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Jan 17, 2017

LOWER TRUCKS' SPEED * USA: The Speed Limiter Rule

* DC - Lower speeds decrease truck accidents


--- A 2012 federally-funded study conducted by the Virginia Tech University Transportation Institute and the American Transportation Research Institute, revealed that speed reduction decreases the number of truck crashes on U.S. roadways. The study included data from 20 fleets, 15,000 crashes, and 138,000 trucks... The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has used the study as supporting evidence for its new proposed rule to mandate Speed Limiters on commercial vehicles. The Speed Limiter Rule would physically prevent trucks from exceeding a maximum speed of up to 68 miles per hour... The anti-safety trucking industry lobby has objected to the speed limiter rule. The trucking industry has demanded that if trucks must have speed limiters, then the NHTSA should also mandate a national maximum traffic speed limit of 65 mph to keep the differential between trucks and cars relatively equal. However, there is overwhelming evidence that the safety benefits from speed reduction far outweigh the dangers of speed differentials...
(Photo: Failure to slow down or speed up when a truck begins to change lanes or merge.Unsafe passing, particularly passing with insufficient headway)   --  Washington, DC, USA - The National Law Review - 14 JAN 2017

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Oct 29, 2016

SPEED LIMITER FOR TRUCKS * USA: General opposition to the rulemaking

* DC - Fleets, drivers generally oppose speed limiter mandate from FMCSA

--- More than 3,000 comments have been received by the Department of Transportation about the proposed speed limiter mandates, and the majority of the comments come from drivers and other industry stakeholders opposed to the rulemaking... The proposal is written as more of a fact-finding request than a fully formed rule proposal. It doesn’t offer specifics on a speed trucks would be limited to. The DOT did appear to be leaning toward either a 60, 65 or 68 mph cap, however... Many of the comments, if not most, received to the docket so far have been in opposition of the rule. Although it hasn’t filed a formal comment yet, the American Trucking Associations has said it won’t support the rule as it’s currently written, despite its past strong support for a rule mandating limiters... 
(Photo: Flatbed rear view, on the highway)  --  Washington, DC, USA - CCJ, by Matt Cole - October 24, 2016

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Oct 19, 2016

SPEED LIMITER DEBATE * USA: For heavy trucks

* DC - 3000 comments sent to the FMCSA & NHTSA

... Nearly 3,000 comments have already been sent in to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. And that does not include comments from many larger groups, such as American Trucking Associations, which have said they will respond prior to next month’s deadline... The proposal, published Sept. 7, does not specify a speed that could be adopted in a final rule but suggests that setting limiters at 60 mph, 65 mph or 68 mph would save lives and reduce fuel use.. The majority are truly concerned with the unintended consequences of having trucks and cars traveling at different speeds, especially when the limit on a highway is above 70 mph... All of this comes a week after ATA President Chris Spear expressed similar concerns about what he called a “flawed” proposal... It unfortunately sounds like it still will be a while before there is a final mandate. We can only hope trucking’s voice will be heard and a final mandate will reflect their serious safety concerns...
 (Image by: Gallo Images/Thinkstock Truck wheels)   --   Washington, DC, USA - Transport Topics - Oct. 17 2016

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Oct 17, 2016

SPEED LIMITERS * USA: Truckers opposed

* DC - Truckers remain mostly opposed to speed limiter rule as comments pour in

--- Nearly 3,000 comments have been received by the Department of Transportation in just five weeks since it published its proposal to mandate the use of speed limiting devices on trucks weighing more than 26,000 pounds. Truckers, according to the publicly filed comments, remain opposed to the rule... The proposal is written as more of a fact-finding request than a fully formed rule proposal. It doesn’t offer specifics on a speed trucks would be limited to. The DOT did appear to be leaning toward either a 60, 65 or 68 mph cap, however... Many of the comments, if not most, received to the docket so far have been in opposition of the rule, and although it hasn’t filed a formal comment yet, the American Trucking Associations, has said it won’t support the rule as it’s currently written, despite its past strong support for a rule mandating limiters... ONE COMMENT: “I oppose speed limiters in trucks. Accidents are much less likely to happen when vehicles are traveling at the same speed. If speed limiters are such a great idea why don’t we put them on all vehicle[s]? Then everybody would be traveling at the same speed.” – Donald Beebe, Burnsville, Minn... 
(Photo: Highway truck) -- Washington, DC, USA - Overdrive - 13 Oct 2016

