The Government Wants to Control How Fast Truckers Can Drive

Unlike our hero Ricky Bobby, Barack Obama and the U.S. government do not want you to go fast. A new motion from the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) outlines plans to use speed limiters on large vehicles like semi-trucks or buses.

The proposal would cover any vehicles that weigh more than 26,000 pounds, also including things like dump trucks and garbage trucks. An electronic device would be installed in all new vehicles to make sure they cannot exceed 60, 65, or 68 mph. Some trucks have already had this technology in their systems for years, it’d just be a matter of turning it on.

As you’ve certainly seen on your highways/freeways/byways/interstates, the speed limits for trucks are already different and set lower than for cars. Many of them are in the 55-65-mph range, but people being people, many drivers don’t follow these limits. Full honesty, if I were driving all day every single day, I know I wouldn’t. With that in consideration, the new rule is aimed at increasing safety and decreasing emissions.

“In addition to saving lives, the projected fuel and emissions savings make this proposal a win for safety, energy conservation, and our environment,” DOT secretary Anthony Foxx said in a statement.

Sure, it’s a win for everybody who is not a truck driver. But hey … none of this really matters if they’re all going to be self-driving big-rigs anyway, huh?

via [Verge]