The American Trucking Associations (ATA) is urging the Department of Transportation to move forward in introducing legislation that would require electronic speed limiters to be fitted on all large trucks to restrict speed of 65 miles per hour.

The rulemaking is expected to affect truck capacity by lengthening the journey time of some trips. Truckers accustomed to driving at higher speeds could find it difficult to make the same number of "turns" for shippers per week, reported Newark's Journal of Commerce.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) have been working on a speed limiter proposal for several years.

"This common-sense regulation has been mired in bureaucracy for over four years now," ATA president and CEO Bill Graves said in a statement. "It is long past time for NHTSA and FMCSA to move ahead with this rule."

The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, which represents small trucking businesses, is sceptical about the safety benefits of limiting truck speeds, arguing that different speeds for cars and trucks would raise the risk of crashes.