In The News
Trump DOT nixes speed limiter mandate from agenda, retains sleep apnea rule
The U.S. Department of Transportation, as expected under the Trump administration, has signaled it will not continue to pursue a rulemaking to mandate the use of speed limiters in the trucking industry, at least any time soon. However, the DOT still considers instituting sleep apnea screening protocol for truck operators and carrier employers as a near-term priority.
In its latest biannual update to its regulatory calendar, the DOT has moved the speed limiter mandate, which was issued as a proposed rulemaking last September, to a long-term agenda item, away from the active rulemakings list. Given the erosion of industry support for a speed limiter rule over the past year and the Trump administration’s reluctance to implement new regulations, industry stakeholders assumed the Trump DOT would drop or stall the speed limiter rulemaking.
Thursday’s update to the DOT calendar confirmed those expectations.
The DOT retained the rulemaking regarding sleep apnea screening for truck operators as a current agenda item, however, despite shifting an equivalent rulemaking for train operators to a long-term agenda item.
The sleep apnea screening rule is still in a pre-rule stage, according to the DOT’s regulatory update. The rule will, if it comes to fruition, institute criteria to determine which drivers would be required to be tested for sleep apnea, likely based on their BMI and other conditions, such as age, heart conditions and more. However, the DOT offered no timeline for when it would issue a proposed rule or other initiative regarding sleep apnea screening.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s Medical Advisory Board last year issued recommendations to guide the agency in developing the rule. See its recommendations for which drivers could be required to be tested for sleep apnea at this link.