Limiting truck and bus speeds below 65 mph could have saved lives and fuel costs, but the Trump administration says it will raise costs and stall traffic.
The EPA plans to abolish groundbreaking climate policy
The Trump administration plans to retract important scientific findings that would regulate greenhouse gas emissions and strip the US government of its power to combat climate change.
No Brands – News Value
The Trump administration is putting the brakes on Obama-era plans that will create a country’s speed limit as low as 60 mph on big rigs and buses traveling on American highways.
The proposal has been in discussion since 2016, and on July 24, Trump officials officially announced that they would remove plans aimed at reducing the severity of crashes involving heavy vehicles. Obama-era regulators said limiting trucks and buses to 65 mph or less would save 63-214 lives a year, and drivers with more than $800 million in fuel and emission costs.
But federal regulators under Trump now say the proposal to install governors on all vehicles weighing over 26,000 pounds could make things worse by increasing trucking costs, actually stopping traffic and putting more trucks on the road. Regulators said the proposal could have delayed delivery, hurt the pay of already low drivers, and pushed more truck traffic to sidetracks rather than interstates.
“They’re looking for a great deal,” said Henry Albert, 62, an independent owner operator based in Laredo, Texas.
Albert said he understands why some safety advocates support speed limits, and said they will limit the 2022 Freightliner Cascadia to 80 miles. He rarely drives it because he consumes more diesel at faster speeds, he added.
The exact speed limit to be considered was not determined, but the authorities considered 60, 65, and 68 mph. Many states have an interstate speed limit of 75, with some allowing 80 mph, but trucks may be restricted to slower speeds.
Federal regulators have received more than 15,000 comments against the proposal, including objections from states that national policies violated their right to set their own speed limits. Trump ordered federal agencies to withdraw or override what he considers to be a troublesome regulation, and the Department of Transport cited his orders in killing the governor’s plan.
The regulator also noted that the rules do not take into account the potential risk of increasing the speed difference between passenger cars and large rigs, or the increase in the number of trucks needed to carry the same amount of cargo for a given period. They also said new technologies such as radar-assisted emergency warning and braking systems have significantly improved safety since the proposal was first introduced.
In a statement, the American Truck Transport Association, which supported a version of the regulations that had limited the massive speeds to 65 mph, said it would find a reasonable middle ground with regulators for a long time.
“We believe USDOT can successfully balance deregulation actions while implementing the wise regulations found in the book along its safety mission,” said Dan Horvath, ATA’s Chief Operating Officer.
There is an increasing push by safety advocates to limit driving speeds nationwide using technology like the governor. Last year, California Gov. Gavin Newsom rejected a proposed state law that requires a new vehicle to warn drivers whenever they are speeding.
Albert said he saw many crashes, although there were few real accidents. He believes that improved speed limit enforcement will help improve safety for everyone on the road.
“The speed limit sign is not the starting point,” he said, referring to the number of cars he was looking at at 100 mph past his rig. “That’s the limit.”
