Many bills in the U.S. Congress don’t get much media attention but nevertheless can have a great impact— especially if they are backed by prominent lawmakers of both parties. So it is with S. 2033— the Cullum Owings Large Truck Safe Operating Speed Act— introduced by Sen. Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., which would cap the speed for 18-wheeler trucks at 65 mph.
Isakson is joined by Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., and their legislation applies to commercial trucks with a gross weight of 26,001 pounds or more. Any new truck would also be required to have software installed to limit the truck speed while older models would have to be retrofitted with software in instances where the trucks have compatible software.
S. 2033 further stipulates that, within six months of enactment, the U.S. Department of Transportation will establish standards and rules to ensure that the speed-limiting technology on large trucks is accurate and that the affected trucks adhere to a maximum speed no higher than 65 mph.
Isakson says the bill codifies “a pending ‘speed limiter’ rule that has languished in the federal bureaucratic process for 10 years.” An Isakson media release notes that the (transportation) department believes that the rule would decrease the estimated 1,115 fatal crashes a year involving vehicles with a weight of 26,000 pounds or more on roads with posted speed limits of 55 mph or more. (The legislation is named after young Cullum Owings, killed in a tractor trailer accident.)
“The majority of trucks on our roads already have speed-limiting technology built in, and the rest of the technologically-advanced world has already put them to use to ensure drivers follow safe speeds,” Isakson says. “This legislation would officially enforce a long-awaited speed limit of 65 mph on large trucks and reduce the number of preventable fatalities on our busy roadways.”
It is significant that S. 2033 is endorsed by Road Safe America, Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, Citizens for Reliable and Safe Highways (CRASH) Foundation, Parents Against Tired Truckers, the Trucking Alliance, the Truckload Carriers Association and the Truck Safety Coalition.
