After nearly a decade of debate, the speed limiter mandate for commercial vehicles over 26,000 lb. GVWR will no longer have to be a topic of conversation for truckers.
The notice of withdrawal by FMCSA and NHTSA was published to the Federal Register on July 24.
The summary noted, “In light of significant policy and safety concerns and continued data gaps that create considerable uncertainty about the estimated costs, benefits, and other impacts of the proposed rule, FMCSA and NHTSA have decided to withdraw the proposal.”
The mandate’s premise was simple, boiled down to the argument: “Speed kills, so let’s put in a speed kill switch.” More specifically, applicable trucks would have their speed governed via the ECU. But what speed? 65 mph? 68 mph? Many interstates have a posted speed limit of 70 mph, and 75 mph is not uncommon in Texas, west of the Rockies in Utah and Wyoming, and even in Maine.
In addition, limiting speed would inhibit trucks’ ability to overtake slower vehicles and merge onto highways. These could present new dangers and, at best, slow down commerce. It should be noted several large carriers govern speeds. Schnieder sets the limit to 65 mph, though allows slightly higher speeds when passing. The Wisconsin-based carrier sets lower cruise speed limits in states where the speed limit is below 65 mph.
“Regulating truck driver speed limits allows companies to not only reduce the number of accidents that occur on the road, but also decrease the severity of accidents,” the company noted on a blog related to the topic.
The issue struck a nerve with truckers. In an interview with Fleet Maintenance, Earl Adams, Jr., former FMSCA deputy administrator, revealed that the proposed mandate’s comment period yielded 15,600 letters, with more than half attributed to unique individuals as opposed to mass letter-writing campaigns.
“That blew my mind,” Adams offered.
It likely came as no surprise to Lewie Pugh, EVP of the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association. OOIDA had always vocally and vociferously opposed the rule.
Upon news of the withdrawal, Pugh stated, “Not only would this proposal have harmed working-class Americans—small business truckers in our communities—it would have made our highways less safe for everyone on the roadways. We thank Secretary Duffy and the Trump Administration for prioritizing safety, small business truckers, and common sense.”
The Trump administration had put the wheels in motion via an April executive order called “Enforcing Commonsense Rules of the Road for America’s Truck Drivers.” Then in June, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced efforts to govern truckers’ speed would be eliminated as part of the Pro-Trucker Package.
How the speed limiter started and how it stopped
Governmental control over truck speeds goes back to the Reagan era and Truck and Bus Safety and Regulatory Reform Act of 1988. The act called on the DOT to weigh the pros and cons of governing devices.
A 1991 study acknowledged minimal benefits, but came out in support of regulation, which was estimated to prevent 30 road fatalities per year.
In the mid-2000s, the American Trucking Associations and safety organizations asked for the government to revisit the speed mandate. The petition suggested a 68 mph limit.
NHTSA and FMCSA soon followed by opening up a comment period, and in 2011 began the rulemaking process. Then in 2016 they issued a notice of proposed rulemaking. Things slowed down until 2022 when they issued supplemental proposed rulemaking. When it came time to publish a decision in 2024, FMCSA kicked the can to 2025. With Donald Trump returning to the White House, his anti-regulatory stance doomed the rule from ever coming into practice.
Our take
If you’ve driven on the highway for long spells, you’re likely to see a majority of trucks operating at safe speeds, and often slower than you prefer when you get stuck behind them. This in turn coagulates the flow of traffic, and for some impatient four-wheelers, the workaround is zooming through traffic like they’re Temu Steve McQueen. That itself creates a highly dangerous situation.
But then there are truckers who, for whatever reason, feel the need to speed. I clocked one tractor-trailer recently “cruising” at over 80 mph for quite a long stretch through upstate New York. (For this research, I myself may have had to exceed the posted 75 mph.) If anything were to go wrong up ahead and traffic stopped, it’s unlikely the driver would be able to stop in time.
So both sides have a point. But this is America, and people have the right to be as smart or dumb as they please. Federal oversight at this level would be so unwieldy to enforce, and as that 1991 study pointed out, “the benefits of mandatory speed limitation are questionable.” But fleets of any size can and should take advantage of the myriad safety technologies available to ensure their drivers are not creating a dangerous situation. This starts with monitoring speed via telematics and could extend to dash cams and in-cab coaching.
But the most important thing is for fleets to internally mandate the highest of standards for their tire and brake maintenance programs. Spec high-quality components suitable for the application, train drivers and technicians to detect issues during inspections, and managers should meticulously ensure preventive maintenance and replacements happen on time and are done right.
About the Author
John Hitch
Editor-in-chief, Fleet Maintenance
John Hitch is the award-winning editor-in-chief of Fleet Maintenance, where his mission is to provide maintenance leaders and technicians with the the latest information on tools, strategies, and best practices to keep their fleets' commercial vehicles moving.
He is based out of Cleveland, Ohio, and has worked in the B2B journalism space for more than a decade. Hitch was previously senior editor for FleetOwner and before that was technology editor for IndustryWeek and and managing editor of New Equipment Digest.
Hitch graduated from Kent State University and was editor of the student magazine The Burr in 2009.
The former sonar technician served honorably aboard the fast-attack submarine USS Oklahoma City (SSN-723), where he participated in counter-drug ops, an under-ice expedition, and other missions he's not allowed to talk about for several more decades.