A Montana Senator has introduced legislation that would prevent the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) from moving ahead with rulemaking to require speed limiting technology on heavy-duty trucks.
The FMCSA is expected to move forward with rulemaking to require speed limiters on large commercial vehicles in May 2025, but lawmakers are working on a solution that would prevent the agency from publishing the new rule.
The Deregulating Restrictions on Interstate Vehicles and Eighteen-Wheelers (DRIVE) Act was recently introduced by Senator Steve Daines. The DRIVE Act would forbid the FMCSA from promulgating any rule or regulation mandating speed limiters on large commercial motor vehicles.
“Washington, D.C. bureaucrats should not be telling Montanans how or what to drive. Burdening our truckers, farmers, and ranchers with unnecessary speed limiter regulations would do nothing but cause congestion and higher crash rates. The DRIVE Act will help keep our trucks safe on the road as they support Montana’s economy,” said Daines.
A House version of the DRIVE Act was introduced by Rep. Josh Brechee in April 2025.
The DRIVE Act is supported by a number of organizations, including:
- Agricultural Retailers Association
- American Farm Bureau Federation
- Associated Equipment Distributors
- Mid-West Truckers Association
- National Association of Small Trucking Companies
- National Cattlemen’s Beef Association
- National Ready Mixed Concrete Association
- North American Punjabi Trucking Association
- Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA)
- Towing and Recovery Association of America, Inc
- United States Cattlemen’s Association
OOIDA has long argued against speed limiters for trucks, pointing out that they create dangerous speed differentials and increase the odds of road rage.
“No one is more committed to safe highways than America’s truck drivers,” said OOIDA President Todd Spencer. “We share the same goal as every motorist—arriving safely. But forcing trucks to operate below the speed of traffic makes roads less safe by creating speed differences and more risky interactions. We appreciate Senator Daines’ leadership in standing with truckers and working to protect all road users from the dangers of a one-size-fits-all federal speed limiter regulation.”
