Trucking news and briefs for Thursday, May 4, 2023:
A new bill introduced this week in the U.S. House of Representatives would prohibit the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration from implementing a speed limiter mandate for the trucking industry.
Rep. Josh Brecheen (R-Oklahoma) introduced the Deregulating Restrictions on Interstate Vehicles and Eighteen-Wheelers (DRIVE) Act, saying a speed limiter rule on heavy-duty trucks “would negatively impact both the agricultural and trucking industries.” The bill has been sent to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, where it would have to be approved before moving to the full House floor. If it were to pass the House, it would also have to pass the Senate before being sent to President Biden’s desk to be signed into law.
Brecheen added that he knew “from experience driving a semi while hauling equipment, and years spent hauling livestock, that the flow of traffic set by state law is critical for safety instead of an arbitrary, one-size-fits-all speed limit imposed by some bureaucrat sitting at his desk.”
[Related: 'Dumbest idea I've ever heard': Owner-ops say no to speed limiter mandate]
The bill has no bipartisan support as yet, but is co-sponsored by representatives Pete Sessions (R-Texas), Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.), Scott Perry (R-Penn.), Eric Burlison (R-Missouri) and John Moolenaar (R-Mich.). Among the groups voicing support for the bill were the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA); Western States Trucking Association; American Farm Bureau Federation; Livestock Marketing Association; National Association of Small Trucking Companies (NASTC); and National Cattleman’s Beef Association (NCBA).
“The physics is straightforward: limiting trucks to speeds below the flow of traffic increases interactions between vehicles and leads to more crashes,” said OOIDA President Todd Spencer.