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Aug 31, 2016

SPEED LIMITER RULE * USA: Increase delivery time

* DC - Feds say speed limiter rule could adversely impact small trucking companies

--- The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration admit in their Notice of Proposed Rulemaking for speed limiters on heavy trucks that the devices could adversely impact small trucking companies because of increased delivery time... That’s based in part on the assumption that many trucks driven by independent owner-operators are not already speed limited as are those operated by large fleets, and many independent owner-operators drive the speed limit, which is 70 mph or higher in 35 states... The agencies said because they do not have direct revenue figures for all carriers, power units serve as a proxy to determine the carrier size that would qualify as a small business given the Small Business Administration’s revenue threshold... According to the SBA, motor carriers of property with annual revenue of $25.5 million or less are considered small business...
(Photo)  --  Washington, DC, USA - The Trucker, by LYNDON FINNEY - 29 Aug 2016

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SPEED-LIMITING TECHNOLOGY for TRUCKS * USA: To travel at lower speeds

* DC - NHTSA proposes device that would be required to new vehicles

--- The U.S. is seeking to forcibly limit how fast trucks, buses and other large vehicles can travel on the nation’s highways... A new proposal Friday would impose a nationwide limit by electronically capping speeds with a device on newly made U.S. vehicles that weigh more than 26,000 pounds. Regulators are considering a cap of 60, 65 or 68 miles per hour, though that could change. Whatever the speed limit, drivers would be physically prevented from exceeding it... The proposal, which comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, doesn’t force older heavy vehicles to add the speed-limiting technology, but the regulators are still considering it... The agencies said that limiting the speed of heavy vehicles to 60 mph could save as many as 498 lives annually. Limiting it to 65 mph could save as many as 214 lives, and limiting it to 68 mph could save as many as 96 lives. There are 3.6 million big rigs on U.S. roads... The proposal is based on available safety data and the additional benefit of better fuel economy.The government said capping speeds for new large vehicles would reduce the 1,115 fatal crashes involving heavy trucks that occur each year and save $1 billion in fuel costs... While the news is being welcomed by some safety advocates and nonprofessional drivers, many truckers said such changes could lead to dangerous scenarios where they are traveling at much lower speeds than everyone else... 
(Photo, by TED S. WARREN/ASSOCIATED PRESS - Cars and trucks travel on Interstate 5 north through Fife, Wash. The federal government says capping speeds for new large vehicles would reduce the 1,115 fatal crashes involving heavy trucks that occur each year) -- Washington, DC, USA - Associated Press/The WSJ - Aug. 26, 2016

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Feb 3, 2016

* SPEED-LIMITER REQUIRED on TRUCKS * USA

* DC - Speed-Limiter proposal to be published Feb. 15 

-- A joint proposal that would require the installation of speed-limiting devices on heavy trucks is scheduled to be published Feb. 15, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation. The proposal is a joint effort between the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration meant to reduce the number of fatal crashes on roadways... According to DOT, the rule would result in a minimal cost to the industry, since heavy trucks come with the devices installed. The mandate goes back to 2006, when American Trucking Associations and Road Safe America sent petitions to FMCSA calling for adoption of the regulatory requirement. ATA asked that the mandate also require truckers to set the limiters to a top speed of 65 mph...
(Photo)  --  Washington, D, USA - Transport Topics, by Eugene Mulero - 29 Jan 2016

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Mar 2, 2013

SPEEDOMETERS TOP SPEED * USA

* Michigan - Speedometer top speed often exceeds reality

(Photo by Carlos Osorio/Associated Press: The speedometer of a 2013 Ford Fusion displayed at the Bob Maxey dealership in Detroit. Although current cars with high-horsepower engines can come close to the top speedometer speeds, most are limited by engine control computers) 
Detroit,MICH,USA -Associated Press/The Detroit News, by Tom Krisher -February 28, 2013: -- The speedometer on the Toyota Yaris says the tiny car can go 140 miles per hour... In reality, the bulbous subcompact's 106-horsepower engine and automatic transmission can't push it any faster than 109... So why do the Yaris — and most other cars sold in the U.S. — have speedometers that show top speeds they can't possibly reach?.. The answer has deep roots in an American culture that loves the rush of driving fast. The automakers' marketing departments are happy to give people the illusion that their family car can travel at speeds rivaling a NASCAR racer. And companies often use one speedometer type in various models across the world, saving them money... But critics say the ever-higher numbers are misleading. Some warn they create a safety concern, daring drivers to push past freeway speed limits that are 65 to 75 mph in most states... At present, the government has no plans to reinstate speedometer limits or regulate top speeds, saying there's no evidence to show it would prevent crashes. "Ultimately, drivers are subject to speed limits mandated by the states regardless of the top speed listed on a vehicle speedometer," NHTSA spokeswoman Lynda Tran said...

