A renewed effort at the Indiana statehouse calls for doing away with speed limit differentials on the state’s fastest roadways.
The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association believes roadways are safest when all vehicles are allowed to travel at the same rate of speed. The Association does not advocate for a specific speed limit.
Indiana law permits passenger vehicles to travel 70 mph on the state’s fastest roadways, while vehicles heavier than 26,000 pounds are limited to 65 mph.
Pursuits to eliminate slower speed limits for large trucks are a yearly endeavor at the statehouse.
Rep. Mike Aylesworth, R-Hebron, is again behind legislation to eliminate the speed limit differential for cars and trucks on rural stretches of interstate. Specifically, the uniformity rule would apply on interstates and defense highways located outside an urbanized area with a population of at least 50,000.
The rule change would also apply to the Indiana Toll Road.
This year’s effort marks at least the seventh time that Aylesworth has led the charge to eliminate the slower speed rule for large trucks. None of his previous attempts advanced from committee.
Permitting trucks to travel 70 mph would affect an estimated 124,000 vehicles registered in the state and thousands more that access Indiana interstates each day, according to an analysis from the state’s Legislative Services Agency.
The expense to the state to change signage is estimated to be between $15,000 and $17,500. The switch is also touted to potentially reduce Indiana State Police workload to issue speeding citations.
The penalty for violating speed restrictions for large trucks is a Class C infraction. The infraction includes a maximum $500 fine.
The bill, HB1078, will start in the House Roads and Transportation Committee.
Legislature hears back and forth on issue
Advocates for uniform speeds have said it simply makes sense to eliminate speed limit differentials, noting that if everyone is driving at or near the same speed, traffic flows better.
The point was supported by the Indiana Department of Transportation. In 2023, the agency provided lawmakers with information from a joint research study on speed limits with Purdue University. The study suggested uniform 70 mph speed limits would reduce crash frequencies in the state by about 20%.
The data has not swayed the Indiana Motor Truck Association. The group has maintained to lawmakers it is important to resist the urge to drive faster. Additionally, they testified that trucking companies would not adjust equipped speed limiters to permit drivers to travel 70 mph.
Doug Morris, OOIDA director of state government affairs, added that speed differentials are based on a flawed belief that slower trucks equal safer trucks. He said that is simply not the case. LL
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