“[Trump’s regulatory] freeze I think is a death knell for the speed limiter mandate — that’s an easy one since so many in the industry have ripped it apart,” says Rajkovacz.
One of Trump’s first actions as president was the issuance of a memorandum to all federal agencies barring them from enacting any new regulations. The speed limiter mandate, issued as a proposed rule in September, had already drawn widespread criticism from the trucking industry, even from the groups that asked the agency to develop the rule initially, such as the American Trucking Associations.
The rule likely could have seen another proposed version before being made final, due to the criticism and the proposal’s lack of specifics. The Trump administration could choose not to continue the development of the rule, and two major actions by Trump in his first 10 days in office signal he intends to be reluctant to clear new regulations.
In addition to the freeze on new regulations, Trump has ordered federal agencies to remove two existing regulations for each new regulation proposed.
Another FMCSA regulation has already been halted. This week, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration announced a delay in the effective date of a rule to establish national driver training standards. Trump’s Jan. 20 memo prompted the delay of the rule.
