(NewsNation) — The Trump administration got rid of an Obama-era plan to limit the speed of big rigs and buses across the United States.
The Department of Transportation on Thursday officially withdrew the 2016 proposal, which would have required speed-limiting devices on trucks weighing over 26,000 pounds.
The decision has reignited debates among truckers and federal regulators who have differing opinions about the impact placing speed limits on large trucks would have.
White House shifts course on truck safety rules
Obama-era regulators determined that placing the set speed at 65 mph would have saved between 63 and 214 lives annually and more than $800 million in fuel and emissions costs, according to the proposal.
Federal regulators under President Donald Trump argue that placing speed-limiting devices on large trucks would slow down deliveries, raise costs and add more congestion to the highway, potentially resulting in more accidents.
Trump regulators also point out that recent advancements in trucking technology have made the highways much safer, and the data that was once used to propose a speed limit on trucks is now considered obsolete.
An “increasing percentage of vehicles, including heavy vehicles, will be equipped with crash avoidance technologies in the future as more fleet owners purchase trucks with those technologies,” according to the proposal.
Many truck drivers are already regulated by their companies on how fast they can go.
Truckers divided on safety and efficiency
The proposal was reaffirmed in 2022 by the Biden administration and faced scrutiny at the time.
“If you make all these trucks go 60 miles per hour, the supply chain will get much more inefficient. That means we’re going to have to have more trucks to haul the same amount of goods, which will increase congestion,” said Lewie Pugh, vice president of the Independent Drivers Association and longtime truck driver, told “On Balance” host Leland Vittert in 2023.
But not all drivers were opposed to the idea. Some told NewsNation’s Alex Caprariello Thursday morning that they believe action is needed to improve safety and reduce reckless driving.
“I’m not saying, ‘Oh, don’t speed at all.’ If you wanna pass someone, go ahead, get in the left lane, speed up a little, go back to your lane. But some of them just want to show off; they want to do crazy stuff. And I’m not with that,” said truck driver Sam Assaf.
“I don’t really like truck drivers going pretty fast,” added Marcos Rodriguez, another driver.
DOT defends rollback as pro-driver policy
Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy issued a press release in June announcing several initiatives “designed to improve the lives of America’s truck drivers.”
“Mandating speed limiters on heavy-duty trucks isn’t just an inconvenience – it is a safety hazard when drivers are forced to go slower than the flow of traffic,” Duffy said regarding the proposed speed limits.
“Thanks to President Trump, we’re getting Washington out of your trucks and your business,” he continued.
Duffy also signed an order in May requiring truck drivers be fluent in English.
NewsNation affiliate The Hill contributed to this report.