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posted by Unknown @ 6:53 AM  0 comments

Sep 7, 2010

Speed Traps * Canada & USA - And they need speed limiters, why?

Toronto is the speed-trap capital of North America


(Video from YouTube, by electroboyto -01Sep10: (Eglinton Ave E & Jonesville Road @ 0820hrs EDT)- an incompletely-uniformed police officer hides behind a lamp post with a radar gun aimed into oncoming traffic. The officer then steps out from behind their hiding space to direct a vehicle onto a side street... Is this a fair practice? I DON'T THINK SO!! If the police department is going to be conducting a speed trap, it should be completely and totally visible and unobstructed. Instead, they're HIDING and ENTRAPPING motorists who then face fines from $15 - $??? and other service fees - to say nothing of the affect a ticket has on their already-high insurance premiums!... I just hope some of the people ticketed in this manner as as infuriated as i am at this tactic and are fighting these tickets in court!)

Toronto,ONT,CAN -Today's Trucking -2 Sept 2010: -- According to an American organization called the National Motorists Association, Ontario’s capital has more speed traps than Montreal, L.A., and the Big Apple combined... The stats are a product of the organization’s National Speed Trap Exchange, an online listing of all the most common traps across North America... The listing is actually a very valuable resource, particularly for companies sending trucks to unfamiliar lanes. For example, if you have somebody going down Franklin Avenue in Yellowknife, watch for radar near the entrance to the Garden Apartments... The NMA, started in 1982, is basically a drivers’ rights group. According to its website, "the premise of the National Motorists Association is that if motorists will join together in one organization to represent their rights and interests as drivers, they will no longer be ignored and exploited by federal, state and local governments" ...
(Image from: www.speedtrap.org)
As for Toronto, the organization says that more than 250 speed traps have been reported over the past few years. Montreal had 65, Los Angeles had 155 and New York City 30...

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Apr 12, 2010

Speed Limiters * USA - New driver group takes aim at ones

Fergus,ONT,CAN -Truck News -8 April 2010: -- While widespread opposition to Ontario's controversial speed limiter law has mostly petered out, a small group of drivers is claiming the law can cause runaway trucks... Under the guise of the Ontario Commercial Drivers Coalition, founder Scott Mooney issued a press release claiming there have been numerous instances in Ontario where the speed limiter law has caused trucks to accelerate out of control because drivers needing to downshift have been unable to increase engine RPM to do so while at the maximum engine speed setting... Mooney said it's an issue on downhill grades where, in order to get the full benefit of the engine brake, a driver often must downshift... Mooney said he has tried bringing the issue to Transport Minister Kathleen Wynne's attention but to no avail...

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posted by Unknown @ 11:51 AM  0 comments

Sep 9, 2009

Road Safe America * USA - Launches National Petition Drive for Citizens

To Urge President Obama, Congress and U.S. DOT to Require Activation of Speed Governors on Big Trucks

Atlanta,GA,USA -PRNewswire/Reuters -Sep 8, 2009: -- Road Safe America, a non-profit dedicated to making America's highways safer, has launched a web-based national petition drive designed to create a national groundswell of citizen demand for President Obama, the Congress and the U.S. Department of Transportation to take action to require electronic speed governors on heavy commercial vehicles to be set at 65 mph or slower... Electronic speed governors have been standard equipment on big trucks since 1992, but there is no requirement for them to be activated to keep heavy commercial vehicles at a safe 65 mph... The 400,000 crashes involving heavy commercial trucks take the lives of almost 5,000 people every year and leave more than 100,000 injured, while research shows that slower truck speeds lead to fewer wrecks... The United Kingdom reduced top speeds for trucks to 60 miles per hour in 1992, and to 56 miles per hour in 1994. Since speed governing devices were introduced there, car-truck fatalities have plummeted by almost half... Australia experienced a reduction of 26.5 percent in heavy truck fatalities between 2002 and 2004 through speed governor requirements, aggressive fatigue management programs, random drug testing and seatbelt promotion among the trucking industry ...

