OOIDA wants speed limiter language removed

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GRAIN VALLEY, MO – The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) is asking the U.S. Senate Committee on Appropriations not to reference mandated speed limiters when drafting federal spending measures.

The group says such language currently found in the Senate Transportation, Housing and Urban Development bill would undermine the regulatory process while the public is asked to comment on a proposed rule.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) are currently collecting comments on a proposal that could mandate truck speed limiters set somewhere between 95 and 110 kilometers per hour.

The group dedicated to owner-operators and drivers has been fighting such a rule, arguing that it would create dangerous speed differentials.

“Congress has never analyzed the effect of mandating lower speeds for heavy vehicles through any public hearing or forum,” said Todd Spencer, executive vice president of OOIDA. “We believe the Senate’s first significant action on the issue should not be in the form of mandating something that decades of research has proven increases the likelihood of crashes between trucks and other vehicles.”

“The agencies making the proposal fully acknowledge the potential for increases in crashes between trucks and other vehicles, and only want to attempt to mitigate the severity of such crashes,” he added.

“Highways are safest when all vehicles travel at the same relative speed,” said Spencer. “This wisdom is backed by science. NHTSA’s messages have promoted the practice for years based upon their own research, going back decades.”

The OOIDA has 158,000 members.

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John G. Smith is Newcom Media's vice-president - editorial, and the editorial director of its trucking publications -- including Today's Trucking, trucknews.com, and Transport Routier. The award-winning journalist has covered the trucking industry since 1995.


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