Press Release

For Immediate Release

Truckers cheer DOT withdrawal of dangerous mandate

OOIDA celebrates proposal’s removal

The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association thanked the U.S. Department of Transportation today for officially withdrawing its 2022 proposal to require speed limiters on commercial motor vehicles. The announcement comes after more than 15,000 public comments—predominantly from professional truck drivers—raised serious safety and policy concerns about mandating top speeds below posted highway limits.

“The old ways of doing things in Washington are over. After nearly 20 years, big trucking’s proposed speed limiter mandate is dead. This failed proposal represented the worst of Washington and the worst of trucking: big corporations trying to use big government to undercut small businesses and increase corporate profits. Not only would this proposal have harmed working class Americans – small business truckers in our communities – it would have made our highways less safe for all motorists. We thank Secretary Duffy and the Trump Administration for listening to truckers by prioritizing safety, small businesses, and common sense,” said Lewie Pugh, Executive Vice President, OOIDA.

Last year’s advance notice considered requiring trucks over 26,001 pounds to cap speeds at 60 mph, even on highways posted as high as 80 and 85 mph. Drivers, safety advocates, and industry stakeholders warned that such a rule would create dangerous speed differentials, increase road‑rage incidents and impair trucks’ ability to accelerate quickly to avoid collisions.

“Studies and research have already proven what we were all taught long ago in driver’s ed classes—that traffic is safest when vehicles all travel at the same relative speed,” said OOIDA President Todd Spencer. “Limiting trucks to speeds below the flow of traffic increases interactions between vehicles, which can lead to more crashes.”

In today’s notice, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) cited “significant policy and safety concerns and continued data gaps that create considerable uncertainty about the estimated costs, benefits and other impacts of the proposed rule” as the basis for withdrawing the proposal.

While the withdrawal ensures no new speed limiter rule will move forward during President Trump’s term, OOIDA is urging Congress to enact the DRIVE Act, which would permanently bar FMCSA from ever issuing any speed‑limiter mandate. Without such legislation, a future administration could revive the proposal.