OOIDA Supports Bill To Prevent Dangerous FMCSA Mandate - Restricted Truck Speeds Mean Rolling Roadblocks, Road Rage

May 2025

Washington, DC… The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) announced its strong support for the Deregulating Restrictions on Interstate Vehicles and Eighteen-Wheelers (DRIVE) Act. The legislation was introduced by Congressman Josh Brecheen (OK-2) to prohibit the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) from promulgating any rule or regulation mandating speed limiters on large commercial motor vehicles (CMVs).

Speed limiting devices on large trucks have been proven to create unnecessary congestion and dangerous speed differentials among vehicles. This results in higher rates of vehicle interaction and higher crash rates.

“Nobody understands and appreciates road safety more than truck drivers,” said OOIDA President Todd Spencer. “We want to get to our destination as safely as possible just like everyone else on the road. A federal speed limiter mandate would force trucks to speeds below the flow of traffic, increasing interactions between vehicles and leading to more crashes. It would be like an obstacle course for passenger vehicle drivers on our highways. OOIDA and our 150,000 members in small business trucking across America thank Representative Brecheen for his leadership in working to keep our roadways safe for truckers and for all road users by fighting to prevent a speed limiter mandate.”

“Under the Biden Administration, we saw blatant overreach that would have required speed-limiters as low as 60 mph for heavy-duty trucks,” said Representative Brecheen (R-OK). “For example, if a rancher is transporting tractors across state lines, under this rule, the federal government would require a speed limiter device when above 26,000 lbs. I have spent years driving a semi hauling heavy equipment and years in different ranch vehicles hauling livestock and farm equipment. Safety is enhanced in keeping with the flow of traffic as set by state law, not on a one-size-fits-all regulation enforced by bureaucrats in Washington. The DRIVE Act will ensure a future administration cannot revive this dangerous rule.”

“The National Association of Small Trucking Companies strongly supports the Deregulating Restrictions on Interstate Vehicles and Eighteen-Wheelers (DRIVE Act). Mandating speed limiters on commercial vehicles would increase speed differentials between cars and trucks, increase traffic density, and increase impatience and risky driving by those behind a plodding truck. Mandatory speed limiters would likely cost more lives and cause more accidents and injuries. NASTC commends the DRIVE Act for stopping a predictable regulatory disaster,” said David Owen, President, National Association of Small Trucking Companies.

The DRIVE Act was introduced in response to an FMCSA rulemaking process announced in April 2022. The agency has received more than 15,000 comments on the proposal, the majority from truck drives expressing opposition.

Supportive Organizations

* American Farm Bureau Federation

* Associated Equipment Distributors

* Mid-West Truckers Association

* National Association of Small Trucking Companies

* National Cattlemen's Beef Association

* National Ready Mixed Concrete Association

* North American Punjabi Trucking Association

* Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association

* Towing and Recovery Association of America, Inc

* United States Cattlemen’s Association