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

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

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Truck Orders Mostly Hold Steady in September

Net orders of Class 8 trucks were in line with expectations, falling only slightly from the previous month's numbers, according to preliminary numbers from FTR and ACT Research.

FTR's September order numbers are projected at 13,800 units, down 2% compared to August. ACT Research projects its order numbers at 13,900 units and says that with seasonal adjustment, the month's intake would be 16,100 units.

Despite the small loss, September's truck orders will not be one for the record books and FTR says that orders are down 27% from a year ago and are the weakest September orders since 2009.

“At 28% below September 2015's intake, it remains crystal clear that truckers are still struggling to balance excess freight hauling capacity in the context of anemic freight growth,” said Steve Tam, ACT's vice president.

October is expected to be a better indicator of what Class 8 truck orders will look like in 2017 as the fall is traditionally when large fleets begin to place orders for the following year.

“The October orders will still be a critical sign for 2017,” said Don Ake, vice president of commercial vehicles at FTR. “If the economy does improve and the trucking outlook brightens, then medium-sized fleets and others should feel confident enough to order also in coming months. This would put the market near replacement levels in 2017.”

Related: Medium-Duty Orders Rebound in August

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