Now that 2020 has been laid to rest, what might be on tap for trucking in 2021?
For starters, a shift in power in Washington will likely alter the regulatory and legislative landscapes. Congress is due to pass a highway bill, with the FAST Act’s expiration last month. DOT and FMCSA will see new leaders. Major court cases involving laws that restrict owner-operators in California and potentially other states will take their next steps. Also, 2020's freight and rates rally will find fresh hurdles.
Here’s what to watch for in the year ahead:
A proposed rule to mandate speed limiters, which was halted in 2017 after President Trump took office, could be revived under the Biden Administration.
Speed limiters, insurance hike regs potentially back on the table.
A change in the guard at the White House will see a new, likely more regulation-friendly administration, extending to the U.S. DOT and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Moves made early in the Trump Administration to block or slow new federal regulations across all government agencies, such as the two-for-one executive order and the regulatory freeze, caused DOT to pull the plug on pending regulations like a speed limiter mandate, sleep apnea screening and treatment guidelines for drivers, and a rule to raise the minimum amount of liability insurance required of motor carriers, including owner-operators.
With President-elect Biden poised to rescind those orders and with new top brass entering DOT and FMCSA, those regs could be revived.
“It wouldn’t be surprising to see FMCSA pull these issues off the shelf and take another look at them,” said Lane Kidd, director of the Trucking Alliance, which represents some of the country’s largest trucking fleets and is an advocate of such safety regs.
