• Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) guidelines suggest that commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers should average no more than about 10 mph below the average posted speed limit over a 10-hour period.
• Motor carriers are prohibited from scheduling runs that are impossible for a CMV driver to complete without speeding.
• All commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers and passengers on property-carrying vehicles must wear seat belts.

Speeding

CMV drivers are prohibited from exceeding speed limits, and motor carriers are prohibited from allowing speeding or requiring drivers to speed by scheduling runs that are impossible to complete without speeding.

FMCSA guidelines suggest that drivers should be able to average no more than about 10 mph below the average speed limit over a 10-hour period. For example, if the average speed limit is 55 mph, trips between 450 to 500 miles completed within 10 hours would be considered questionable, and trips of over 500 miles may be assumed to involve speeding. Carriers may be asked to prove that questionable runs can be completed without speeding.

Speed limiters: Speed limiters are not required at this time in the United States. However, they are required in parts of Canada.

Seat belts

Under federal regulations, all CMV drivers must wear seat belts while driving. Drivers are not exempted from wearing seat belts due to discomfort or medical conditions like claustrophobia.

Passengers on property-carrying vehicles must also wear their seat belts. Bus and motorcoach passengers are not required to wear seat belts.

Though seat belts must be used only when seat belts are installed by the manufacturer, most vehicles manufactured since 1965 needed to be equipped with seat belts. Removing an installed seat belt is prohibited.