FMCSA will move forward with controversial speed limiter mandate

On Wednesday, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) issued a notice indicating that the agency will move forward with a rule to require speed limiting devices on commercial vehicles.

In a Notice of Intent document published on April 27, the FMCSA “announces its intent to proceed with a speed limiter rulemaking by preparing a supplemental notice of proposed rulemaking to follow up on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s and FMCSA’s jointly issued September 7, 2016 notice of proposed rulemaking on this subject.”

The FMCSA plans to propose that any commercial vehicle with a gross vehicle weight of 26,001 pounds or more be equipped with an electronic engine control unit (ECU) that will be capable of governing speed to a limit that will be determined during the rulemaking process.

As part of the planned rulemaking process, the FMCSA will ask the public for comment on the adjustment or reprogramming of ECUs. Once a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking is published in the Federal Register, public comments will be accepted.