With the speed limiter proposed rule’s comment period one day nigh (all interested parties have until one minute to midnight EST on Wednesday, Dec.7, to file a formal comment), I thought I’d share the view of an outspoken critic of the proposal — and the very idea of mandating speed limiters for commercial, given the kinds of risky behavior they seem to be engendering in a subset of the nationwide U.S. fleet’s drivers.
Gary Buchs and I talked at length about some of these issues in a podcast you may have heard back in the summer after I made an Ashland City, Tenn.-to-Moline, Ill., run with the Landstar-leased owner-operator. But his comment I’m inclined to see a veritable model for how these things should be approached, combining firsthand observation, reasoned argument and more. Take a read through it below, and if you’re planning on commenting over the next day, see if it maybe gives you an idea or two.
Whatever you do, don’t call FMCSA a bunch of communists, as has been noted previously (yes, it happens, even in the formal setting of the federal docket, and no it doesn’t help anybody’s argument) …. Safe hauling this Tuesday…
Thank you for extending the opportunity and time period to comment on the issue of implementing the mandatory use of speed limiters in all trucks exceeding 26,000 lbs. gross weight.
I am an owner-operator with 30 years of commercial experience driving local, regional and interstate transportation. I have also over the past 9 years been involved with teaching driver’s ed classes about the No Zone with the Illinois State Police and Illinois DOT.
I personally oppose the implementation of the proposed rule to require all the identified trucks to utilize a speed limiter system.
I have experience driving trucks with speed limiters and without.
