Trump hits brakes on Obama's speed rule: Limit on large trucks, buses removed; what changes

The Trump administration has scrapped a proposed rule from the Obama era that aimed to limit the speed of large trucks and buses on US highways to improve safety and cut fuel costs.

The speed limiter rule was first proposed in 2016 by Obama-era regulators. It aimed to cap the top speed of big rigs and buses to reduce the severity of crashes. Officials believed this could save between 63 and 214 lives annually and cut over $800 million in fuel and emissions costs. The suggested speed caps ranged from 60 to 68 mph.
On 24 July, the Trump administration formally ended the plan. Federal regulators said mandating speed governors on all trucks over 26,000 pounds could increase operational costs, worsen traffic flow, and potentially harm road safety. They also warned of longer delivery times, lower driver pay, and a shift of heavy trucks to smaller roads.

Truckers and states Independent truckers and several states opposed the Obama-era proposal. More than 15,000 public comments were filed against it.

Many states argued the rule would interfere with their authority to set speed limits. The administration, following Trump’s broader push against burdensome regulations, sided with these objections.

Regulators also noted that the original proposal did not address the safety risks of slower trucks mixing with faster-moving cars. Additionally, modern safety technology—such as radar-based emergency braking—has improved vehicle safety since 2016, reducing the need for such a rule.

Safety concerns While this national plan has been dropped, the debate around speed-limiting technology isn’t over. The American Trucking Associations (ATA), which had backed a 65 mph cap, said it remains open to working with regulators on balanced safety measures.

In California, a bill to alert drivers when speeding was vetoed last year by governor Gavin Newsom.