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OOIDA Special Report: Speed Limiters “Unsafe”

Andy | June 7, 2012 | 4 Replies

An Ontario trial judge ruled in favor of owner-operator Gene Michaud today, setting a precedent that the requirement for speed limiters on heavy trucks violated the trucker’s right to personal safety. The judge also said the law violates the principles of fundamental justice because it does not make the roads safer as the province claimed, in fact, it creates a danger.

Michaud, an OOIDA life member from St. Catharines, Ontario, filed a constitutional challenge last year against the province over the law that requires heavy trucks 1995 and newer to have a working speed limiter set no higher than 105 kilometers per hour, or 65 mph.

OOIDA President Jim Johnston says truckers far and wide have had an interest in this case because of the precedent it could set.

Tags: OOIDA, Speed Limiters

Category: News, Trucking Industry

What's Your Opinion?

Bill Traub says:

May 11, 2013 at 6:47 am

Another issue that I see as unsafe, varied speeds for four-wheelers vs trucks. I cannot compete for space on the highways with faster cars. They already drive 10-15 miles and hour faster than the posted speed limit. How am I suppose to merge or pass a slower vehicle, or move over for emergency vehicles on the side of the road, when I’m not able to do it safely?
Here’s a few more issues I see to make highways safer:
Truck climbing lanes on steep grades: They end before I can get enough speed to merge safely. Recommend truck climbing lanes not end and have the faster traffic merge to the right; allowing trucks to continue in the lane safely.
Rest Areas: I often have to yield to motorist exiting the rest areas in my blind spot. I cannot see to the right and rear of my truck to yield to a motorist who will accelerate to 50+ inside a rest area back to the highways. Have smaller vehicles yield to trucks in the rest areas to eliminate the blind spot merge.
Rail Road Crossing: As a HAZMAT Tank driver, many of the smaller cities and towns have obscured RR crossings. I still have to stop at the crossing with HAZMAT, but stopping at crossing which I can only see 30 yards down the tracks because of vegetation, puts me at risk.

Raymond Papineau says:

June 11, 2012 at 7:31 am

Well james like u hear alot from other drivers, dont drive for these companies…companies are nothing without their drivers…and it also shows u the four wheeler mentality that these suits have. 57 mph? Thats fine…ur 10th gear is now useless…let it run in 9th at about 1700 rpms…so much for fuel economy lol….

James Wilkson says:

June 10, 2012 at 2:01 am

Swift going to 57 mph and so is jb hunt and knight…. If you idle over 5% your speed is cut down to 57 shot how ya supposed to sleep at night

Raymond Papineau says:

June 7, 2012 at 9:46 pm

Retired assistant administrator Julie Cirillo for FMCSA gave an affidavit on behalf of this O/O stating that uniform speeds are safer than speed differentials thus speed limiters create a road hazard and dangerous situations. Questions is y Bill Graves and other “interest” groups (yuppies) so adament for these SL? Money. Thats it. They dont give a damn about safety. They would have 8 year olds driving that truck if they could get away with it (super carriers) just like China uses child labor. I applaud the people who worked on this case. It proves one thing….we, the peasants, can change things but we gotta stick together. Remember, the king ( super carriers and whoever else this applies to) are nothing without their pawns. We have voices, use them. This is a free country.