A long-simmering dispute about whether truckers should be required to install a device on their rigs that would limit how fast they can drive appears ready to erupt.
At the urging of the American Trucking Association and several of the nation’s largest carriers, including Utah-based C.R. England Inc., federal regulators signaled in recent weeks they were ready to consider rules that would put governors on all big trucks that ply the nation’s highways.
 |
Join the Discussion |
 |
Post a Comment |
For the country’s biggest trucking outfits, most of which have had the devices on their fleets for years, the issue primarily is about highway safety and fuel economy. Yet many of the nation’s independent truckers — known as owner-operators — scoff at that notion and say forcing more trucks to go 65 mph or even slower while automobile traffic whizzes past them is a potential disaster in the making.
"There is no way they are going to make me put one of those things on my truck," said Archie King, who was in Utah late last week to pick up a shipment of medical equipment from a company in West Jordan. "I don’t think they are safe, and I’ll look out for my own fuel economy."
—
Safety » The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, which represents the interest of 152,000 of the nation’s drivers who own their own rigs, maintains the big companies and their trade association are engaged in "feel-good" regulations.
Almost all of the speed-related truck crashes that occur involve drivers who are going too fast for road conditions, said Norita Taylor, spokeswoman for the owner-operator association. "A speed governor isn’t going to prevent that."
But Ted Scott of the American Trucking Association said the devices are vital and that expanding their use to the nation’s entire fleet of trucks would improve highway safety, which is why that organization supports that idea, even though its most of its members already are using them.
"Speed kills. It is as simple as that," Scott said.
Utah’s C.R. England, the nation’s largest refrigerated trucking company, has equipped its fleet of more than 3,900 trucks with governors for years. It views them as highly beneficial pieces of equipment that help keep the roads safer, while also reducing the company’s fuel costs.
"They are a safety net for the company and our drivers," said Thom Pronk, C.R. England’s vice president of recruiting, training and safety. He noted that all of the trucks that carry the company’s name are governed at 60 mph to 63 mph.
Pronk has no doubt they help reduce accidents. "We know that the number one cause of traffic accidents is distracted driving. The number two cause is speed."
—
Economics » For owner-operators — they primarily are drivers who own one truck but make up more than half of the nation’s fleet — things aren’t that simple.
They contend requiring the use of speed regulators would force them to drive below the speed limits in many states. And that, they say, would reduce their income because they are paid by the mile, which makes traveling time important to a healthy bottom line.
The owner-operators association argues that if a driver is forced to go 65 mph instead of the maximum 70 mph that is allowed in 16 states it would result in 50 to 55 fewer miles driven each day. And that would cost them up to $85.25 per day, or $22,165 a year. Several states, including Utah, have even higher speed limits on some of their highways.
"If I had my way I’d blow them all up," said Lita Gorrell, who is from Michigan and has driven trucks for more than 35 years. She says speed limiters make it dangerous to pass slower-moving vehicles. "We old farts like having total control of the truck. We don’t want to push down when we’re trying to pass and have nothing happen."
Next Page >Copyright 2012 The Salt Lake Tribune. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
