Big Rigs 70 MPH on Arkansas Highways

[US71]

Arkansas Highway Commission OK's 70 mph for big rigs on rural interstates.

[cjk374]

Well it's about damn time!!!   

[bjrush]

This makes perfect sense with the "pro business" initiatives our esteemed state assembly has offered this session

Luckily this is the only one that has actually come to fruition

[Wayward Memphian]

Means nothing for trucking companies that govern their trucks, which is what is leading to the back ups caused by a governed truck passing another governed truck doing a 1/4 of a MPH slower. The drive between Memphis and Little Rock is miserable due to this.

[bugo]

Means nothing for trucking companies that govern their trucks, which is what is leading to the back ups caused by a governed truck passing another governed truck doing a 1/4 of a MPH slower. The drive between Memphis and Little Rock Oklahoma City is miserable due to this.

[SP Cook]

Speeds up.

Traffic fatalities down.

70?  Too low, but better than 65.

[SteveG1988]

Meanwhile in California, 55mph max, and it is enforced.

[jeffandnicole]

Meanwhile in California, 55mph max, and it is enforced.

I always think back to NJ: The last of the continental 48 states to kill the 55 nmsl (in 1998).  When they did, by raising the truck speed limit to 65, it was higher than many other states at the time.  And as you noted for CA, that's still true. 

And unlike CA, it's not enforced much in NJ at all.  In some ways, compared to what I see in other states, NJ has a higher unofficial trucker speed limit than most states!  From what I read via comment sections on newspaper websites, I-287 is horrendous for speeding trucks and truckers illegally using the left lane.

[SteveG1988]

http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/beyond-the-barrel/2008/03/26/truckers-back-a-national-65-mph-speed-limit

Some are saying 65 may become the national max law

[corco]

http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/beyond-the-barrel/2008/03/26/truckers-back-a-national-65-mph-speed-limit

Some are saying 65 may become the national max law

I'll believe that when I see it and won't worry about it until the day before it happens.

[jeffandnicole]

http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/beyond-the-barrel/2008/03/26/truckers-back-a-national-65-mph-speed-limit

Some are saying 65 may become the national max law

I'll believe that when I see it and won't worry about it until the day before it happens.

You know that story was written 7 years ago, right?

[corco]

http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/beyond-the-barrel/2008/03/26/truckers-back-a-national-65-mph-speed-limit

Some are saying 65 may become the national max law

I'll believe that when I see it and won't worry about it until the day before it happens.

You know that story was written 7 years ago, right?

Shut up, Steve Gum

[SteveG1988]

http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/beyond-the-barrel/2008/03/26/truckers-back-a-national-65-mph-speed-limit

Some are saying 65 may become the national max law

I'll believe that when I see it and won't worry about it until the day before it happens.

You know that story was written 7 years ago, right?

Shut up, Steve Gum

I asked someone in my safety dept about the 70mph thing in arkansas, and if it will let us do 70 versus the governered 65....he said "within the next year 65 will be a federal thing"

http://www.ccjdigital.com/per-dot-speed-limiter-rule-could-come-this-year/

[Crazy Volvo Guy]

http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/beyond-the-barrel/2008/03/26/truckers-back-a-national-65-mph-speed-limit

Some are saying 65 may become the national max law

Love the URL of that article.  "Truckers" back a 65mph national maximum speed limit?  No.  FUCK no.  ATA does.

ATA is not truckers.  OOIDA is truckers.  ATA is trucking companies.  OOIDA vigorously opposes a reinstated NMSL and mandated speed-limiters.  Also, Con-Way Freight turned their trucks back up to 65 last year, they found that the only thing that increased by cutting back to 62 was driver frustration.  Fuel economy was virtually unaffected.

Ahhh, journalists... gotta love 'em.

[nexus73]

http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/beyond-the-barrel/2008/03/26/truckers-back-a-national-65-mph-speed-limit

Some are saying 65 may become the national max law

Love the URL of that article.  "Truckers" back a 65mph national maximum speed limit?  No.  FUCK no.  ATA does.

ATA is not truckers.  OOIDA is truckers.  ATA is trucking companies.  OOIDA vigorously opposes a reinstated NMSL and mandated speed-limiters.  Also, Con-Way Freight turned their trucks back up to 65 last year, they found that the only thing that increased by cutting back to 62 was driver frustration.  Fuel economy was virtually unaffected.

Ahhh, journalists... gotta love 'em.

Bingo on the OOIDA being the real driver-oriented organization!  They fight for an end to split speed limits, mandatory training that does the job of taking care of new drivers and represent the independent trucker in legal fights against companies that screw over their drivers.

Rick

[kphoger]

[offtopic]OOIDA... Blech.. They oppose the cross border program between the U.S. and México at every turn.[/offtopic]

Sorry, personal rant. Honestly, though, it's no surprise that drivers themselves support higher speed limits while those who actually pay the corporate insurance premiums support lower ones.

[nexus73]

[offtopic]OOIDA... Blech.. They oppose the cross border program between the U.S. and México at every turn.[/offtopic]

Sorry, personal rant. Honestly, though, it's no surprise that drivers themselves support higher speed limits while those who actually pay the corporate insurance premiums support lower ones.

Look up what OOIDA stands for.  Those are INDEPENDENT drivers, AKA owner-operators who pay their own insurance! 

The story of Mexican trucks on US roads has not worked out that well by the way.  I'll leave it to you to research this yourself.

Rick

[robbones]

It's weird not seeing the truck 65 sign. They should recycle them to put the minimum speed in place.

[codyg1985]

Anything to make I-40 in Arkansas less miserable is a good thing.

[bugo]

Anything to make I-40 in Arkansas less miserable is a good thing.

I-40 east of North Little Rock is dreadful. It's actually a nice drive west of Conway.

[codyg1985]

Anything to make I-40 in Arkansas less miserable is a good thing.

I-40 east of North Little Rock is dreadful. It's actually a nice drive west of Conway.

True. You still run the risk of being stuck behind trucks, but it isn't as bad as east of the Little Rock area.

[bugo]

Anything to make I-40 in Arkansas less miserable is a good thing.

I-40 east of North Little Rock is dreadful. It's actually a nice drive west of Conway.

True. You still run the risk of being stuck behind trucks, but it isn't as bad as east of the Little Rock area.

I'm mostly talking about scenery. I-40 from NLR to West Memphis is dreary. I-40 west of Conway is rather scenic and a much more pleasant drive. The number of trucks sucks on both roads. The NLR-Memphis section carries so many trucks because the trucks on eastbound I-30 usually end up on eastbound I-40 (and vice versa).

[US71]

A quick update: One crew has been spotted removing the truck speed limits, while another crew comes by later to shorten the sign posts. Of course, many trucks seem to use this as an excuse to go 75-80 mph...except on the inclines on I-49

[Atomica]

TRUE STORY:  I actually drove a Farm To Market route in Texas following the nighttime truck speed limit - which as I would learn much later, had been discontinued just a couple of days earlier.  Texas nighttime speed limits were discontinued on 2011/09/01.  I was driving FM57 between US180 and TX70 south of Anson toward Sweetwater - and noticed a sign reading SPEED LIMIT 60 NIGHT 55...but about three miles later I saw another sign that read, SPEED LIMIT 70 NIGHT 65 - the speed limit for cars and light trucks.  Seeing the TRUCK SPEED LIMIT 60 NIGHT 55 signs made me realise I had been thrown off - maybe because I missed the turnoff from US180 to FM57, made a U-turn on US180, then took the turnoff from the eastbound land.
I had no problem with following the nighttime speed limits - even if they were no longer being enforced...