{"id":2179,"date":"2019-10-24T00:39:25","date_gmt":"2019-10-24T00:39:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/quicktransportsolutions.com\/blog\/?p=2179"},"modified":"2019-10-24T00:39:27","modified_gmt":"2019-10-24T00:39:27","slug":"washington-d-c-debates-speed-limiters-and-platooning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/quicktransportsolutions.com\/blog\/washington-d-c-debates-speed-limiters-and-platooning\/","title":{"rendered":"Washington D.C. Debates Speed Limiters and Platooning"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Certain trucking industry advocates are once again raising the idea of requiring all new Class 8 and Class 8 commercial motor vehicles to be equipped with speed-limiting devices. This debate seems to come up at least once a year, sometimes more, and it looks like we are in for another round as we move into the latter half of 2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n [wp_ad_camp_2] \n\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In fact, it isn\u2019t just certain trucking lobbies that are\nbringing this idea to the table, it is also sponsors in the Senate. Consider\nthe Cullum Owings\nLarge Truck Safe Operating Speed Act of 2019<\/a>. Introduced on June 27, the\nbill was, not surprisingly, endorsed by a large section of trucking safety and\nhighway safety advocacy organizations. The groups responsible for bringing this\nbill to the table noted that they have been advocating for speed limiters since\n1992.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Truckload Carriers Association, which has come out in\nsupport of the measure, openly stated that they represent over three-fourths of\nthe trucking industry by revenue. Since they represent such a large\ncross-section of the trucking industry, they argue that their support for the\nSenate bill should carry greater weight. The group stated that their members\nsupport the bill; that it would make strides in improving road safety. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

 The CEO of TCA\nappeared with two Senators when announcing that they felt a speed-limiter would\nreduce large truck fatalities on our nation\u2019s roads and highways. The senators\nwere Republican Johnny Isakson and Democrat Chris Coons. While the TCA lauded\nthe Senators for making highway safety what they called \u201ca bipartisan issue,\u201d\nnot everyone was thrilled. CEO Steve Williams also reiterated his view that\nthere really is no reason a Class 8 commercial motor vehicle should travel\nbetween 70 and 80 miles per hour within close proximity to other vehicles on\nthe road. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The TCA has some big allies among trucking industry\nexecutives. Eric Fuller, the CEO of US Xpress stated that utilizing speed-limiting\ntechnology would reduce the frequency and severity of accidents involving large\ntrucks. The group also pointed out that requiring speed limiters would prevent\ntruck drivers from being coerced into driving faster just to make a shipment on\ntime. In turn, this decreases a truck driver\u2019s stress level, saves lives and\nreduces fuel usage. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yet, some ask what the states are doing. In fact, many\nstates already restrict large commercial trucks to 65 mph on state-controlled\nhighways. As is the case with so many sensitive trucking issues, not every\ntrucking industry advocacy group is on board. When asked about the bill, the\nAmerican Trucking Associations (ATA) replied that they are still reviewing the\nbill. Still, the ATA has made no secret of its desire for a speed limiter rule,\nso it is likely a matter of time before they come out in support of it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another group that is likely to come out strongly against a\nspeed-limiting rule and has done so in the past is the Owner Operator\nIndependent Drivers Association. The OOIDA has made no secret of its disdain\nfor federally mandated rules that govern how truck drivers can and cannot\noperate a commercial motor vehicle when they are out on the road. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the OOIDA Foundation\u2019s website, for instance, they\nclearly state that they are opposed to a mandate for speed limiters. They posit\nthe idea that speed limiters will increase the interaction between large trucks\nand passenger vehicles, thus lowering overall safety levels. They also state\nthat there is no clear evidence showing a reduction in speed would increase\nsafety, and that high-speed truck crashes are rare events. Some are hoping\ntechnological methods will bring this issue to the fore the way other methods\nhave not. Could something like platooning be the answer?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Platooning and Speed Limiter Alliance?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A new report issued by the Competitive Enterprise Institute\ntook a hard look at both current and outdated following distance and platooning\nlaws. With recent technological advances, many within the trucking and transportation\nsector are hoping that this will be their ticket into limiting the way a truck\ndriver interacts with their vehicle. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although some OEMs have stepped away from making big\ninvestments in platooning, it appears to be well on track for wide acceptance\nand adoption across the industry, it is only a matter of time. The problem is,\nstates and the federal government need to update laws regarding following too\nclosely. But why?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The fact is, commercial motor vehicles must be exempted from tailgating laws if platooning is going to see any more adoption. In fact, according to the author of Authorizing Automated Vehicle Platooning: A Guide for State Legislators, 2019 Edition, there are many economic and safety benefits to updating state laws that go beyond just platooning. Up to now, 20 states have either proposed or passed laws regulating the platooning of large trucks. Thirty-six states still have a way to go before they can say they are at the forefront of the movement. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

