The American Trucking Assns. (ATA) is endorsing the idea that truck manufacturers limit the maximum speed of their products at the factory to no more than 68 mph. Speed-governing commercial vehicles would help reduce the number and severity of speed-related crashes among all vehicles on U.S. highways, ATA said.
The endorsement follows a study of the issue by ATA motor carrier members and safety experts which found that nearly 75% of the trucks evaluated already had speed governors, with most set at 70 mph or lower.
“There has been a growing sense within the trucking industry for the need to slow down the large truck population as well as all traffic,” said Bill Graves, ATA’s president & CEO. “With speeding as a factor in one third of all fatal highway crashes, it makes all the sense in the world to work to reduce this number.”