Arguing that mandating electronic speed limiters on large trucks would “create a dangerous, split-speed environment on U.S. highways,” the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association has provided the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration with research showing that “there is a lack of solid science to back up a mandate that would require speed limiting devices on large trucks and that doing so would make highways less safe.”  

OOIDA sent a letter to agency officials requesting that they “fully consider the studies and data” on split speeds as they work on a joint rule proposal that would require the installation of speed-limiting devices on heavy trucks.

The association said the letter included a supplemental outline of what it termed “extensive research showing that uniform highway speeds are safest, while speed differentials increase the risk of crashes.”

The Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on Heavy Vehicle Speed Limiters (RIN 2126-AB63) is currently slated to be published on July 27.

Per DOT, this would “decrease the estimated 1,115 fatal crashes annually involving vehicles with a GVWR of over 26,000 pounds on roads with posted speed limits of 55 mph or above.”