FMCSA delays speed limiter rule to May 2025

Rules on ELD revisions, automatic braking also delayed, according to DOT’s latest agenda

Truckers have railed against FMCSA's planned speed limiter rule in comments to the agency. (Photo: Jim Allen/FreightWaves)

WASHINGTON — Federal regulators are delaying several rulemakings affecting the trucking sector, including a controversial rule that would limit new trucks’ engine speeds.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s proposed truck speed limiter rule, scheduled to be published last month, has been delayed to May 2025, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s latest agenda released by the White House Office of Management and Budget.

The proposed rule, which would require that trucks weighing over 26,000 pounds be equipped with an electronic speed governor to set the device at a yet-undetermined maximum speed, was originally scheduled to be issued by mid-2023.

The date for the controversial proposal, which generated close to 16,000 comments, has now been delayed three times since then.

FMCSA is also delaying – by eight months – proposed changes to ELD operations, including whether they should apply to pre-2000 engines. A notice of proposed rulemaking scheduled for October 2024 has been pushed back to June 2025.

In addition, a joint FMCSA-National Highway Traffic Safety Administration final rule to require performance standards and maintenance requirements for automatic emergency braking systems on heavy trucks was delayed until January 2025, nine months after its scheduled date of April 2024.

The NHTSA-FMCSA proposal, issued in June last year, was mandated by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law signed in 2021. Collision avoidance technology has also appeared on the National Transportation Safety Board’s “Most Wanted” list of safety regulations.

Other delayed rulemaking dockets include automated driving systems in heavy trucks (from March 2024 to December 2024), improving safety for female truck drivers (from June 2024 to December 2024), and new physical qualification standards for truck drivers with epilepsy (from July 2024 to June 2025).

The agenda also showed revisions to Drug & Alcohol Clearinghouse procedures to better account for controlled substance violations are scheduled for sometime this month, after being delayed from November 2023.

FMCSA officials were not immediately available to comment on reasons for the delays.

Click for more FreightWaves articles by John Gallagher.

Upcoming FreightWaves Events
AI

Supply Chain AI Symposium

Past the hype. Join operators, founders, and enterprise leaders figuring out how to deploy AI in supply chain.

July 15, 2026
The Old Post • Chicago, IL
Register Now
FreightTech

F3: Future of Freight Festival

Industry-defining keynotes, rapid-fire technology demos, and industry leaders networking in experiences across Chattanooga - plus the inaugural F3 Awards Dinner featuring the FreightTech and Shipper of Choice reveals.

October 27, 2026 – October 28, 2026
The Signal at Chattanooga Choo Choo • Chattanooga, TN
Register Now
AI Supply Chain AI Symposium Jul 15 • The Old Post • Chicago, IL

Past the hype. Join operators, founders, and enterprise leaders figuring out how to deploy AI in supply chain.

The Old Post • Chicago, IL Register Now
FreightTech F3: Future of Freight Festival Oct 27 – Oct 28 • The Signal at Chattanooga Choo Choo • Chattanooga, TN

Industry-defining keynotes, rapid-fire technology demos, and industry leaders networking in experiences across Chattanooga - plus the inaugural F3 Awards Dinner featuring the FreightTech and Shipper of Choice reveals.

The Signal at Chattanooga Choo Choo • Chattanooga, TN Register Now

John Gallagher

Based in Washington, D.C., John specializes in regulation and legislation affecting all sectors of freight transportation. He has covered rail, trucking and maritime issues since 1993 for a variety of publications based in the U.S. and the U.K. John began business reporting in 1993 at Broadcasting & Cable Magazine. He graduated from Florida State University majoring in English and business.