In The News
ATA, OOIDA want speed limiter mandate comment period extended
Both the American Trucking Associations and the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association want the speed limiter mandate's 60-day comment period extended.
After the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration published a joint Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) on mandating speed limiters August 26, OOIDA filed a request to extend the comment period by another 60 days and ATA and 47 of its state affiliations also has filed a request to extend, according to a report in Land Line Magazine.
OOIDA has long been opposed to speed limiters, and in the NPRM both federal agencies admit that the mandate could adversely impact small trucking companies because of increased delivery time delays.
"The impact on small carriers could be significant from a competitive perspective," the NPRM says. FMCSA considers motor carriers with 148 power units or fewer to be small businesses for the purpose of its analysis in the NPRM.
ATA and Road Safe America (45 days apart) first petitioned the federal government to require speed limiters in 2006.
Both ATA and Road Safe America had first suggested a speed of 68 in 2006 but later amended that to 65 mph.
But the NPRM is vague, especially when it comes to at what speed limiters should be set: 60, 65, 68 or "none of the above."
Comments to the proposal will be used by the agencies to pin down details such as a set speed, a common practice with NPRMs.
ATA had applauded the NPRM, but later said it was a departure from its initial petition with regard to making sure the speed limiter is tamper-proof, the lack of any retrofit requirement and the lack of a specific speed, the Land Line article noted.
OOIDA has protested numerous times that different speeds for cars and trucks are highly dangerous and lead to accidents.
The comment period began September 7 and both FMCSA and NHTSA propose a lead time of three years from publication of a final rule to full compliance.
For more about the mandate click here.
The Trucker staff can be reached to comment on this article at [email protected].