President Trump’s regulatory reforms could impact truck safety regulations

Truck safety regulations, as we’ve previously written on this blog, provide important protections for motorists, not only by helping to increase highway safety, but also in providing a basis on which truck accident victims are able to hold negligent truck drivers accountable for injuries and fatalities. Naturally, the trucking industry tends to be opposed to truck safety regulations, and they may have found a new friend in President Donald Trump.

Trump has promised to roll back regulations on businesses, and that includes regulations affecting the trucking industry. In his first week in office, Trump signed a regulatory freeze order, which prevented federal agencies from producing new regulations to 60 days. This was followed by an executive order which requires federal agencies to remove two regulations for every new regulation they enact. 

Then, last Friday, Trump issue yet another executive order which requires all federal agencies to set up teams to evaluate current regulations and to make recommendations as to which regulations should be repealed, replaced or modified. As part of this effort, agencies are also required to appoint an officer to head a task force within each agency for this purpose. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, which is responsibility for overseeing the regulation of the trucking industry, is also required to do this.

It isn’t surprising that some industry leaders have welcomed the directives, though it remains to be seen how much cooperation with Trump’s vision of deregulation there will be in their implementation, or indeed whether the orders will stand. Already, the legal status of the second executive order is up in the air as this order has come under court challenge.

We will be sure to keep our readers updated on any changes that occur in this area, which certainly could have an impact not only on highway safety, but also on how truck accident victims pursue their personal injury cases.