Truckers push for 65-mph limit

CLEVELAND (AP) — Truck drivers in Ohio are urging state lawmakers to raise the highway speed limit for big rigs to match the 65-mph limit mandated for other drivers, saying it would be safer for everyone on the roads.

Tractor-trailers are limited to 55 mph on interstate highways, except for the Ohio Turnpike, which increased its limit to 65 mph in 2004 to lure truckers who were taking other routes.

The Ohio Trucking Association had been neutral on the issue but is now pushing for that uniform speed on other interstates, arguing that it would decrease accidents and improve safety for all drivers.

“We had felt there were savings in fuel in going slower,” said Larry Davis, president of the Ohio Trucking Association, a trade group that represents more than 1,000 Ohio trucking companies. “But when you weigh that against the crashes, we think it is safer to go all one speed.”

Many crashes occur when car drivers rear-end slower trucks, Davis said.

The state association’s push echoes a movement by the national American Trucking Association, which asked Congress this week to create a 65 mph speed limit nationwide for all types of vehicles.

Truckers travel at up to 75 mph in some western states, including Colorado and Arizona, where highway officials say they know of no problems related to cars and trucks moving at the same faster rate.

In recent years, Ohio lawmakers have tried unsuccessfully to raise the truck speed limit. They met with strong opposition from the Ohio State Highway Patrol, which contends that faster-moving trucks can’t stop as quickly, are more likely to cause accidents and cause more damage if they do.