In May of 2015, the Department of Transportation (DOT) sent a proposed federal speed limiter rule to the White House’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for approval. The rule was drafted jointly by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
What Will Truck Speed Limiters be Set To?
If approved, would limit the speed of all trucks weighing more than 27,000 pounds. This would be done by what is commonly known as a governors or speed limiters.
The OMB has posted a notice which says the approval of the new rule, known as the “Heavy Vehicle Speed Limiter rule”, will be delayed. The OMB must approve all new rules prior to the rule being published. The notice, posted on September 1, 2015, says the review will be “extended”. There was no indication as to why the OMB needed additional time.
Normally, the OMB takes 90 days to approve or deny a regulatory agency’s rule making. It has the discretion, however, to extend beyond the 90 day window if the OMB deems it necessary. The rule was send to the OMB on May 19th, 2015.
As the rule has not yet been published, it is impossible to say if the rule requires retrofitting of all trucks or just implementation in new trucks. Additionally it is unknown what the speed will be limited to.
The DOT has been working on the “Heavy Vehicle Speed Limiter rule” for several years.
The rule would take effect two years after the final version is published.