Since his inauguration, President Trump has already had an effect on the trucking industry, and his targeting of regulations may increase the risk of truck accidents. Two of the first moves that the president made after taking office was issuing executive orders aimed at regulations. The first froze new regulations, preventing them from taking effect, while the other requires eliminating two regulations for every new one that is enacted.
Recent Regulatory Changes for Trucking
Several immediate changes that have already taken place include a freeze on the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s new driver training rule and the likely end of the push for speed limiting devices. The new driver training rule involved a mandated training for new commercial truck drivers and was scheduled to be made effective two weeks after Trump’s inauguration. The effective date has now been moved to March 21, and the rule is subject to review by the Trump administration. The speed limiting device push is likely over because the rule was still in its proposed form and Trump is pushing for a limit on new regulations. The electronic logging device rule will remain as it was already made a law.
Potential Changes to Trucking Regulation
Nashville truck accident lawyers believe that President Trump’s focus on loosening regulations is likely to cause some regulations that exist to be repealed. His executive order calling for two regulations to be removed for every new one that is passed may result in a number of targeted safety regulations to be repealed. Industry lobbyists are currently pushing for an increase on the weight limits of the cargo that big trucks can carry, along with an increase in the length of trailers in two-trailer combinations. Safety experts warn that these could place people at greater risks of accidents.
The order that two regulations are repealed for every new one implemented will depend on the agencies themselves proposing the ones to be revoked. However, Elaine Chao has already been confirmed as the secretary of the Department of Transportation, and Trump will appoint others to head the FMCSA and other agencies under the DOT’s control. A Nashville truck accident lawyer is uncertain whether the new heads may bow to lobbying pressure, but in an anti-regulatory environment, it is likely.