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posted by Unknown @ 7:40 AM  0 comments

Aug 18, 2009

SPEED LIMITERS * Panama - For buses and trucks

Panama City,Panama -The Panama Star -17 Aug 2009: -- President Ricardo Martinelli gave public transport drivers and owners 30 days to install mechanisms to limit speed in all their vehicles. The measure will be applicable to all buses and tipper trucks... The presidential order also prohibits public transport vehicles from using mechanisms to increase a vehicle’s height above the limits established for its secure operation... According to a decree law approved in 1993, all vehicles destined for the transport of passengers and cargo should have their speed limited. They should have a small opening that will permit their easy inspection at certain times, dates and places determined by the Terrestrial Transport Authority... Martinelli said that vehicles that do not comply with the legislation would not be allowed on the streets...

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Jul 17, 2009

SPEED LIMITER * Canada - Ontario truckers challenge law in court

Truckers who received fines for violating the speed-limiter law in Ontario are getting their day in court

Cambridge,ONT,CAN -Land Line Magazine -July 16, 2009: ... Among the truckers scheduled to make their first court appearance in late August is Scott Mooney of Cambridge, Ontario, an OOIDA member and founder of the Facebook group, Drivers Against Speed Limiters. Mooney is familiar to readers because he was the organizer of two protests in opposition to the Ontario law that restricts the road speed of trucks... Mooney received a $390 fine on the first day of full enforcement of the law, July 1. He decided immediately to plead “not guilty,” which entitled him to a court date... Mooney is scheduled to appear Aug. 26 in Ontario provincial court in Napanee... Truckers are convinced that more road rage incidents are occurring on Ontario highways as slower-moving trucks bunch together. Land Line Magazine’s current online poll asks truckers if they have experienced road rage due to being limited. As of this posting, 56 percent answered “Happens too often to count” and 32 percent answered “Once in a while but not often”... (Photo from autobloggreen: London tower traffic)

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Jul 7, 2009

SPEED LIMITER * Canada - Hole in the rule needs fix; but week one goes smoothly

There's still a handful of significant enforcement issues that needs to be ironed out by policy makers

Milton,ONT,CAN -Today's Trucking -6 July 2009: -- On the second day of physical speed limiter enforcement in Ontario, there weren't any 'elephant races' among trucks in the right lane on Highway 401, little evidence of increased four-wheeler road rage; and no identifiable uptick in rear-end car-truck collisions... Contrary to some prophecies, the first week that fines were issued to truckers whose vehicles are not governed at 105 km/h was relatively incident free -- although, clearly, there's still a handful of significant enforcement issues that needs to be ironed out by policy makers... For one thing it appears that some truckers may still be able to travel faster than 105 km/h for the time being, even if their maximum engine speed is properly programmed... Here's why: The Ontario Ministry of Transport opted for simple, EZ-Tap read-only devices (at least during the infancy of the rule), which are limited to reading and displaying only a handful of engine parameters, including engine speed, the cruise control setting, and horsepower rating...However, as the law acknowledges, in order to physically limit a truck's speed at 105 km/h, several other calibrations beyond engine speed must also be set in accordance to specific targets, such as the rolling radius of the tires, transmission and gear ratios, drive axle differential and other parameters the current ecm readers are unable to scan... So, depending on those calibrations -- altered either erroneously, as an attempt to tamper, or innocently as a way to get better fuel economy -- a truck can physically reach road speeds above 105 km/h and the current EZ Tap reader could still determine the truck is technically compliant... (Picture above: The Ez-Tap reader spits out engine speed settings wirelessly in a matter of seconds. But does it do enough to ensure full compliance?) (Picture below: MTO inspector Jason Leeman expects more than a couple court challenges, although the fact that CVOR records aren't affected may keep the lid on appeals)

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Jun 30, 2009

‘Speed limiter’ * Canada - Fines begin July 1 in Ontario, Quebec

Two Canadian provinces will begin handing out fines Wednesday, July 1, to truckers who do not have a speed limiter activated on their rigs

ONT & QUE,CAN -Land Line Masgazine - June 29, 2009: -- Laws in Ontario and Quebec require that all trucks 1995 and newer grossing at least 26,000 pounds have a computerized speed limiter activated at or below the maximum of 105 kilometers per hour, or 65 mph. Yes, the law affects trucks from the rest of Canada and from the U.S. that travel in Ontario or Quebec... The minimum fine according to the Ontario Ministry of Transportation is $250 for a truck found not to have a working speed limiter or if the “anti-tampering” provision has been violated. Maximum fines can reach $20,000... An Ontario commercial enforcement official told Land Line on Friday, June 26, that officers will be writing roadside tickets for $310 but a surcharge and court costs will increase the total to $390... Although implementation actually took effect Jan. 1 of this year, the provinces started with a six-month grace period to educate truckers and the public...

