I 

117TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 3523 

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 commercial motor vehicles 

manufactured after 1992 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, or 70 miles per hour with certain 

safety technologies. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MAY 25, 2021 

Mrs. MCBATH (for herself and Mr. KATKO) introduced the following bill; 

which was referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and in addition to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, for a 

period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for 

consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

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 commercial motor 

vehicles manufactured after 1992 to be used while in 

operation, and to require that the maximum safe operating speed of commercial motor vehicles shall not exceed 


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65 miles per hour, or 70 miles per hour with certain 

safety technologies. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Cullum Owings Large 

5 Truck Safe Operating Speed Act of 2021’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD AND 

7 FEDERAL MOTOR CARRIER SAFETY REGULA8 TION FOR SPEED-LIMITING TECHNOLOGIES. 

9 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds that— 

10 (1) according to the Federal Motor Carrier 

11 Safety Administration, during the period beginning 

12 on January 1, 2004, and ending on December 31, 

13 2013, 10,440 people were killed in motor vehicle 

14 crashes in which the speed of a commercial motor 

15 vehicle likely contributed to severity; 

16 (2) a 2007 survey of truck drivers by the Insur17 ance Institute for Highway Safety determined that 

18 64 percent of the drivers were in favor of a speed19 limiting requirement; 

20 (3) according to a 2012 study commissioned by 

21 the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, 

22 trucks not using a speed-limiting technology had a 

23 speed limit-relevant crash rate almost 2 times higher 


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1 than the rate of trucks using a speed-limiting tech2 nology; 

3 (4) speed-limiting devices have been required to 

4 be installed and used on commercial motor vehicles 

5 throughout the world, including in— 

6 (A) Australia, which has required the use 

7 of those devices since 1990; 

8 (B) the United Kingdom, which has re9 quired the use of those devices since 1992; and 

10 (C) the European Union, which has re11 quired the use of those devices since 1994; and 

12 (5) the Department of Transportation has been 

13 examining the issues involving speed-limiting tech14 nologies since at least 2006. 

15 (b) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

16 (1) ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL SYSTEM.—The 

17 term ‘‘adaptive cruise control system’’ means a sys18 tem on a commercial motor vehicle that is de19 signed— 

20 (A) to maintain a set speed; and 

21 (B) when applicable, to adjust the set 

22 speed to maintain a specified distance from a 

23 lead vehicle. 

24 (2) AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING SYS25 TEM.—The term ‘‘automatic emergency braking sysVerDate Sep 11 2014 22:38 Jun 23, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3523.IH H3523

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1 tem’’ means a system on a commercial motor vehicle 

2 that— 

3 (A) detects potential collisions; 

4 (B) provides to the driver a warning of 

5 each detected potential collision; and 

6 (C) applies brakes automatically when a 

7 forward collision is imminent. 

8 (3) COMMERCIAL MOTOR VEHICLE.—The term 

9 ‘‘commercial motor vehicle’’ means a motor vehicle 

10 that— 

11 (A) is used in interstate commerce; and 

12 (B) has a gross vehicle weight rating or a 

13 gross vehicle weight of not less than 26,001 

14 pounds. 

15 (4) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 

16 the Secretary of Transportation. 

17 (5) SPEED-LIMITING TECHNOLOGY.—The term 

18 ‘‘speed-limiting technology’’ means a technology that 

19 prevents a commercial motor vehicle from exceeding 

20 a preprogrammed maximum speed. 

