When commercial trucks crash in Louisiana or another part of the nation, speed often plays a role. It is dangerous for the driver of any vehicle to exceed the posted speed limit. Yet, the sheer size and weight of today’s semi-trucks means it is even more hazardous when the drivers of commercial trucks speed. Federal regulators have taken notice of just how often speed plays a factor in commercial truck crashes and are making efforts to change this.
Per Freight Waves, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration recently announced plans to propose adding speed limiters to commercial trucks. If the plans come to fruition, then all commercial trucks that exceed a certain weight would contain equipment that limits how fast they are able to travel.
Proposal details
If approved, the proposed speed limiters would appear on all commercial trucks that travel U.S. roadways and exceed 26,000 pounds. Once there, they prevent the truck from traveling above a predetermined speed. An additional proposal would mandate that truckers must keep the speed limiter software on their vehicles for the lifetime of the trucks.
Opponent arguments
While many safety advocates are in favor of adding speed limiters to semi-trucks, arguing that reducing speed in trucks is sure to reduce speed-related truck crashes, others are more hesitant to do so. Some believe that reducing truck speeds would lead to more incidents involving trucks and passenger cars, citing studies that note that a higher variance in vehicle speeds boosts the chances of a crash.
Whether the FMCSA’s proposed speed limiter rule change ultimately takes shape is not yet known.