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posted by Unknown @ 10:42 AM  0 comments

Jun 13, 2009

Speed Limiter * Canada - NB official confirms planning

Fredericton,NB,Canada -Today's Trucking (CAN) -12 June 2009: -- A spokesperson for New Brunswick's Department of Public Safety told CBC that the province is working on adopting a mandatory speed rule similar to laws in Ontario and Quebec... Lisa Harrity admits New Brunswick wants to follow the lead of those provinces, which mandate that all commercial trucks operating within their borders activate speed limiters set at 105 km/h. "We do expect to proceed in the near future with legislation on the issue," she said... (Photo: hankstruckpictures: A Freightliner on the old Trans Canada highway at the regent street overpass, Fredericton, New Brunswick)

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Jun 12, 2009

Speed Limiter Debate* USA - Heats up stateside

Washington,DC,USA -Today's Trucking (CAN) -10 June 2009: -- Following in the tire treads of its Canadian cousins, leaders of the American Trucking Associations headed to Washington to tout the potential benefits of a national speed limiter mandate... And as it's done over the last couple years in Toronto -- where a similar law first originated (and now in effect) -- the largest owner-op group in the U.S. preemptively shot down the proposal to cap truckers' engine speed at 65 mph... While the ATA promotes their agenda as "progressive" and "safe", the Owner Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) says it's neither and will cause more accidents than it prevents... OOIDA says truckers don't normally speed but require access to that little bit of extra power to keep up with the speed of traffic and to be able to maneuver around dangerous situations... But just like the Canadian Trucking Alliance north of the border, the ATA is getting kudos from safety groups... (Picture from w1.ohoboho.com)

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Jun 10, 2009

PROTESTS * Canada: Speed-limiter protest this weekend in Milton, Ontario

Milton,ONT,CAN -Land Line Magazine -June 9, 2009: -- Heads up, Canadian truckers. In case you hadn’t heard, truckers are rallying this Saturday, June 13, at the Milton Fairgrounds in Milton, Ontario, to protest the provincial law that governs their trucks at speeds below the flow of traffic on major highways... Full enforcement and fines relating to this law begin July 1... Directions to the event: From the 401, take Exit 25 south (Martin St.), go to Steeles Ave. and turn right, go to Bronte St. and turn left, go to Robert St. (three streets past Main) and turn left to the fairgrounds entrance. There will be signs directing participants to the exact location...

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Mar 2, 2009

Safety Questions * Canada - Raised about new truck speed limiters in Ontario and Quebec

Winnipeg,MB,Canada -The Canadian Press -1 March 2009: -- Ontario and Quebec decided to proceed on their own and now require tractor-trailers to be equipped with engine microchips that prevent vehicles from going faster than 105 kilometres an hour... The federal studies touted several benefits. Speed limiters would reduce fuel consumption, thereby saving diesel costs and cutting greenhouse gas emissions. Slower trucks would also make for safer roads, such as on four-or six-lane highways when traffic is light or moderate... But most other provinces balked at the spectre of having slow trucks and fast-moving cars battling for space on crowded freeways or undivided rural highways... Even a study commissioned by the federal government has concluded there are safety questions about speed limiters, especially in heavy traffic...

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posted by Unknown @ 5:56 AM  0 comments

Feb 2, 2009

SPEED LIMITERS * USA - OOIDA: ‘Greenwashing’ speed limiters, heavier trucks is dangerous

Mandated speed limiters are “irresponsible and ridiculous" ... “Those things have nothing to do with making trucking more ‘green’ and everything to do with adding more ‘green’ to the pockets of large corporations.”

Washington,DC,USA -Land Line Magazine, by Charlie Morasch -January 30, 2009: -- ... The American Trucking Associations presented its case for longer and heavier truckloads and speed limiters for diesel truck engines Tuesday, Jan. 27, during the U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee’s hearing on energy reduction and environmental sustainability as it relates to surface transportation... OOIDA officials noted the advantage larger companies would have by boosting truck volume per driver, though increased safety risks would be shouldered by all highway users... “Upping truck weights and mandating speed limiters in the name of sustainability is irresponsible and ridiculous,” said OOIDA Executive Vice President Todd Spencer. “Those things have nothing to do with making trucking more ‘green’ and everything to do with adding more ‘green’ to the pockets of large corporations”...

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