On October 6th, the American Trucking Association (ATA) questioned the safety risks of the proposed speed-limiter mandate and publicly stated their disapproval for the law in its current form.
The came as a shock to many because the ATA was one of the biggest backers of a speed-limiter mandate in large commercial trucks, and even stated their approval when it was publicly announced just last month.
The change-of-heart was announced in a press-release by the American Trucking Association.
“Despite ATA’s decade-old, pro-safety policy on speed, the new joint rulemaking from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and Federal Motor Carrier Administration proposes a menu of three speed options for commercial trucks, not one. It provides insufficient data, and fails to make a recommendation regarding which of the three proposed speeds it believes is best and why. Most disconcerting is the fact that DOT’s new rulemaking does not address the differentials in speed that would exist between any of the three proposed national speed limits for trucks and the speed laws of multiple states – allowing passenger vehicles to travel at much higher speeds than commercial trucks. This lack of data and direction only elevates the safety risks to the motoring public.”
The ATA says it still approves of a speed-limiting rule, but believes that the current plan has deviated too far from their initial request, and presents significant safety risks.
In addition, the organization has asked the Federal Department of Transportation for an additional 30 days in the comment period, in order to allow “more time to solicit member views on the rulemaking and assemble data that underscores the associated risks that this rulemaking would have on safety. ATA will then prepare its formal comments, fully illustrating the flaws of this proposed rulemaking, which we will not support as currently drafted.”
