Controversial commercial vehicle speed limiter mandate pushed to 2025

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has pushed back the projected date for publication of a federal rule requiring speed limiter devices on heavy-duty trucks.

According to a White House Office of Management and Budget agenda, a heavy-duty truck speed limiter mandate has been pushed back to May 2025.

“FMCSA intends to proceed with a motor carrier-based speed limiter rulemaking by preparing a supplemental notice of proposed rulemaking (SNPRM) to follow up on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) and FMCSA’s jointly issued September 7, 2016, notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) on this subject,” the agenda states.

Previously, the target date for the release of speed limiter rulemaking was May 2024.

The FMCSA’s Heavy Vehicle Speed Limiters rule, also known as the speed limiter mandate, would require that any commercial vehicle with a gross vehicle weight of 26,001 pounds or more be equipped with an electronic engine control unit (ECU) that will be capable of governing speed to a limit that will be determined during the rulemaking process.

While it hasn’t yet been determined what the top speed for CMVs would be, a September 2023 Significant Rulemaking Report originally listed the FMCSA’s speed limiter proposal as topping commercial vehicles out at 68 m.p.h. That document was later altered to reflect no number as the maximum speed limit for heavy trucks.

After a Notice of Intent document was published in April 2022 indicating that the FMCSA would move ahead with speed limiter rulemaking, thousands of truckers commented on the proposal. Many truck drivers said that they would be concerned about increased levels of road rage from the motoring public if they were forced to drive a truck with a speed limiter.

OOIDA has argued that truck speed limiters would create speed differentials, which could increase the risk of crashes.