Truck Speed: OTA’s Sensible
Plan
This editorial appeared in the Windsor Star
(page A6) on November 26 in support of OTA’s policy to mandate speed
limiters on trucks operating in the province of
Ontario:
The Ontario Trucking Association has come up with a
sensible plan to limit the speed of trucks that promises to lead to safer
highways and provide significant environmental benefits.
The OTA’s proposal hinges on making it a legal
requirement that "speed limiting" technology be activated on all trucks in
Ontario, and that the top speed be set at 105 km/h.
As anyone who travels 401 and other major highways in
Ontario knows, the increasing number of trucks and their often high rates of
speed can lead to safety concerns for cars and other smaller vehicles. However,
trucks travelling at a uniform rate of speed would likely stick to the right
side of the highway, and that would make everyone feel safer.
As well, the OTA says limiting truck speed would
result in fuel savings for a typical tractor-trailer unit of as much as 10,500
litres of diesel fuel a year. That would mean annual savings of about $8,400 per
truck. For the environment, the OTA says the end result would be a total
reduction of 140 kilotonnes of greenhouse gas emissions per year.
In a community like Windsor - ground zero for NAFTA
truck traffic - the OTA’s proposal deserves support. Eventually, there will be a
new highway linking 401 to the next border crossing and any initiative to
increase safety and reduce pollution will help.
Once introduced, the OTA’s plan would also pay off
quickly. Nearly all truck engines built in the past decade are outfitted with
electronic microchips or "governors," so it’s just a question of turning on the
switch.
We’d urge trucking companies that belong to the OTA to
voluntarily begin recognizing the proposed speed cap right away, and that the
province quickly introduce legislation making the use of speed limiters
mandatory.
Reproduced with permission, Nov.
29/05
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