ATA’s Spear Slams Proposed Speed-Limiter Rule
Chris Spear speaking to the press on ATA’s stance on proposed speed-limiter rule. Photo: David Cullen
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Chris Spear speaking to the press on ATA’s stance on proposed speed-limiter rule. Photo: David Cullen
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LAS VEGAS. The president and CEO of the American Trucking Associations bluntly assessed as “dangerous” the key provisions of the proposed federal speed-limiter rule for heavy-duty commercial vehicles.
Chris Spear opened his brief remarks at an Oct. 4 press conference held here at the close of ATA’s Management Conference and Exposition by stating that, “My team and myself have our marching orders.”
He said that numerous policy discussions took place at the group’s board of directors meeting that day, but for the moment, he wanted to focus on just one regulatory issue.
“I find it rather curious,” Spear began, “that it’s taken the [Obama] administration nearly eight years to bring forth this proposal.” The proposed rule was jointly issued by the National Highway Safety Administration and the Federal Motor carrier Safety Administration on Aug. 26– after a decade-long push by trucking and safety advocates for just such a requirement.
Spear slammed the rule for its lack of specificity and the dearth of research backing it up. “The various differentials in speed from what this rule proposes and what state speed limits are is dangerous,” he stated. “What is this proposal? Three speed limits, not one. No studies to back it up. And no national cap on limits to address speed differentials.
“Our policy focus now is to develop comments on this proposal, which in my humble opinion, is flawed,” he continued. “We cannot afford to elevate risks for the motoring public with a rule that does not take into account the danger of differential speeds for cars and trucks.”
Spear said the regulatory agencies have “the responsibility to study [what they’ve proposed] and come to a consensus about [setting] one speed and one national limit— not three speeds and …Read the rest of this story
