During a House of Representatives Highways and Transit Subcommittee hearing, Robin Hutcheson, the chief of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), underscored the agency’s efforts to implement provisions of the 2021 infrastructure law. The hearing, titled “Oversight of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act: Modal Perspectives,” featured testimony from various Department of Transportation agencies, but much of the questioning revolved around a topic not directly covered by the law.
Several representatives focused their inquiries on the FMCSA’s consideration of mandatory speed-limiter use by commercial motor carriers. Republican Rep. Eric Burlison of Missouri expressed concerns raised by constituent truckers regarding various regulations, including the limitations on operating time within hours of service. He viewed the potential speed-limiter mandate as an additional challenge for drivers already dealing with parking shortages and time constraints.
“Now you’re telling them they’ll have to reach their destinations at a slower pace” with a speed-limiter mandate, he said. “When is enough enough?”
He added that in a situation where a driver might need to make up time, drivers may feel the pressure to speed in congested areas. With speed limiters, the “only place to make up time [might be] on city streets, in suburbs or construction zones,” he said. “Could this reduce safety?”
Administrator Hutcheson responded by emphasizing the ever-evolving nature of any speed-limiter rule. She mentioned that the agency had accepted comments on a speed-limiter Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking but had not yet issued any subsequent proposal.
Directly to Burlinson, she said that she “shared your commitment to drivers, certainly to their safety,” as well as that of others on the roadway. “We’re underway in a process of rulemaking for speed limiters.”
“I would encourage you not to implement that rule,” he replied.
Despite Hutcheson’s assurances, the representatives, including Subcommittee Chairman Rick Crawford (R-Arkansas) and Rep. Troy Nehls (R-Texas), raised questions about the credibility of the rulemaking process. Nehls referenced a keynote speech, suggesting it was sponsored by labor unions and large trucking companies. Hutcheson clarified that discussions during stakeholder engagements, like the one mentioned, do not involve the contents of rules in progress.
The hearing covered various aspects, such as highway infrastructure investment, joint efforts by NHTSA and FMCSA on automatic emergency braking systems, fraud issues in brokered freight markets, FMCSA’s response to broker-transparency petitions, emissions impacts of a speed-limiter mandate, the pilot program for 18-20-year-old interstate truckers, and advanced-assist technologies/autonomous driving.
While Rep. Nehls urged Hutcheson to listen to truckers and consider the numerous comments filed against the speed-limiter idea, Hutcheson reiterated her commitment to engaging with industry associations and addressing concerns through ongoing initiatives like the Women of Trucking Advisory Board and Truck Leasing Task Force.
Source: Commercial Carrier Journal
