Speed limiter rule now open for comment

It’s official: The Dept. of Transportation’s proposed speed limiter requirement for trucks was published in the Federal Register Wednesday, opening a two-month comment period.

The Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, being developed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) would require vehicles with a GVWR of more than 26,000 pounds to be equipped with a speed limiting device initially set no greater than a speed to be named later—and that’s where the formal comments come in.

The agencies will evaluate input from the trucking industry, highway safety advocates, law enforcement and anyone else with an opinion whether there’s a need for such a regulation and just how fast trucks should be able to go. The proposal weighs the costs and benefits, both in accidents and in trucking operations, for hard-wired top speeds of 60, 65, and 68 mph.

For its part, NHTSA would be responsible for the vehicle portion of the regulation. The agency would establish a new Federal motor vehicle safety standard (FMVSS) requiring that each new qualifying vehicle be equipped with a speed limiting device and the means to record the settings (including the time and date the settings were changed) through its on-board diagnostic connection.

FMCSA then would enforce the mandate, establishing a complementary Federal motor carrier safety regulation (FMCSR) to require carriers operating such vehicles in interstate commerce to maintain the speed limiting devices for the service life of the vehicle and to ensure they were used according to the rule.

Fleet Owner’s initial coverage of the proposal, which was announced Aug. 26, includes the DOT’s explanation of the rule, the DOT analysis of the costs and benefits associated with the three suggested speed limits, and a critical look at the research behind the rulemaking.

Comments may be filed at regulations.gov.