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Should Truckers Be Forced To Drive 65?
October 19th, 2016
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) propose installing governors or speed limiters on rigs. The suggestion to do so is in the name of safety. The administrator for NHTSA said, “This is basic physics. Even small increases in speed have large effects on the force of impact. Setting the speed limit on heavy vehicles makes sense for safety and the environment.” The proposal is still very vague and the DOT is requesting public input as to what the truck’s speed should be governed to. Some numbers that have been kicked about are 60 mph, 65 mph, and 68 mph. The publication Overdrive took a POLL that is now closed. Nearly half of those polled wanted no governors at all. Others choose what they felt was a reasonable speed.
There are those who disagree that the proposed change is about safety. One trucker called it a solution in search of problem. Another argued that it is about money not safety. Many big carriers use speed limiters to have more control over what happens with their equipment and to abate fuel costs. Independent trucker Blair Blakely said “The ATA and you and I operate at different ends of the same industry. They are in favor of anything to increase profits of their members and one way to increase profits is to eliminate competition, and we are the competition.” The (ATA) is the American Trucking Associations.
The following is an excerpt taken from an article on TRUCKS.COM
Setting a higher limit on truck speeds is less effective than a lower cap, regulators said. They estimate that limiting heavy vehicles to 68 mph would save between 27 and 96 lives annually in speed-related crashes. The safety agencies said that vehicles limited to 65 mph would save approximately 63 to 214 lives. Setting the maximum speed at 60 mph would possibly save the most lives annually — between 162 to 498 lives. End excerpt
There seem to be advantages and disadvantages to governing trucks. Passing on the highway would become shear hell. One truckers opinion was that traffic congestion, poorly maintained road surfaces, bad weather are more to worry about than limiting the speed a truck can go and limiting it contributes most negatively to the congestion. Chart (left) shows the number of deaths decreasing over the past 2 decades though speed limits have increased. I never lost a loved one to a trucking accident (perhaps it would sway my opinion) I can’t see now as the time for these types of regulations. Sure setting the maximum speed limit to 60 would save between 162 to 498 lives, setting it to 35 would save even more and going back to horse and carriage would all but beat death. That doesn’t mean we should return to horse and buggy.
1 in 10 accidents involve Heavy trucks and most times it’s not the fault of the trucker. More than 80 percent of car-truck crashes caused by car driver, ATA report says.
What’s your opinion? You can leave it at https://www.regulations.gov/comment?D=FMCSA-2014-0083-0003
I left a comment which reads:
With accident fatalities being down. I do not believe it’s the time to govern trucks in the name of safety. Reducing the speed limit saves lives but that doesn’t mean we should reduce the speed limit to 55 or 35. Truckers are safe drivers; only 1 in 10 accidents involving a heavy truck.
Thank you for the opportunity to share my opinion.
This is the point where I always like to mention Occupational Parenting. The thought of our children’s safety is dominate, as it should be, with most parents. With Occupational Parenting as our economic system children would start practicing driving much earlier than we do now. It would be a life long practice not just a perishable skill. Continuous improvement would be life’s song and America it’s greatest chorus. Until next time, keep your homes well.
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