The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) has released its monthly report on new rules from its subordinate agencies. The 60-page document contains a myriad of new rules, but truckers should be more concerned with pages 20 through 26, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (FMCSA) submissions of new rules.
We gave you a chance to speak, now to implement our will upon you
Even though it is supposed to be a monthly report, USDOT has not released a report since January. This is the list of proposed rules that the government wishes to enforce upon us.
The area which affects truck drivers and carriers the most is FMCSA’s new rules. Let’s take a gander at the new proposals, shall we?
44. Heavy Vehicle Speed Limiters
In what many call the “competition killer” between self-insured mega-carriers that already run speed limiters and independents that can drive as fast as they feel safe, the new federal speed limiter rule has another round of comments planned for June 2023.
A “supplemental notice of proposed rule-making” (SNPRM) is set for early summer next year. Some think this will be the final chance for comment by stakeholders before the hammer drops, making owner-operators less competitive than the mega-carriers due to “one speed for everyone.”
46. Safe Integration of Automated Driving Systems-Equipped Commercial Motor Vehicles
This is a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) that FMCSA is going ahead with plans to help integrate AI-based and remotely operated commercial vehicles into daily life on the road. This rule changes some standards in the CMV operations, inspection, repair, and maintenance regulations.
The rule would help differentiate “AI-operated” from “human-operated” and set up a “consistent regulatory approach” to the new technology.
50. Automatic Emergency Braking Systems
Automatic emergency braking systems (AEBS) have been on trucks for a few years now, as an option for more safety-minded (and nuclear verdict-wary) companies and O-Os. The new NPRM is slated to go into effect on January 1, 2023; it will make it mandatory to have some form of AEBS on your “newly purchased” truck and also establish maintenance guidelines on the system.
You can read about these particular rules and more by following the link to the USDOT’s report.
Read more by Rooster and follow me here!
Sign up for the Back The Truck Up Newsletter!
Listen to the Back The Truck Up Podcast on Apple Podcast, Spotify, and Google Podcasts!
