Speed limit change fails to gain traction

An idea to make the freeway speed limit for heavy trucks equal to other traffic didn't gain traction with a task force that met in Boise on Thursday, so no formal recommendation from the group will be made to the Legislature.

However, the group encourages both legislative transportation committees to work with the Idaho Transportation Department on whether an equalized speed limit would be justified in select areas on Idaho's four interstates.

"The task force was split evenly between changing the speed limit (for heavy trucks) and leaving it the same," said Sen. Jim Hammond, R-Coeur d'Alene and chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee who led the meeting.

The speed limit for heavy trucks on freeways is 65 mph and 75 for other traffic.

Hammond said a vote of the task force consisting legislators, trucking, transportation and law enforcement reps and the American Automobile Association (AAA) wasn't taken and that he made the assessment to not forward a recommendation based on the divided testimony.

"The committee recognized that, regardless of how speed limits are set, it unlikely will change the driving habits of many truckers," Hammond said.

Many trucking companies govern the speed of their trucks anyway based on efficiency, tire wear and other factors.

But some proponents argue that equalizing the speed limit would make freeways safer and reduce accidents because there would be less lane changes.

An organization or legislators could still resurrect the idea or it may be bantered for select corridors. Three of the legislators on the task force who have represented the Senate Transportation Committee - Hammond, Tim Corder and Diane Bilyeu - won't be serving again.

The 2012 Idaho Legislature requested the task force after the introduction of a bill that would have equalized the speed limit.

Many states have equal speed limits on freeways, and that used to be the case in Idaho.