Idaho may increase trucking speed limit to 75 miles per hour

According to The Associated Press, Republican Senator in Idaho Jim Hammond is pushing for a regulation that would allow truckers to drive 75 miles per hour on Idaho's interstate highway, the same speed cars are able to travel.

Currently, truckers are able able to travel 65 miles per hour; however, the new proposal is an attempt at improving trucking safety by reducing the amount of passing on the state's highways, said the AP.

Hammond proposed the new regulations at the recent Senate Transportation Committee meeting, reported the AP.

Idaho State Senator Tim Corder, the owner of a trucking company, told the AP he won't oppose the proposal, but it won't affect many trucking companies because they only allow truckers to travel at the speed that maximizes fuel efficiency.  

In a recent article in the Green Bay Gazette, Mike Nichols, a senior fellow at the Wisconsin Policy Research Institute,  argued Wisconsin is behind the times when it comes to speed limit regulations.

Nichols wrote that many states allow drivers to travel up to 80 miles per hour in rural areas, while Wisconsin is stuck at 65 miles per hour, extending travel times through the state.

Idaho may increase trucking speed limit to 75 miles per hour

Wednesday, January 18th, 2012