An industry group says the idea is driven by a desire for safety. Critics see other motives.
The American Trucking Associations group wants the government to require truck makers to place speed limiters on their vehicles to prevent them from going faster than 68 mph.
“This issue was raised by our safety committee, debated by our safety committee, and recommended by our safety committee. This is designed to improve truck safety and all highway safety. Period.”
Dave Osiecki, vice president of safety, security and operations for the American Trucking Associations
Citing safety concerns on the nation’s highways, an influential trucking industry group is seeking new federal regulations requiring devices limiting the top speed of big rigs.
Critics of the proposal, however, say some big trucking companies are trying to use the safety issue to restrict competition and reduce turnover in an industry that is grappling with a shortage of drivers.
The American Trucking Associations on Friday submitted a petition to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration asking that the agency require truck manufacturers to place speed limiters, also called governors, on their vehicles to prevent them from going faster than 68 mph.
“For the sake of safety, there is a need to slow down all traffic,” said Bill Graves, the president and chief executive of the trucking group, which is based in Alexandria, Va. “The trucking industry is trying to do its part with this initiative. No vehicle should be capable of operating at excessive speeds on our nation’s highways.”
The trade group said that while the federal government focuses on equipment failure, driver fatigue and impaired driving, speeding is the most significant factor in truck crashes.
As much as 90 percent of trucks already have some type of speed limiter, according to the trade group. It contends a small number of truck drivers are speeding and creating greater chances for accidents.
The Grain Valley-based Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, which has more than 145,000 members in the United States and Canada, disagrees and questions the American Trucking Associations’ motives.
Big trucking companies want to limit smaller competitors, said Todd Spencer, the group’s executive vice president.
Spencer said big trucking companies should pay drivers by the hour instead of the mile. He said that paying by the mile creates incentives for employees to drive faster because federal rules limit how many hours they can drive each day.
“This is a PR campaign touting safety, but it’s really about big trucking companies acting in their own self-interest,” Spencer said. “Any trucking company can set their own speed limits. But if they do, their drivers will go work for other companies where they can drive longer distances and receive more pay. If these companies paid by the hour instead of by the mile, the issue’s gone.”
Spencer also said the American Trucking Associations’ wish to limit truck speed to 68 mph would actually make the roads more dangerous. He said it would create an even greater disparity between truck speeds and how fast the general public drives, potentially causing more accidents.
“Slower isn’t necessarily better all the time,” Spencer said. “Cars are going to be more likely to run into the back of a truck at these slower speeds. It flies in the face of common sense.”
There are 24 states where the speed limit for trucks on interstate highways is 70 mph and higher.
Yellow Transportation Inc. has limited its trucks to a maximum speed of 62 mph for several years, said James Welch, its president and chief executive officer.
Yellow Transportation, the biggest unit of trucking giant YRC Worldwide Inc. of Overland Park, has been an industry leader in reducing its accident rate, Welch said.
“We certainly believe in slower speeds for trucks,” Welch said. “It’s served us well. The faster you’re going when you’re pulling a 53- or 56-foot trailer, the more reaction time you need. So the slower speeds are definitely better.”
YRC says it has consistently lobbied for slower speeds for trucks. In 2002, the company urged all states to limit the maximum truck speed to 65 mph for safety reasons.
Spencer, of the independent truckers group, said he thinks other motives are at work in the lobbying of the big carriers.
“It’s no secret the big companies want bigger trucks and trucks with longer-vehicle combinations such as triple trailers,” he said. “If everybody else has to drive slower, that gives them a competitive advantage.”
The American Trucking Associations emphasized that safety is the only concern driving this proposal.
“This issue was raised by our safety committee, debated by our safety committee, and recommended by our safety committee,” said Dave Osiecki, the group’s vice president of safety, security and operations. “This is designed to improve truck safety and all highway safety. Period.”
The trade group’s proposal is just the first step in seeking a new federal regulation.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration would have to agree to review the issue and hear from other parties if it decides to explore the matter. Spencer of the owner-operators group said his organization would file its objection to the proposal if the federal agency pursues it any further.
A spokesman for the agency could not be reached late Friday.
Federal statistics show that U.S. fatalities resulting from truck crashes has been relatively stable since 1994. Between 1994 and 2004, the number of truck-involved deaths averaged 5,176 per year. In 2004, truck-involved deaths totaled 5,190.
Public Citizen, a consumer advocacy group, said the American Trucking Associations’ proposal could improve truck safety, but other measures could also help. Since most drivers are paid by the mile and can work only a limited number of hours, the temptation to speed exists, said Joan Claybrook, president of Public Citizen.
“The real issue is they should pay drivers by the hour, then they wouldn’t encourage them to speed,” she said.
One local driver also said a speed limiter of 68 mph would be impractical.
Robert Merrell, an owner-operator from Liberty, said such a limit would be detrimental to fully loaded trucks trying to head up mountains and steep inclines, particularly in places like the Rocky Mountains and the Appalachians.
“You need to generate a little speed when you start heading up those mountains,” said Merrell, who was driving outside Dallas on Friday. “A governor at 68 miles per hour would bog everything down too much. Trucks you see going 35 or 40 miles per hour up those hills will be going 15 or 20 miles per hour. The traffic problems would be immense.”
Merrell, who said he never drives faster than 68 mph for fuel-efficiency purposes, said the notion that truck drivers are accident-prone is a misperception.
“We’re not all tailgating and trying to be NASCAR semi-drivers,” he said. “Most truck drivers drive pretty decent. I think the best thing you can do to make it safer out here is to set the same speed limits for everybody.”
The proposal
The American Trucking Associations proposed a federal regulation to place speed limiters on new trucks to limit their speed to a maximum of 68 mph.
The proposal is aimed at reducing the number of truck accidents and fatalities.
The measure would apply to trucks that weigh 26,000 pounds or more, which includes most trucks with double rear axles.
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