The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) proposed a rule that will require speed limiters on trucks over 27,000 pounds. The rule has been delayed a number of times. Most recently, the date for sending the rule to the White House Office of Management and Budget was pushed back to sometime in the spring of 2016.
The FMCSA and NHTSA believe the addition of speed limiters or governors on large commercial trucks will make the road safer for all drivers. Not everyone agrees with this theory, however.
The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association created a petition detailing the dangers of adding speed limiters to trucks. In their opinion, speed limiters make trucks more likely to be involved in accidents. They claim that trucks with speed limiters are not able to keep up with fast-moving traffic in situations such as exiting and entering a highway.
Are there benefits to speed limiters?
Speeding is a legitimate concern for large trucks. At high speeds, these heavy vehicles are much harder to stop and control. A speeding truck can cause:
- Rear-end collisions
- Rollover accidents
- Multivehicle pileups
For people in passenger vehicles, being involved in one of these accidents is often catastrophic. A passenger vehicle cannot withstand the size and weight of a semi. Accident victims may suffer burns, amputations, brain injuries, organ damage, crush injuries or spinal cord injuries.
If you or a loved one is in an accident with a semi or other commercial vehicle, you will likely need considerable compensation to cover your injuries and other losses. Working with a lawyer is typically the best way to get the compensation you need from the trucking company’s insurance carrier.
