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Oct 1, 2006 12:00 PM

Nine trucking companies have teamed with Road Safe America to ask for federal legislation limiting heavy commercial truck speeds to 68 miles per hour. This proposed rule would apply to Class 7 and 8 trucks manufactured after 1990.

Public safety interest group Road Safe America and the motor carriers, led by Schneider National, petitioned the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to mandate truck electronic speed governors set no higher than 68 mph. Carriers joining Schneider in signing the petition included C R England Inc, Covenant Transport Inc, and J B Hunt Transport Inc.

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration studies indicate limiting the speed of commercial trucks will improve safety. FMCSA's Large Truck Causation Study found “traveling too fast for conditions” was the most frequently cited factor in large-truck accidents in which trucks were assigned a critical reason.

“The 80-mph, 80,000-lb truck has no place on our highways,” said Steve Owings, co-founder of Road Safe America. “This petition is a matter of life and death for drivers of passenger cars, as well as for professional truck drivers. And it is a matter of economic common sense for the companies that put trucks on the road.”