Fit a Speed Limiter Yourself or Use a Local Installer

If you run trucks or buses in Latin America and want a limitador de velocidad (or gobernador de velocidad), the practical question is how the unit gets from us to your vehicle and who puts it on. Here is how it works.

We ship direct to your fleet, with fitting instructions. You then choose who fits it: your own workshop team, or a local auto-electrician or workshop of your choice. Our technical team supports the work remotely. There is no middleman, and no requirement to use a particular installer.

The ship-direct model

AutoKontrol designs and manufactures speed limiters in the UK. For Latin American fleets we supply direct: you tell us what you run, we recommend the right unit for each vehicle, and the units are sent to you with fitting instructions.

What arrives is the unit for each vehicle and the instructions for fitting it. The units are ECE R89 type-approved. We are part of Scorpion Group, in vehicle electronics since 1973.

Fitting a limiter is a job a competent workshop can do with good instructions, and most fleets already have the people for it.

Option 1: your own workshop team

If you have mechanics or auto-electricians on site, this is the natural route.

• You schedule the work around your own service calendar, one vehicle at a time or in batches.
• The same team fits every vehicle, so they get faster and the results become consistent.
• Labour is time you already pay for.
• Your team is on hand to check the vehicle afterwards and deal with questions later.

For larger fleets this tends to be the route that makes the most sense, because the routine builds. Fit times are about 1.5 hours for a DBW speed limiter, and about 60 minutes for System 80 and TrackSpeed.

Option 2: a local auto-electrician or workshop

Smaller fleets, owner-operators and fleets with no in-house workshop can use a local auto-electrician or workshop. Pick one you already trust, near your depot or on your route.

You agree the labour locally and book the work when it suits you. Give the workshop the fitting instructions that came with the unit, and put them in touch with our technical team if they have questions. We can talk to them directly.

Choose a workshop that has worked on the kind of vehicle you are fitting. For an electronic-throttle truck that means someone comfortable with vehicle electrics. For an older mechanical diesel it means someone comfortable around the fuel system. If you are unsure, ask them to look at one vehicle first, and we will support that first fit closely.

Which unit goes on which vehicle

The unit depends on how the vehicle’s engine is controlled.

Vehicle	Unit	Fit time
Electronic throttle (drive-by-wire)	DBW, electronic, works on the throttle signal	About 1.5 hours
Older mechanically governed diesel	System 80, mechanical, works on the fuel line	About 60 minutes
Tracking plus proof of speed compliance	TrackSpeed, limiter with ScorpionTrack GNSS tracking	About 60 minutes
Zone-based speed limits	GeoKontrol, GPS geofenced limits	Ask us
SENT throttle sensor protocol	SENT speed limiter	Ask us

Our mechanical speed limiter guide explains when System 80 is the right call and when to choose a DBW.

What to send us

The better the details, the faster we can match a unit to each vehicle. For every vehicle type in your fleet, send:

• Make and model (for example the truck or bus manufacturer and range);
• Year of manufacture;
• Engine type and size;
• Throttle type: electronic pedal (drive-by-wire), mechanical fuel control, or SENT sensor, if you know. If you do not, say so and we will help you work it out;
• How many vehicles of each type;
• Country where they operate;
• The speed you want to hold, and whether any vehicles need different settings.

A photo of the engine bay or the pedal assembly helps if you are unsure of the throttle type. A list is fine: a spreadsheet of the fleet is the easiest way to get a whole-fleet recommendation in one go.

Remote support through the fit

Our technical team supports you remotely, from the first question to the final check. In practice that means:

• helping you confirm the right unit before anything is ordered;
• answering your workshop’s questions during the fit;
• talking through any vehicle that behaves unexpectedly;
• helping with setting and checking the speed once the unit is on.

For general guidance on preparing a vehicle and checking a finished fit, read the speed limiter installation guide, and for how speed settings are made and checked, speed limiter calibration methods.

Keeping the setting under your control

A limiter is only worth fitting if the setting stays where you put it. Electronic units have tamper detection, and the setting is controlled by you as the fleet owner, not by whoever has a laptop and service software. Make sure whoever fits the unit hands the configuration back to the fleet manager, and agree internally who can change it. Our tamper detection guide goes through why this matters.

Planning a rollout

For a fleet of any size, a sensible order of work looks like this:

1. List your vehicles with the details above and send them to us.
2. We confirm the unit for each vehicle and quote for the whole fleet.
3. The units are shipped to you with fitting instructions.
4. Fit one vehicle of each type first, with remote support, and check it on the road.
5. Roll out across the rest of the fleet, in batches that fit your service schedule.

The first vehicle of each type is where problems show up, so do those first and carefully. After that, the work is repeatable. For cost considerations, see truck speed limiter cost in Latin America.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to use an AutoKontrol installer?

No. We ship direct and do not require a particular installer. Your own workshop team or a local auto-electrician of your choice can fit the unit.

What arrives with the order?

The unit for each vehicle, with fitting instructions.

Can my own mechanics fit it?

Yes. Your own workshop team can fit it, and our technical team supports them remotely.

How long does fitting take?

About 1.5 hours for a DBW, and about 60 minutes for System 80 and TrackSpeed.

What information do you need before you recommend a unit?

Make, model, year, engine and throttle type for each vehicle type, plus quantities and the country of operation.

Is a gobernador de velocidad fitted differently from a limitador de velocidad?

No, they are the same kind of device with two regional names. How it is fitted depends on the unit and the vehicle’s throttle type, not on the name.

Get a quote

Send us the make, model, year, engine and throttle type of your vehicles, how many you run and the country you operate in. We will recommend the unit for each and quote for the fleet. Request a quote or email international@autokontrol.com.