Missouri truckers and others could soon spend less time staring through the windshield as miles slowly tick by and more time getting where they need to go.
State lawmakers have approved a bill that would deliver Missouri’s first speed limit increase in more than three decades.
The nationwide 55-mph speed limit was scrapped in 1995. Since then, states have had the power to set their own highway speeds.
In Missouri, the speed for cars and trucks is 70 mph.
The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association has long argued that highways are safest when traffic moves at a similar pace. OOIDA doesn’t push a specific number – just one speed for all vehicles.
Moving ahead
Lawmakers have taken previous swings at raising interstate speed limits.
This year, with work underway to widen Interstate 70 to at least three lanes between Kansas City and St. Louis, the issue picked up speed once again.
The House and Senate reached an agreement on a bill to bump speeds to 75 mph for all vehicles on rural interstates and freeways.
The change would affect I-29, 35, 44, 55 and 70.
If the bill becomes law, Missouri would be the 20th state to allow speeds of at least 75 mph for at least some vehicles. The Show-Me State would be the ninth state where trucks are allowed to travel at least 75 mph.
Sen. Jamie Burger, R-Benton, was behind the push to bump up the speed limit.
Burger said it is time to increase the speed limit “so the small businesses and farmers in our community doing business in neighboring southern states can save time on traveling and transporting goods.”
He added that advances in vehicle technology help to make roads safer than they were years ago.
Bill passage wasn’t without challenges
The bill, SB1408, did not make it through the statehouse without challenges.
The Missouri Department of Transportation raised concerns about the effort. The agency said speeding is the leading cause of crashes.
House lawmakers added several other rule changes. Among additions to the bill were changes to truck licensing rules.
One addition would ensure that truck drivers can speak English well enough to stay safe on the road. Both new CDL applicants and current drivers would have to prove English proficiency.
Another change aimed at non-domiciled CDLs.
Truck drivers would have to show a valid work visa. Proof of citizenship would also be required.
Senate lawmakers balked at the amendments to the bill. In the end, House lawmakers were forced to remove the changes they had made.
The bill now heads back to the governor’s desk. LL
More Land Line coverage of Missouri news is available.
Credit: Source link
