[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2033 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 2033

To require the Secretary of Transportation to promulgate standards and 
regulations requiring all new commercial motor vehicles to be equipped 
 with technology to limit maximum operating speed, to require existing 
  speed-limiting technologies already installed in certain commercial 
 motor vehicles to be used while in operation, and to require that the 
  maximum safe operating speed of commercial motor vehicles shall not 
                       exceed 65 miles per hour.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             June 27, 2019

Mr. Isakson (for himself and Mr. Coons) introduced the following bill; 
    which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, 
                      Science, and Transportation

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To require the Secretary of Transportation to promulgate standards and 
regulations requiring all new commercial motor vehicles to be equipped 
 with technology to limit maximum operating speed, to require existing 
  speed-limiting technologies already installed in certain commercial 
 motor vehicles to be used while in operation, and to require that the 
  maximum safe operating speed of commercial motor vehicles shall not 
                       exceed 65 miles per hour.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Cullum Owings Large Truck Safe 
Operating Speed Act of 2019''.

SEC. 2. FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD AND FEDERAL MOTOR CARRIER 
              SAFETY REGULATION FOR SPEED-LIMITING TECHNOLOGIES.

    (a) Findings.--Congress finds that--
            (1) according to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety 
        Administration, during the period beginning on January 1, 2004, 
        and ending on December 31, 2013, 10,440 people were killed in 
        motor vehicle crashes in which the speed of a commercial motor 
        vehicle likely contributed to severity;
            (2) a 2007 survey of truck drivers by the Insurance 
        Institute for Highway Safety determined that 64 percent of the 
        drivers were in favor of a speed-limiting requirement;
            (3) according to a 2012 study commissioned by Federal Motor 
        Carrier Safety Administration, trucks not using a speed-
        limiting technology had a speed limit-relevant crash rate 
        almost 2 times higher than the rate of trucks using a speed-
        limiting technology;
            (4) speed-limiting devices have been required to be 
        installed and used on commercial motor vehicles throughout the 
        world, including in--
                    (A) Australia, which has required the use of those 
                devices since 1990;
                    (B) the United Kingdom, which has required the use 
                of those devices since 1992; and
                    (C) the European Union, which has required the use 
                of those devices since 1994; and
            (5) the Department of Transportation has been examining the 
        issues involving speed-limiting technologies since at least 
        2006.
    (b) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Commercial motor vehicle.--The term ``commercial motor 
        vehicle'' means a motor vehicle used in commerce that has a 
        gross vehicle weight rating or a gross vehicle weight of not 
        less than 26,001 pounds.
            (2) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of Transportation.
            (3) Speed-limiting technology.--The term ``speed-limiting 
        technology'' means a technology that prevents a commercial 
        motor vehicle from exceeding a preprogrammed maximum speed.
    (c) Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard and Motor Carrier Safety 
Regulation.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than 1 year after the date of 
        enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall--
                    (A) acting through the Administrator of the 
                National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, issue a 
                final rule that establishes a Federal motor vehicle 
                safety standard that requires that all commercial motor 
                vehicles manufactured after the effective date of the 
                standard shall be equipped with a speed-limiting 
                technology; and
                    (B) acting through the Administrator of the Federal 
                Motor Carrier Safety Administration, issue a final rule 
                that establishes a Federal motor carrier safety 
                regulation that requires that any existing speed-
                limiting technology already installed in a commercial 
                motor vehicle shall be used at any time during which 
                the commercial motor vehicle is in operation, in 
                accordance with paragraph (2).
            (2) Requirements.--In issuing a final rule pursuant to 
        paragraph (1), the Secretary shall--
                    (A) include requirements to ensure that each speed-
                limiting technology--
                            (i) accurately measures the speed of the 
                        applicable commercial motor vehicle; and
                            (ii) maintains a maximum speed of not 
                        faster than 65 miles per hour to ensure the 
                        safety of commercial motor vehicle drivers and 
                        the public, regardless of whether the speed-
                        limiting technology was installed in the 
                        commercial motor vehicle--
                                    (I) prior to the effective date of 
                                the standard or regulation; or
                                    (II) for purposes of achieving 
                                compliance with the standard under 
                                paragraph (1)(A); and
                    (B) as necessary, amend any Federal motor vehicle 
                safety standards or Federal motor carrier safety 
                regulations to require that all commercial motor 
                vehicles shall travel at a speed of not faster than 65 
                miles per hour.
    (d) Implementation.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than 180 days after the date of 
        enactment of this Act, each commercial motor vehicle that is 
        subject to the standard established under subsection (c)(1)(A) 
        shall ensure that a speed-limiting technology establishes and 
        maintains for the commercial motor vehicle a maximum safe speed 
        of not faster than 65 miles per hour.
            (2) Verification of compliance with requirements.--The 
        owner of each commercial motor vehicle subject to a requirement 
        under this section shall verify, and submit to the Secretary a 
        certification of, compliance with the requirement at such time 
        and in such manner as the Secretary may establish, by 
        regulation.
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