The U.S. Department of Transportation has withdrawn a decades-old rulemaking to require speed limiters on heavy vehicles.
The National Safety Council warns the move will lead to more fatalities on U.S. roads.
In 2023 alone, speeding killed nearly 12,000 people — and over 5,000 large trucks were involved in fatal crashes.
The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) has officially withdrawn its long-standing effort to require speed-limiting technology on large commercial vehicles, ending more than 20 years of regulatory work aimed at curbing speed-related traffic fatalities.
The decision, announced by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), halts proposed rulemaking that would have mandated the use of speed limiters on multipurpose passenger vehicles, trucks, buses, and school buses weighing more than 26,000 pounds. The aim of the rule was to reduce deadly crashes involving speeding heavy vehicles by leveraging existing technology to cap maximum speeds.
Lorraine Martin, president and CEO of the National Safety Council (NSC), strongly criticized the move. “USDOT’s research has proven speed-limiting devices save lives, ensuring truckers can perform their jobs and return home safely,” Martin said in a statement. “This is a disappointing rollback of a decades-long effort to reduce speed-related fatalities involving large commercial vehicles. The National Safety Council urges USDOT to reconsider its decision, which will cost lives.”
Fatal numbers on the rise
Speeding remains a persistent and deadly problem on U.S. roads, the NSC said. In 2023, it was a factor in 29% of all traffic deaths, claiming the lives of 11,775 people — an average of more than 32 fatalities every day. The stakes are even higher when excess speed is combined with the massive weight of heavy trucks. That year, 5,375 large trucks were involved in fatal crashes, reflecting an 8.4% decrease from 2022 but still a staggering 43% increase compared to a decade ago.
The withdrawal comes despite government studies showing that speed limiters work. A 2012 FMCSA study of fleet data found that trucks equipped with such devices had significantly lower crash rates. USDOT estimates that capping truck speeds at 65 mph could prevent nearly 5,000 injuries and save over 200 lives each year.
The National Safety Council, a 110-year-old nonprofit dedicated to eliminating preventable deaths and injuries, emphasized that the science is clear and the technology is already available.
A step backward?
Critics argue that USDOT’s reversal undermines public safety, particularly for highway users who share the road with heavy trucks. “This isn’t just about regulation — it’s about protecting families and professional drivers alike,” Martin said.
As fatalities involving large commercial vehicles trend upward, safety advocates warn that abandoning speed limiter rules now could have deadly consequences in the years to come.