DOT Proposes Speed Limiters for Heavy-Duty Trucks

Late last week, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) proposed a joint rule to create a new federal motor vehicle safety standard (FMVSS) to require "all newly manufactured U.S. trucks, buses, and multipurpose passenger vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating more than 26,000 pounds," such as ready mixed concrete mixer trucks, to be equipped with speed limiting devices. While the agencies are proposing speed limiters on all new trucks, they have not proposed a specific speed the units should be programmed to. The agencies have, however, suggested maximum speeds of either 60, 65 or 68 miles per hour; although other speeds could be examined as well.

NRMCA continues to examine the proposal to determine the full impact on ready mixed concrete trucks and industry operations, and will be submitting comments to the agencies. Comments on the proposal will be due 60 days after the proposal is published in the Federal Register.