Legislation mandating speed limiters introduced in House

Legislation that would require speed-limiting technology be used on commercial vehicles manufactured since 1992 has a new life thanks to a bill introduced earlier this week in the U.S. House of Representatives.

The bill which was first introduced in 2019 was reintroduced Tuesday, May 25 by Rep. Lucy McBath (D-Georgia) and Rep. John Katko (R-New York). 

The Cullum Owings Large Truck Safe Operating Speed Act will require all new commercial motor vehicles to be equipped with speed limiters and require existing speed-limiting technologies already installed in commercial motor vehicles manufactured after 1992 to be used while in operation. 

The bill is named for a 22-year-old Atlanta resident who died in a collision in 2002, and requires the maximum safe operating speed of commercial motor vehicles not exceed 65 miles per hour, or 70 miles per hour with certain safety technologies adaptive cruise control system and an automatic emergency braking system installed.

This legislation is endorsed by the Truckload Carriers Association, the Trucking Alliance, AAA, the Institute for Safer Trucking, Road Safe America and the Safe Operating Speed Alliance.