Dive Brief:
- The Department of Transportation is withdrawing proposed rulemaking to mandate speed limiters for heavy-duty vehicles, the agency announced Friday.
- The move was part of a “pro-trucker package” released by Secretary Sean Duffy in response to an executive order from April. The order required him to begin efforts to improve the working conditions of truck drivers within 60 days.
- “[F]or too long Washington, DC has made work harder for truckers,” Duffy said in the announcement. “That ends today.”
Dive Insight:
The administration is choosing a direction in a longstanding policy divide between top trucking organizations.
While the American Trucking Associations has supported speed limiters of 70 mph for trucks with certain safety features, Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association has called for not putting restrictions on how fast a truck can go.
OOIDA President Todd Spencer has previously said “forcing trucks to operate below the speed of traffic makes roads less safe by creating speed differences and more risky interactions.”
The swift announcement by the government Friday means that DOT’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration are withdrawing a joint proposed rulemaking for heavy-duty vehicles.
“This decision respects the professionalism of drivers and acknowledges the proposed rulemaking lacked a sufficiently clear and compelling safety justification,” the FMCSA said in a supporting document.
The ATA nevertheless threw its support behind the administration’s support of the industry, noting that the series of pro-trucker measures help reduce regulatory burdens. Other provisions called for over $275 million in grant funding for truck parking and eliminating wording deemed unnecessary from FMCSA regulations.
“We look forward to continued partnership with the Administration to advance policies that strengthen America's supply chain and bolster our essential workforce,” ATA President and CEO Chris Spear said in a statement.
