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Putting the Brakes on 18-Wheelers in Florida

Posted on Mar 30, 2011

Semi-trailer trucks that weigh up to 80,000 lbs., roughly 20 times the mass of a car with passengers, need a 20 to 80 percent longer distance to come to a stop than a passenger vehicle. The sensible thing to do for the government is to impose a maximum speed on these large trucks, and for motor carriers to make sure truck drivers cannot exceed the speed limit. This means the mandatory use of speed governors.

What are speed governors?

Electronic on-board speed governors are standard equipment on most trucks since 1992 but are presently used only at the motor carrier's discretion. Similar systems are compulsory in Australia, the most populated provinces of Canada and the European Union, all countries with a lower fatal truck accident rate than the United States.

In Florida, as in all other U.S. states, a number of motor carriers use speed governors, while others deactivate the system. Some set the limit at 65 mph, others at a higher speed. There is no uniformity because speed limiters are not regulated by law and motor carriers' motivations differ considerably. For example, motor carriers may want to:

• Prevent accidents that are more likely to occur at high speed, like jackknifing, tire blow-outs, roll-overs, etc.;
• Keep gas mileage under control, as fuel consumption increases exponentially with speed;
• Avoid speeding tickets that are bad for the driver, the motor carrier's record and the cost of insurance.

Any progress?

With the impetus of Road Safe America, an independent organization dedicated to reducing collisions between heavy commercial vehicles and passenger cars, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recently filed a Grant Decision on a petition to require speed governors to be set on all heavy commercial vehicles at 68 mph. This is a major move forward towards the passage of a law making these devices mandatory in all states.

Is everyone moving in the same direction?

Most large trucking firms tend to agree that speed limiters are necessary. The public is certainly in favor too, as car drivers feel very uneasy when overtaken by a massive truck at 80 mph. The same cannot always be said for truck drivers who are paid by the mile, exactly the right incentive to drive as quickly as possible. This is probably the strongest argument to impose a speed limiting device on all large trucks as soon as possible.

If you have been involved in a truck accident in North and Central Florida, call the Daytona Beach attorneys of Johnson & Gilbert PA today toll free at (800) 556-8890 and locally at (386) 673-4412, or fill out the form on this page for a free consultation.

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