New Bill Putting The Brakes On Tractor Trailers

CHATTANOOGA, Tennessee (WDEF)- According to the Truck Safety Coalition, there were 572 fatal crashes involving large trucks in Tennessee from 2011 to 2015.

Two Senators proposed a bill that would put the brakes on tractor trailers.

Georgia U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson and Delaware Senator Chris Coons proposed the Cullum Owings Large Truck Safe Operating Act of 2019.

This bill will require trucks over 26,000 pounds to have speed limiting devices that have a max speed of 65 miles per hour.

The CEO of Freight Waves, Craig Fueller says, “I think that everyone wants safer highways and I don’t think anyone wants a truck 80, 85 miles per hour going down the highway. And so, what this legislation is set to do is to put the speed limiters on the trucks when they roll off the factory floor so that they can’t go faster than the set mile per hour.”

Many of our viewers are worried this will be a safety hazard by causing tractor trailers drivers to be on the road longer.

Freight Waves says that this technology has already been implemented.

Fuller also says, ” Locally, Covenant, US Xpress have the trucks that they are purchasing have speed limiters. The larger carriers typically have speed limiters on the trucks because they have very tight safety regulations and their insurance companies demand them.”

Even though some tractor-trailers already have this technology, the issue will be regulating it.