[wp_ad_camp_2] <\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But how will it work? The fact is, automated platooning and\ntruck driver assistance technology can be a real game changer. When combined\nwith automatic emergency braking systems, trucks can travel close together at\nhighway speeds. This decreases aerodynamic drag and increases overall fuel efficiency.\nAutomatic emergency braking, when combined with platooning technology, enhances\nroad safety even when the tractors are operating outside of the platoon. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Competitive Enterprise Institute Report also includes\nrecommendations for lawmakers on how they could exempt speed-coordinated\nvehicle platooning from old laws. While FTC rules vary by vehicle class and\ntype, most state legislators can amend their current law structure by changing\none statutory section. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Currently, there are three vehicle classes for both federal\nand state laws. They include cars, heavy trucks, and caravans, or motorcades.\nThe FTC classifies each following distance as a calculation between time and\ndistance. There are also laws that require a reasonable and prudent<\/em>\nfollowing distance, which requires an operator to allow enough space for the\nvehicle to stop in an emergency. The problem is, this rule is very subjective. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rules that are based on the time interval between vehicles\nprohibit drivers from following at least two seconds behind the vehicle being\nfollowed. The two second rule is only on the books in Utah and Alaska, however,\nso it is not the most common statutory interpretation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another interpretation is guided by a phrase. The driver\nmust have sufficient space to enter and occupy without danger<\/em>. This\nstatute is most commonly used for heavy truck and motorcade vehicle classes. It\nis phrased as such so that other road users can pass and enter and exit the\nhighway safely. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

21st<\/sup> Century Solutions<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile companies that are betting\ntheir bottom dollar on platooning<\/a> are racing ahead in light speed. Peloton\nis a company that was founded based on the platooning concept. Although Daimler\nTruck and other big industry players have cast doubt on the concept as a whole,\nPeloton is one company that is moving forward full steam ahead. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In fact, the company has now announced a Level 4 driverless\nplatooning system. The company has already begun testing it. The company also\nsingled out Daimler, stating that although the company has not seen good\nresults with their platooning tests, Peloton has seen very good results, both\nin fuel savings and safety. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Called the Automated Following system, Peloton uses\nvehicle-to-vehicle (V2) technology to allow a single truck driver to control\ntwo vehicles. Peloton is relying on this methodology as a unique approach. It\nessentially doubles the efficiency of a single truck driver. The company also\nstates that truck drivers who are qualified to operate this tandem set up will\nbe able to command greater pay and benefits because of their new skill. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although some say that Peloton\u2019s Level 4 system will cut\ntruck drivers out of the loop, the company has come out strongly stating that,\nin fact, their system focuses more on the truck driver. They see truck drivers\nas the world\u2019s best sensors. They hope to enable truck drivers to be more\nproductive through an automated following platoon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Obviously, this setup would double the efficiency of a\nsingle truck driver. Peloton\u2019s system aims to count on the skill, experience,\nand intuition of experienced truck drivers to inform how the tandem platooning\nsetup should operate. Take construction zones as one example. Road hazards and\nconstruction zones are particularly problematic for autonomous vehicles. Truck\ndrivers leading the way, however, can safely navigate a tandem setup through a\nconstruction zone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Peloton has been working on these technologies for some time, with a Level 1 driver assist system already having been proven and undergoing further testing. They currently have six customers on the system and are conducting fleet trials with another. Peloton states that the customers currently working on the system have seen an average of 7% fuel savings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[wp_ad_camp_2] <\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now the question is: Will Washington D.C. act and modify\nexisting statutes to allow greater adoption of platooning and semi-autonomous\nsystems? Only time will tell.