Truckers have something to celebrate. Reports by USA Today indicate that Trump's administration has decided to cancel one of the plans from the Obama era. The plan was to set a national speed limit of 60 mph for big rigs and buses on the highways. The proposal has been on the table for quite some years now. On 24th of July, the Trump administration officially announced that it would not proceed with it. The main aim of the plan was to increase road safety. It was to reduce the crashes caused by heavy vehicles traveling at high speeds. Reports said that over 214 lives would be saved each year by speed limitation. Reports also indicated that truckers would save over $800 million on fuel and reduce emissions.
Why do away with the speed limitation?
The current administration believes that installing speed governors on the big rigs would increase the trucking costs. They think that it could slow down the trucks . By doing so, there would be too many trucks on the roads. As a result, deliveries would also be delayed. It could also even reduce the already low drivers' wages. More traffic on the roads would make the highways less efficient, which we do not want.
Truckers earn while their trucks are on the move. They earn by the mile, so slowing them down means less pay. Therefore, drivers are motivated to move faster to cover more ground. Henry Albert, a 62-year-old independent truck driver, understands why people would support the speed limitation plan. But he prefers to be in control of his speed himself. He prefers to balance between safety and fuel efficiency. Speed limitation would take that away from him.
The official speed limit had not been set yet. But it was always going to be less than what most states currently allow. The plan faced much backlash. There were over 15000 comments opposing the plan. Some states argued that the plan violates the standards they have put in place. Some critics saw it as unnecessary federal overreach. Trump has now ordered a rollback of the plan. The U.S DOT is also on the same page; the plan is now off.
Regulators argue that the plan did not consider how big a speed difference there would be between the heavy trucks and the other vehicles. The speed difference would be a danger. It would also lead to more road incidents and accidents. Also, more trucks on the roads would mean more traffic and more emissions. Also, highway safety has improved significantly since then. There is new, enhanced technology that has helped minimize road accidents and could replace speed limits.
ATA's take on the proposed plan.
ATA supported the plan to limit speed to 65 mph. ATA supports any proposals that would improve road safety. Safety is not only for truckers but for the public as well. So, ATA is open to supporting regulators whenever they come up with plans that would improve road safety. They would support eliminating rules that are not productive. But at the same time, the emphasis is on striking a balance between productivity and safety on the roads. Enforcement of current rules and regulations, and the use of technology, is the way to go, according to most in the trucking industry.
