Despite the Trump administration’s putting the brakes on federal rulemakings, the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association is ramping up its own regulatory push back: The small business trucking group has created a video demonstrating the dangers of speed limited trucks.
The video is designed not only for the trucking community, but also for all highway users, so that they can learn the dangers of speed differentials created by artificially speed limiting large trucks, according to OOIDA.
“We encourage our members and the motoring public to share the video freely,” said Norita Taylor, director of public relations at OOIDA.
A mandate to limit the speed of large trucks was proposed by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration in September of 2016. The association is opposed to such a mandate saying such devices create congestion and speed differentials, which lead to higher accident involvement rates.
“Studies and research have already proven what we were all taught long ago in driver’s ed classes, that traffic is safest when vehicles all travel at the same relative speed,” said Taylor. “Limiting trucks to speeds less than the flow of traffic increases interactions between vehicles which can lead to more crashes.”
The video demonstrates in animated format along with infographics what happens to traffic when trucks are speed limited. It also includes a short interview with Dr. Steven Johnson, a researcher that has conducted extensive empirical studies on highways and speed.
OOIDA wants policymakers on the federal level to recognize the negative consequences of over regulating the trucking industry. The association also recently launched an effort called the “Knock Out Bad Regs” campaign, designed to help educate and encourage association members on what they need to do in identifying their lawmakers in Washington D.C. and reaching out to them effectively.
This one page fact sheet from OOIDA has more statistics and information on speed limiters.
