FMCSA called off proposed bill on speed limiters for trucks

On Monday, the FMCSA withdrew its proposed legislation that could limit trucks’ speed.

The September 2023 report originally specified FMCSA’s speed limiter proposal as limiting commercial vehicle speeds to a maximum of 68 mph.

However, by the evening of Monday, September 25, the document was changed and did not reflect the number of proposed maximum speed limits.

It is unclear whether FMCSA intends to limit the maximum speed to 68 mph or whether the proposal was flawed.

In any case, FMCSA indicated that significant regulations must be reviewed by the White House Office of Management and Budget before they can be published and circulated for public comment. Among them is the “proposed maximum speed,” FMCSA said.

The FMCSA plans to issue a supplemental notice on December 29 of the proposed regulations, which are expected to include maximum speed limits.

Once additional notice of proposed rulemaking is published, the public will have an opportunity to comment. The agency will then have to sift through likely thousands of comments before it can determine whether to move forward with the final rule.

This is not the first attempt to set speed limits on trucks. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration published a report on the topic back in 1991, and in 2006 the American Trucking Associations asked NHTSA to limit trucks’ speed to 68 mph.