National Truck Speed Limiter Debate

The N

tion

l High

y T

ffic S

fety

dminist

tion (NHTS

)

nd Fede

l Moto

C

ie

S

fety

dministtion (FMCS

) h

ve p

oposed

<

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documents/2016/09/07/2016-20934/fede

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ule<> th

t

ould

equi

e he

vy-duty vehicles to h

ve speed limite

s inst

lled.

The

ule

If p

omulg

ted, the

ule

ould

pply to he

vy vehicles

ith

g

oss vehicle

eight

ting (GV

) of 11,793.4 kilog

ms (~26,000 lbs). The p

oposed

ule identifies

fe

types of “he

vy vehicles” such

s multipu

pose p

ssenge

vehicles, t

ucks, buses,

nd school buses. In

ddition, the vehicles must be ope

ting in inte

st

te comme

ce in o

de

fo

the fede

l

equi

ements to

pply (st

te

equi

ements m

y impose diffe

ent st

ndds). The

ule

ould

equi

e vehicle m

nuf

ctu

e

s to h

ve these devices inst

lled p

io

to s

le

nd to h

ve the “device set to

speed not g

e

te

th

n

specified speed

nd to be equipped

ith me

ns of

e

ding the vehicle's cuent speed setting

nd the t

o p

evious speed settings (including the time

nd d

te the settings

e

e ch

nged) th

ough its On-Bo

d Di

gnostic connection.” The ‘specified speed’ h

s not yet been dete

mined. Some commente

s h

ve suggested speed limits nging f

om 60-85 mph. Both the NHTS

nd the FMCS

e p

oposing th

t the speed limite

s

em

in

ctiv

ted th

oughout the life of the t

uck.

P

os.<

h3>
The

e e

fe

key

e

sons fo

h

ving speed limite

s inst

lled in he

vy vehicles:

• ong>S

  ving Lives ong> – The <

  h

  ef="http:

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  -U

  ges-the-Ob

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  tion-to-

  ct-to-

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  uck-Speeds">

  me

  ic

  n T

  ucking

  ssoci

  tion<> h

  s indic

  ted th

  t 18% of f

  t

  l c

  shes involving he

  vy vehicles

  e

  e due to excess speeding. T

  ucking

  ccidents c

  use

  numbe

  of f

  t

  lities

  nnu

  lly

  nd imp

  oved

  o

  d s

  fety

  ill

  ttempt to minimize these tgic de

  ths.

• ong>Fuel Efficiency<

  st

  ong> – The <

  h

  ef="http:

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  nce Institute of High

  y S

  fety<> h

  s posited th

  t

  eductions in speed by just 1 mile pe

  hou

  c

  n benefit f

  om fuel s

  vings of

  bout 1 pe

  cent. D

  iving f

  steequi

  es mo

  e fuel bec

  use of

  ind

  esist

  nce pushing

  g

  inst the f

  ont of the vehicle,

  ttempting to slo

  it do

  n. Oil is slo

  ly depleting

  nd

  ny step to

  ds efficiency c

  n only help.

• ong>

  educed Emissions ong> –

  hethe

  you believe in glob

  l

  ming o

  not, the

  e is no doubt th

  t

  e e pumping mo

  e c

  bon dioxide into the

  i

  th

  n eve

  befo

  e.

  educing speed me

  ns less fuel consumption,

  hich in tu

  n

  educes CO2 emissions.

Cons.

M

jo

t

de

ssoci

tions such

s the <

h

ef="http:

/

.ooid

.com/”>O

ne

-Ope

to

Independent D

ive

s

ssoci

tion<> (OOID

)

nd h

ve been long opposed to speed limite

s. guments

g

inst speed limite

s

e

s follo

ed:

• ong style="line-height: 1.5;">Unintended S

  fety Consequences ong>n style=”line-height: 1.5;”> – Speed limite

  s

  ill necess

  ily c

  e

  te

  speed diffe

  ence bet

  een he

  vy vehicles

  nd sm

  lle

  commute

  vehicles. Sm

  lle

  vehicles m

  y

  ttempt to ove

  t

  ke t

  ucks on

  o

  ds

  nd high

  ys, c

  e

  ting uns

  fe d

  iving conditions.

  lso, t

  ucks

  ith speed limite

  s in them m

  y be un

  ble to

  ccelete p

  ope

  ly in o

  de

  to

  void

  collision o

  othe

  obst

  uction on the

  o

  d. The

  bility to speed is vie

  ed

  s

  necessity fo

  s

  fety of the d

  ive

  of the he

  vy vehicle.<

  sp

  n><

  li>

• ong>Inc

  e

  sed Congestion on

  o

  ds<

  st

  ong> –

  est

  icting the speed on he

  vy vehicles m

  y

  esult in inc

  e

  sed t

  ffic congestion.

  llo

  ing t

  cto

  tile

  s, semis, buses, etc, to speed

  ill ensu

  e

  n efficient tffic flo

  p

  tte

  n. T

  o-l

  ne

  nd fou

  -l

  ne highys

  ould be clogged

  ith speed-limited vehicles

  nd this in tu

  n

  ould slo

  do

  n sm

  lle

  vehicles

  s they t

  y to p

  ss the lge

  vehicles.

• ong>Loss of P

  ofit ong> – The OOID

  h

  s suggested th

  t speed limite

  s could cost some vehicle opeto

  s 50-55 miles

  d

  y,

  hich

  ould equ

  te to

  loss of up to $85 d

  ily (o

  $22,000

  ye). Most he

  vy vehicles c

  ying goods opete on

  st

  ict timeline. M

  ny comp

  nies

  ely on the timely delive

  y of thei

  goods to v

  ious pl

  ces. T

  uck d

  ive

  s

  e people too – they e

  t, sleep,

  nd use the b

  th

  oom eve

  y once in hile.

  llo

  ing t

  uck d

  ive

  s to speed

  ill ensu

  e the timely delive

  y of goods to thei

  destin

  tion,

  hich in tu

  n keeps businesses opeting.<

  li>

The

e e still m

ny questions th

t

em

in un

ns

e

ed. Fo

inst

nce, ho

ill the limite

o

k in st

tes

hose speed limit is highe

th

n th

t of the limit? Effectively

equi

ing

lge vehicle to unde

-speed seems counte

intuitive.

ill the

e be diffe

ent limits fo

eve

y st

te oegion?

h

t

ill the limit (MPH) be?

ho

ill se

vice

nd m

int

in the devices once they

e inst

lled? Is the

e

pen

lty fo

t

mpe

ing

ith o

otheise kno

ingly viol

ting the

ule? If so,

ill th

t pen

lty be

sufficient dete

ent to p

event the undesi

ed

ctions?

C

ll

Houston 18

heele

eck Lye

Tod

y<

h2>

h

teve

the outcome of this deb

te m

y be, <

h

ef="https:

/c

inju

yvictims.com">Ste

t J. Guss,

tto

ney

t L<>

ill continue to follo

this p

oposed

ule closely. ong>If you h

ve been involved in

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ef=”https://c

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houston-t

uck-

ccident-l

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“>t

uck

ccident >

nd

ould like to find out

hethe

you h

ve

cl

im, cont

ct ou

office tod

y

t 800-898-4877. ong> 1 <

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ef="https:

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documents/2016/09/07/2016-20934/fede

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documents/2016/09/07/2016-20934/fede

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