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Certain trucking industry advocates are once again raising the idea of requiring all new Class 8 and Class 8 commercial motor vehicles to be equipped with speed-limiting devices. This debate seems to come up at least once a year, sometimes more, and it looks like we are in for another round as we move into … Read moreWashington D.C. Debates Speed Limiters and Platooning<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2090,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2179","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-trucking"],"yoast_head":"\nWashington D.C. Debates Speed Limiters and Platooning - Quick Transport Solutions Trucking Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/quicktransportsolutions.com\/blog\/washington-d-c-debates-speed-limiters-and-platooning\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Washington D.C. Debates Speed Limiters and Platooning - Quick Transport Solutions Trucking Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Certain trucking industry advocates are once again raising the idea of requiring all new Class 8 and Class 8 commercial motor vehicles to be equipped with speed-limiting devices. This debate seems to come up at least once a year, sometimes more, and it looks like we are in for another round as we move into ... Read moreWashington D.C. Debates Speed Limiters and Platooning\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/quicktransportsolutions.com\/blog\/washington-d-c-debates-speed-limiters-and-platooning\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Quick Transport Solutions Trucking Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2019-10-24T00:39:25+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2019-10-24T00:39:27+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/quicktransportsolutions.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/truck-platooning.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"363\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"300\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"quicktsi\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/quicktransportsolutions.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/quicktransportsolutions.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Quick Transport Solutions Trucking Blog\",\"description\":\"Innovative Solutions Delivered\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/quicktransportsolutions.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/quicktransportsolutions.com\/blog\/washington-d-c-debates-speed-limiters-and-platooning\/#primaryimage\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/quicktransportsolutions.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/truck-platooning.png?fit=363%2C300&ssl=1\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/quicktransportsolutions.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/truck-platooning.png?fit=363%2C300&ssl=1\",\"width\":363,\"height\":300,\"caption\":\"truck platooning\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/quicktransportsolutions.com\/blog\/washington-d-c-debates-speed-limiters-and-platooning\/#webpage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/quicktransportsolutions.com\/blog\/washington-d-c-debates-speed-limiters-and-platooning\/\",\"name\":\"Washington D.C. Debates Speed Limiters and Platooning - Quick Transport Solutions Trucking Blog\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/quicktransportsolutions.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/quicktransportsolutions.com\/blog\/washington-d-c-debates-speed-limiters-and-platooning\/#primaryimage\"},\"datePublished\":\"2019-10-24T00:39:25+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2019-10-24T00:39:27+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/quicktransportsolutions.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/91273b8709bca44ec665b30386f1b03d\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/quicktransportsolutions.com\/blog\/washington-d-c-debates-speed-limiters-and-platooning\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/quicktransportsolutions.com\/blog\/washington-d-c-debates-speed-limiters-and-platooning\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/quicktransportsolutions.com\/blog\/washington-d-c-debates-speed-limiters-and-platooning\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/quicktransportsolutions.com\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Washington D.C. Debates Speed Limiters and Platooning\"}]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/quicktransportsolutions.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/91273b8709bca44ec665b30386f1b03d\",\"name\":\"quicktsi\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/quicktransportsolutions.com\/blog\/#personlogo\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f32b87f3abeb6a64829fe299b4a9676ecfbe12c5b262a1a8ee531a36bd8812a3?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f32b87f3abeb6a64829fe299b4a9676ecfbe12c5b262a1a8ee531a36bd8812a3?