NHTSA

Just over a month after the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration submitted a proposed regulation to require speed limiters on big rigs to the DOT, it has been returned to the agency without approval.

A new report from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration shows highway fatalities in the United States increased last year 5.3% from 2011, reversing several years of annual declines.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced three truck makers -- Daimler Trucks North America, Volvo and Navistar International -- are recalling vehicles, for defects including daytime running lights, a battery disconnect switch and an axle bearing retaining nut lock snap ring.

Paccar is recalling certain model year 2013-2014 Kenworth T680 and T880 trucks and model year 2013-2014 Peterbilt 567, 579 and 587 trucks equipped with air ride seats. The cables for anchoring the seat belt buckles of both the driver and passenger seat may fray.

Modern semitrailers for the most part do a good job of keeping passenger vehicles from sliding underneath them, greatly increasing the chances of surviving a crash into the back of a large truck, recent tests by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety show. But in crashes involving only a small portion of the truck's rear, most trailers fail to prevent potentially deadly underride.