A group of trucking trade organizations is urging President-Elect Donald Trump to take steps to stop a proposed plan that would mandate speed-limiting devices on heavy-duty trucks.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) plans to release a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking for the Heavy Vehicle Speed Limiters rule, commonly called the speed limiter mandate, in spring 2025. This rule would require commercial vehicles weighing 26,001 pounds or more to have electronic engine control units (ECUs) capable of limiting their speed to a level that will be determined during the rulemaking process.

With Trump returning to the presidency, these trucking groups are appealing for him to uphold the deregulatory approach he promoted during his first term. They specifically want him to block the implementation of the speed limiter mandate.

On January 16, the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) and other trucking and business organizations sent a letter to Trump opposing the FMCSA’s speed limiter rule. The letter argues that the mandate would decrease highway safety, create challenges in hiring and retaining drivers, worsen traffic congestion, and hinder freight movement nationwide.

The full text of the letter is available below.

Dear President-Elect Trump:

We write to ask that you take deregulatory action by indefinitely postponing, and ultimately rescinding, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (FMCSA) proposed mandate for speed limiters on all heavy-duty commercial motor vehicles (CMVs). This mandate will be bad for road safety, driver retention, and supply chain performance. While a speed limiter mandate may be thought as something affecting only the “trucking” industry, FMCSA’s proposal would apply to every commercial truck weighing over 26,000 pounds. Our coalition represents the numerous industries that would be subject to this mandate, includingagriculture, construction, and materials, along with small, medium, and large trucking companies.

In 2016, the Obama Administration initiated this rulemaking to restrict all heavy-duty commercial CMVs to a single top speed across the country. Upon assuming office in 2017, your Administration wisely removed this rulemaking from its regulatory agenda and took no further action. Unfortunately, in May 2022, FMCSA revived this mandate with a new Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, again proposing to limit heavy-duty CMVs to a single speed.

We ask that you again remove, and ultimately rescind, this NPRM (FMCSA-2022-0004-0001) from USDOT’s regulatory agenda.

First and foremost, this mandate would make our roads less safe. By establishing a one-size-fits-all federal mandate restricting heavy-duty CMVs to a speed separate from passenger vehicles, this regulation would create dangerous speed differentials between CMVs and other cars. Decades of highway research shows greater speed differentials increase interactions between truck drivers and other road users, and studies have consistently demonstrated that increasing interactions between vehicles directly increases the likelihood of crashes.

A speed limiter mandate will also make it more difficult for businesses to attract and retain professional drivers. FMCSA received nearly 16,000 comments on its most recent NPRM, and it is clear the majority of drivers do not want speed-limited trucks. Speed limiting trucks takes control of the vehicle out of their hands and increases pressure on drivers to complete their work. Truckers required to operate below the posted speed limit must drive longer hours to cover the same distance, which increases their fatigue and places even greater stress on them to comply with burdensome hours-of-service regulations.

This mandate will also literally slow freight movement across the country. To account for this, more trucks will be needed to carry the same amount of freight in the same amount of time, which would increase road congestion. All of these effects would unnecessarily hamper economic growth under your leadership.

In short, this mandate will be harmful for America’s truckers and small businesses, and it will be counterproductive to improving roadway safety. As you consider deregulatory action for your initial days in office, our coalition believes that stopping this mandate would be an ideal way to start.

Thank you,

  • Agricultural Retailers Association
  • American Pipeline Contractors Association
  • Associated Equipment Distributors
  • Mid-West Truckers Association 
  • National Aquaculture Association 
  • National Asphalt Pavement Association
  • National Association of Small Trucking Companies
  • National Cattlemen’s Beef Association
  • National Ready Mixed Concrete Association
  • National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association
  • National Utility Contractors Association
  • North American Punjabi Trucking Association
  • Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association
  • Power & Communication Contractors Association
  • Towing and Recovery Association of America, Inc.
  • United States Cattlemen’s Association
  • Western States Trucking Association

Take a look at OOIDA’s video below for more on why speed limiters threaten highway safety.