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"quicktsi\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/quicktransportsolutions.com\/blog\/author\/quicktsi\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Washington D.C. Debates Speed Limiters and Platooning - Quick Transport Solutions Trucking Blog","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/quicktransportsolutions.com\/blog\/washington-d-c-debates-speed-limiters-and-platooning\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Washington D.C. Debates Speed Limiters and Platooning - Quick Transport Solutions Trucking Blog","og_description":"Certain trucking industry advocates are once again raising the idea of requiring all new Class 8 and Class 8 commercial motor vehicles to be equipped with speed-limiting devices. This debate seems to come up at least once a year, sometimes more, and it looks like we are in for another round as we move into ... Read moreWashington D.C. Debates Speed Limiters and Platooning","og_url":"https:\/\/quicktransportsolutions.com\/blog\/washington-d-c-debates-speed-limiters-and-platooning\/","og_site_name":"Quick Transport Solutions Trucking Blog","article_published_time":"2019-10-24T00:39:25+00:00","article_modified_time":"2019-10-24T00:39:27+00:00","og_image":[{"width":363,"height":300,"url":"https:\/\/quicktransportsolutions.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/truck-platooning.png","type":"image\/png"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"quicktsi","Est. reading time":"7 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/quicktransportsolutions.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/quicktransportsolutions.com\/blog\/","name":"Quick Transport Solutions Trucking Blog","description":"Innovative Solutions Delivered","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/quicktransportsolutions.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/quicktransportsolutions.com\/blog\/washington-d-c-debates-speed-limiters-and-platooning\/#primaryimage","inLanguage":"en-US","url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/quicktransportsolutions.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/truck-platooning.png?fit=363%2C300&ssl=1","contentUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/quicktransportsolutions.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/truck-platooning.png?fit=363%2C300&ssl=1","width":363,"height":300,"caption":"truck platooning"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/quicktransportsolutions.com\/blog\/washington-d-c-debates-speed-limiters-and-platooning\/#webpage","url":"https:\/\/quicktransportsolutions.com\/blog\/washington-d-c-debates-speed-limiters-and-platooning\/","name":"Washington D.C. Debates Speed Limiters and Platooning - Quick Transport Solutions Trucking Blog","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/quicktransportsolutions.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/quicktransportsolutions.com\/blog\/washington-d-c-debates-speed-limiters-and-platooning\/#primaryimage"},"datePublished":"2019-10-24T00:39:25+00:00","dateModified":"2019-10-24T00:39:27+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/quicktransportsolutions.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/91273b8709bca44ec665b30386f1b03d"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/quicktransportsolutions.com\/blog\/washington-d-c-debates-speed-limiters-and-platooning\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/quicktransportsolutions.com\/blog\/washington-d-c-debates-speed-limiters-and-platooning\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/quicktransportsolutions.com\/blog\/washington-d-c-debates-speed-limiters-and-platooning\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/quicktransportsolutions.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Washington D.C. Debates Speed Limiters and Platooning"}]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/quicktransportsolutions.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/91273b8709bca44ec665b30386f1b03d","name":"quicktsi","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/quicktransportsolutions.com\/blog\/#personlogo","inLanguage":"en-US","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f32b87f3abeb6a64829fe299b4a9676ecfbe12c5b262a1a8ee531a36bd8812a3?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f32b87f3abeb6a64829fe299b4a9676ecfbe12c5b262a1a8ee531a36bd8812a3?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"quicktsi"},"url":"https:\/\/quicktransportsolutions.com\/blog\/author\/quicktsi\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/quicktransportsolutions.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/truck-platooning.png?fit=363%2C300&ssl=1","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/quicktransportsolutions.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2179","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/quicktransportsolutions.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/quicktransportsolutions.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quicktransportsolutions.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quicktransportsolutions.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2179"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/quicktransportsolutions.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2179\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2181,"href":"https:\/\/quicktransportsolutions.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2179\/revisions\/2181"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quicktransportsolutions.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2090"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/quicktransportsolutions.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2179"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quicktransportsolutions.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2179"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quicktransportsolutions.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2179"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}