ATA Backs 65-MPH Speed Limit, Funding SmartWay Program

American Trucking Associations told a task force attempting to revive the issue of climate change that it should consider legislation lowering the national speed limit for all vehicles to 65 mph and increase funding for the Environmental Protection Agency’s SmartWay program.

The Bicameral Task Force on Climate Change, led by co-chairmen Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) and Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), began its campaign to raise awareness of climate change last month, sending out 300 letters to businesses, nonprofit groups and trade organizations.

In a letter, ATA President Bill Graves said that, so far, two of the federation’s sustainability recommendations — the establishment of carbon reduction standards and the reduction of discretionary truck engine idling — already have successfully advanced.

Beyond lowering the speed limit, Graves said, ATA backed reducing highway congestion, advancing the safe use of heavier trucks, dedicating more money for truck research and taking steps to encourage the use of natural-gas vehicles.

He pointed out that the SmartWay program — the government’s partnership with the freight industry to improve fuel efficiency and reduce trucking’s carbon footprint — is staffed by fewer than 10 employees and is estimated to receive roughly $2 million in funding.

ATA recommended that Congress provide a line-item appropriation to ensure the SmartWay program continues and is adequately funded in the future.