Several regulations that would affect the US trucking industry were in the works in 2016. But two recent executive orders signed by President Trump that aim at reducing federal regulations could pause the new truck safety rules.

In August 2016, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) proposed installing speed limiters on all large commercial trucks and buses in an attempt to reduce high speed truck crashes. However, this proposal may not take effect due to the recent executive orders.

Another FMCSA regulation that is up in the air is a new rule that would set up national commercial driver training standards.

The speed limiter rule would set up safety standards that mandate that all new commerical vehicles weighing above 26,000 pounds would have to have a speed limiting device. The proposal talks about the various benefits of setting the maximum speed from 60-68 MPH.

The NHTSA administrator argues for the speed limiter rule, noting that basic physics dictates that a small reduction in speed could have a major effect on the severity of a crash between a big rig and a car.

Regarding the driver training law, applicants wanting a Class A CDL would have to get at least 30 hours of behind the wheel training by an FMCSA-approved company, and this must include at least 10 hours of operating a big rig on a private driving range.

The Jan. 31, 2017 Trump order delayed the implementation of both of these truck safety rules. Their fates at this point are unknown.

Our View

Our tractor trailer crash attorneys support reasonable federal safety rules that will reduce the number of severe truck crashes that result in thousands of severe injuries and deaths across the US annually.

Being a Virginia truck accident attorney, we know well the total devastation that occurs when a tractor trailer slams into a private passenger vehicle at a high speed.

We recently represented a family whose two children were severely injuried in Virginia Beach when a tractor trailer driver slammed into the back of their car at 45 MPH.

Apparently the tractor trailer driver fell asleep at the wheel and did not brake at all when his rig smashed into our client’s car. Both children suffered brain injuries, and they will never be the same again.

While we did obtain a $5.5 million tractor trailer crash personal injury settlement to provide needed care for these children for years, we would prefer if these terrible truck accidents never would happen. We would like to see the speed limiter and driver training rules implemented so that our roads are safer.