21 (c) FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD

22 AND MOTOR CARRIER SAFETY REGULATION.— 

23 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after 

24 the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary 

25 shall— 


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1 (A) acting through the Administrator of 

2 the National Highway Traffic Safety Adminis3 tration, issue a final rule that— 

4 (i) establishes a Federal motor vehicle 

5 safety standard that requires that all com6 mercial motor vehicles manufactured after 

7 the effective date of the standard shall be 

8 equipped with a speed-limiting technology; 

9 and 

10 (ii) prescribes performance standards 

11 for speed-limiting technologies, automatic 

12 emergency braking systems, and adaptive 

13 cruise control systems that reduce or miti14 gate collisions at speeds of not faster than 

15 70 miles per hour; and 

16 (B) acting through the Administrator of 

17 the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administra18 tion, issue a final rule that establishes a Fed19 eral motor carrier safety regulation that re20 quires that any existing speed-limiting tech21 nology already installed in a commercial motor 

22 vehicle manufactured after December 31, 1992, 

23 shall be used at any time during which the com24 mercial motor vehicle is in operation, in accord25 ance with paragraph (2). 


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1 (2) REQUIREMENTS.—In issuing a final rule 

2 pursuant to paragraph (1), the Secretary shall— 

3 (A) include requirements to ensure that 

4 each speed-limiting technology— 

5 (i) accurately measures the speed of 

6 the applicable commercial motor vehicle; 

7 and 

8 (ii) maintains a maximum speed of 

9 not faster than 65 miles per hour, or not 

10 faster than 70 miles per hour with the use 

11 of an adaptive cruise control system and 

12 an automatic emergency braking system, 

13 to ensure the safety of commercial motor 

14 vehicle drivers and the public, regardless of 

15 whether the speed-limiting technology was 

16 installed in the commercial motor vehicle— 

17 (I) prior to the effective date of 

18 the standard or regulation; or 

19 (II) for purposes of achieving 

20 compliance with the standard under 

21 paragraph (1)(A); and 

22 (B) as necessary, amend any Federal 

23 motor vehicle safety standards or Federal motor 

24 carrier safety regulations to require that all 


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1 commercial motor vehicles shall travel at a 

2 speed of not faster than— 

3 (i) 65 miles per hour; or 

4 (ii) 70 miles per hour with the use of 

5 adaptive cruise control systems and auto6 matic emergency braking systems. 

7 (3) SECRETARIAL REVIEW.— 

8 (A) IN GENERAL.—Not less frequently 

9 than once every 5 years, the Secretary shall 

10 conduct a review of all applicable Federal 

11 speed-governing regulations, taking into consid12 eration— 

13 (i) deployed safety technologies avail14 able in commercial motor vehicles; 

15 (ii) the overall impact of the safety 

16 technologies described in clause (i) on 

17 highway safety; and 

18 (iii) available data relating to the use 

19 of speed-limiting technologies by commer20 cial motor vehicles. 

21 (B) PURPOSE.—The purpose of each re22 view under this paragraph shall be to ensure 

23 that proven technologies and data are consid24 ered in the context of speed-governing regula25 tions to enhance road safety. 


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1 (C) RECOMMENDATIONS; PUBLICATION.— 

2 On conclusion of each review under this para3 graph, the Secretary shall— 

4 (i) submit to Congress recommenda5 tions for improvement of Federal speed6 governing regulations, if any; and 

7 (ii) publish and provide an oppor8 tunity for public comment regarding the 

9 findings of the review and recommenda10 tions, if any. 

11 (d) IMPLEMENTATION.— 

12 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after 

13 the date of enactment of this Act, each commercial 

14 motor vehicle that is subject to the standard estab15 lished under subsection (c)(1)(A) shall ensure that a 

16 speed-limiting technology establishes and maintains 

17 for the commercial motor vehicle a maximum safe 

18 speed of not faster than— 

19 (A) 65 miles per hour; or 

20 (B) 70 miles per hour with the use of an 

21 adaptive cruise control system and an auto22 matic emergency braking system. 

23 (2) VERIFICATION OF COMPLIANCE WITH RE24 QUIREMENTS.—The owner of each commercial motor 

25 vehicle subject to a requirement under this section 


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1 shall verify, and submit to the Secretary a certifi2 cation of, compliance with the requirement at such 

3 time and in such manner as the Secretary may es4 tablish, by regulation. 

Æ 


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