Sooner State News

Washington, D.C. – Today, Congressman Josh Brecheen introduced the Deregulating Restrictions on Interstate Vehicles and Eighteen-Wheelers (DRIVE) Act, which would prohibit the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) from implementing any rule or regulation requiring vehicles over 26,000 pounds that are engaged in interstate commerce to be equipped with a speed limiting device set to a maximum speed. The rule would negatively impact both the agricultural and trucking industries and include vehicles like semi-trucks, livestock trailer/truck combos, grain trucks, and other large commercial vehicles. See more examples of vehicles impacted here.

“This overreach by the Biden Administration has the potential to negatively impact all facets of the agricultural and trucking industries. I know from experience driving a semi while hauling equipment, and years spent hauling livestock, that the flow of traffic set by state law is critical for safety instead of an arbitrary one-size-fits-all speed limit imposed by some bureaucrat sitting at his desk in Washington, D.C.,” said Congressman Josh Brecheen. “This rule will add one more needless burden and Congress must stop it. For example, if a rancher is transporting cattle in a trailer across state lines, under this rule, the federal government would require a speed limiter device when above 26,000 lbs. Out-of-control bureaucrats are trying to impose ridiculous regulations on Americans who are trying to make ends meet.” 

FMCSA’s proposed rule to require speed limiters on commercial vehicles with a gross weight over 26,000 pounds will add extra transportation costs to the private sector and make our roads less safe. In fact, one study found that the “The frequency of interactions by a vehicle traveling 10-miles per hour below the posted speed limit was found to be 227% higher than a vehicle moving at traffic speed.” 

Groups in support include: Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA), American Farm Bureau Federation, National Cattlemen's Beef Association, United States Cattlemen’s Association, Western States Trucking Association, Livestock Marketing Association, National Association of Small Trucking Companies, and Towing and Recovery Association of America. 

“The physics is straightforward - limiting trucks to speeds below the flow of traffic increases interactions between vehicles and leads to more crashes,” said OOIDA President Todd Spencer. “OOIDA and our 150,000 members in small business trucking across America thank Congressman Brecheen for his leadership in keeping our roadways safe for truckers and for all road users.”

Co-sponsors include: Representatives Pete Sessions (R-TX), Lauren Boebert (R-CO), Scott Perry (R-PA), Eric Burlison (R-MO),  John Moolenaar (R-MI), and Matt Rosendale (R-MT).

Original source can be found here.