Life on the Road – Trucking News Blog

Its enough to make you wonder if the clean water and fresh air they’re getting with all of the environmental regulation has maybe cleared some fog from the brains of State legislatures: Both Minnesota and Ohio have actually passed-and their governors have signed-legislation that makes it considerably more bearable to truck their respective states.

With a law going into effect June 9th, Minnesota now gives you the extra ten miles an hour needed to actually pass another vehicle without risking a speeding ticket. Time was, the local cops would give you the leeway for those extra few miles an hour as long as it was just for passing purposes. Recently, state legislators have been fielding calls from constituents saying they were ticketed for that little burst of extra speed and decided that, in the interest of smooth traffic flow, they should make it legal.

So, on any highway with a speed limit over 55 mph, you can now kick it up to pass. Not actually afterburner speed, but it should really make some of the two-lanes more enjoyable. And, just to make sure we don’t get too incredibly happy over their magnanimity, they will now add seatbelt use to primary enforcement. So, click it or ticket-but at least you can get around Harold and Enid out for their Sunday drive.

And, Ohio has finally done the unthinkable and raised the truck speed to 65 mph as of July 1st. You had to know the time had finally come when they raised the Turnpike speed in 2004. Given the speed at which most legislatures work – except for when raising their pay – I’m amazed at the speed with which they did this. It only took five years. Finally! I can now quit saying “Sloooo-hio!”

Legislators said they decided that having all vehicles at a uniform speed might make the highways safer. However, at the same time they were claiming the benefits of uniform speed limits, they raised the passenger vehicle speed limit to 70 mph! Reason? They didn’t want the cars to have to get ‘stuck’ behind the trucks!

I’d never make a legislator-my mind simply won’t think like that!