Oklahoma Republican Congressman Josh Brecheen. Originally introduced by Brecheen in 2023, the DRIVE Act prohibits the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration from enacting any rule or regulation mandating speed limiters on commercial motor vehicles weighing over 26,000 pounds.
Efforts by the FMCSA to mandate the installation of speed limiters have been ongoing for several years., but have been delayed by the agency several times, most recently in July of last year. It's currently set to go into effect in May.
The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association recently announced its support for legislation, saying "speed limiting devices on large trucks have been proven to create unnecessary congestion and dangerous speed differentials among vehicles. This results in higher rates of vehicle interaction and higher crash rates."
“Nobody understands and appreciates road safety more than truck drivers,” said OOIDA President Todd Spencer. “We want to get to our destination as safely as possible just like everyone else on the road. A federal speed limiter mandate would force trucks to speeds below the flow of traffic, increasing interactions between vehicles and leading to more crashes. It would be like an obstacle course for passenger vehicle drivers on our highways."
Brecheen said, "I have spent years driving a semi hauling heavy equipment and years in different ranch vehicles hauling livestock and farm equipment. Safety is enhanced in keeping with the flow of traffic as set by state law, not on a one-size-fits-all regulation enforced by bureaucrats in Washington. The DRIVE Act will ensure a future administration cannot revive this dangerous rule.”
Also supporting the DRIVE Act are:
- American Farm Bureau Federation
- Associated Equipment Distributors
- Mid-West Truckers Association
- National Association of Small Trucking Companies
- National Cattlemen's Beef Association
- National Ready Mixed Concrete Association
- North American Punjabi Trucking Association
- Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association
- Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association
- Towing and Recovery Association of America, Inc
- Towing and Recovery Association of America, Inc
- United States Cattlemen’s Association
“The National Association of Small Trucking Companies strongly supports the DRIVE Act, said that organization's Presidednt David Owen. "Mandating speed limiters on commercial vehicles would increase speed differentials between cars and trucks, increase traffic density, and increase impatience and risky driving by those behind a plodding truck. Mandatory speed limiters would likely cost more lives and cause more accidents and injuries."
