Speed limiters are programs or micro-chips that may be implemented within a vehicle’s engine computer system to prevent it from being driven more than a predetermined speed. At this time, the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec have regulations requiring that commercial trucks be electronically limited to 105 km/h (about 65 mph).
In the United States, there are entities pushing mandates requiring speed limiters on commercial trucks.
The Association contends speed limiters actually present a tremendous safety hazard for all highway users and will eventually hurt trade. Limiting the maximum speed of trucks to a speed lower than the posted limit in several other Canadian provinces and a number of U.S. states creates speed differentials, increasing the likelihood of dangerous interactions between vehicles.
Research has long held that highways are safest when all vehicles travel at a uniform speed. Also, a survey of OOIDA members indicates very few U.S. owner-operators continue to drive into Canada since the new legislation went into effect.
A study conducted by the University of Arkansas showed that speed limit differences between trucks and cars increase speed differentials, which create more dangerous interactions between trucks and cars. Also, a study conducted by the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute shows that speed limited trucks are overrepresented in rear-end fatalities involving large trucks. Only 4 percent of all trucks are speed limited, yet half of the rear-end fatalities involving trucks were with speed-limited trucks.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s large truck crash causation study showed that there were no fatalities in crashes above 70 mph.