It’s dangerous when large trucks speed. Are speed limiters the answer?

Everyone speeds. At least, it can seem that way when you’re cruising down the interstate at 75 miles per hour to keep up with traffic. Although you might get away with it, you’re risking your life and the lives of others when you speed. And if you’re driving a large truck, the danger only multiplies.

When semi-trucks speed, they cause deadlier and more catastrophic collisions. High-speed wrecks kill thousands of people each year, despite the speed limit signs posted every few miles. In today’s fast-moving current, it may seem hard to keep up without pushing the limits.

But if you knew you could prevent thousands of deaths with one extra step, would you take it? Speed-limiting devices are proven to save lives, but they’re still not required in the United States. They are not required for passenger vehicles, nor are they required for semis, heavy trucks or other commercial motor vehicles.

If you’re curious about speed limiters, the dangers of speeding, and what can prevent deaths, keep reading. In this article, I’ll share important information and answer common questions about large trucks and speeding.

What is a speed limiter?

Since the early 1990s, speed limiters have been available for use in large trucks. These devices limit vehicles’ maximum operating speed. Electronic engine control units, or ECUs, act as speed limiters by controlling the engine’s fuel supply and RPM, according to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.

ECUs have been installed in most large trucks for the past 25 years. Some trucking companies choose to use ECUs to limit their trucks’ speed to 60, 65 or 70 miles per hour. As of now, limiting trucks’ speed with these devices is optional.

Companies that use speed limiters do so for a few reasons: They can help eliminate speed-related wrecks, which is the effect I’ll focus on in this article; manage fuel consumption; and lower maintenance costs, saving the trucking companies money.

Schneider, a trucking company that operates across the United States, limits its vehicles to a 65-mile-per-hour maximum speed. The company reported that these trucks were involved in significantly fewer crashes than those without limiters.

What happens when trucks speed?

Speed limits exist to keep drivers safe. Most drivers exceed speed limits daily, whether by five or 25 miles per hour. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found that speeding is a factor in about one-third of all fatal wrecks. In 2022 in the U.S., more than 12,100 people died in speeding-related accidents.

Let’s narrow our focus to commercial motor vehicles, or large trucks.

Physics tells us two things that are important to consider when we’re thinking about speeding-related collisions:

1. An object’s mass is directly related to its kinetic energy, meaning the heavier an object is, the more moving energy it possesses. A fully loaded semi-truck can weigh about 80,000 pounds. At about 4,000 pounds, an average four-wheel car has one-twentieth the mass of a semi-truck. That means the loaded truck operates with a kinetic energy that is 20 times that of the car.
2. For any vehicle, kinetic energy increases exponentially with speed. Even small increases in speed can have huge effects on collisions. Moving with more energy makes a vehicle’s impact force greater.

Large trucks weigh more than cars, so their collisions are more dangerous. When their drivers break the law by speeding, they become much deadlier.

Are speed limiters required in large trucks?

Almost eight years after the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) proposed a rule, large trucks still aren’t required to use speed limiters.

The proposed rule would require commercial motor vehicles weighing more than 26,000 pounds to use electronic devices to limit their maximum speeds. The maximum speed has not been specified. The most recent version, called the Heavy Vehicle Speed Limiters rule, comes from the Department of Transportation and FMCSA. It has been delayed until May 2025.

Despite the delay, data proves a mandate would be worthwhile. Trucks using speed limiters were involved in half as many speed-related crashes as trucks without the devices, according to the Department of Transportation. After Ontario began requiring speed limiters in 2009, the province saw a 73% decrease in speed-related, at-fault truck wrecks.

And in 2018, 79% of Americans surveyed said they thought Congress should require large trucks to use speed limiters.

Semis and speeding: a deadly combination 

 When any driver exceeds the posted speed limit, their vehicle becomes much more dangerous. Speeding makes vehicles harder to control, leads to more severe injuries and fatalities in collisions, and makes passenger protection equipment less effective.

For these reasons, speeding is considered a type of aggressive driving.

The Fatality Analysis Reporting System, which is provided by NHTSA, is searchable by the public. We used it to access statistics about speeding-related, large-truck wrecks in 2022, the most recent year available.

Here is what we found:

• In 2022, across Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Ohio, Kentucky and Iowa (the six states in which Craig, Kelley & Faultless is licensed to practice) there were 164 fatal crashes involving speeding and a large truck.
• Country-wide, there were 1,117 fatal motor vehicle crashes involving large trucks and speeding in 2022. That’s about 30% more than five years earlier, with 863 such crashes recorded in 2018.
• As for wrecks that resulted in injury only, not death,16,144 involved large trucks and speeding in 2022.

“Speeding of Any Kind” was the most common driver-related factor in vehicle collisions for car and truck drivers.

Final Thoughts

There is no perfect solution to the problem. Speed limiters won’t prevent anyone from ever dying in a high-speed motor vehicle collision again. But they can save thousands of lives without negative side effects.

The National Transportation Safety Board has recommended the NHTSA to require speed limiters in new cars. This May, the California Senate passed a bill requiring speed limiters in all new vehicles — including trucks, buses and cars — by 2032.

At Craig, Kelley & Faultless, we believe no one should have to risk their life just to get to and from a destination. By educating the public and advocating for change, we hope to make a positive difference in road safety. If trucking companies require the use of speed-limiting devices, setting maximum speeds of 60, 65 or even 70 miles per hour, they can keep their truckers, their vehicles, and other drivers safer.

If you or someone you know is a victim of a serious personal injury or wrongful death in a speeding-related accident, contact our law office at 800-746-0226 or with our online form. We have attorneys licensed to represent clients in Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Ohio, Illinois and Missouri.

What are your thoughts?

Should the government mandate a speed limiter for new cars that matches speed limits? Should cars have a maximum speed? Should semis, tractor-trailers, buses or other commercial motor vehicles have speed limiters?

Let us know in the comments below.

David W. Craig sits on the Board of Regents of the Academy of Truck Accident Attorneys (which requires the board certification in truck accident law). He is the managing partner and one of the founding partners of Craig, Kelley & Faultless LLC. He is recognized as a Top 10 Trucking Trial Lawyer and Top 100 Trial Lawyer in Indiana by the National Trial Lawyers, as well as a Top 50 Indiana lawyer by Super Lawyers. David is the author of Semitruck Wreck, A Guide for Victims and Their Families, written to help people navigate a terrible situation by answering questions that come after a tragic wreck. He also hosts the podcast After the Crash, where you can gain valuable information about the dangers involving semis and large trucks that do not follow Indiana law safety protocol regarding speed, weather conditions, maintenance upkeep, etc.