In your opinion should transport trucks have a slower regulated speed limit than passenger vehicles?

The the following Wiki Speed Limits note the different limits in California . . . .

Welcome to the USA, Eh!

In my opinion they should have a slower speed limit. They are heavier and will tend to have a longer stopping distance. They will also cause more damage if they hit something.

Depends on the piece of road in question. In some cases, yes, because there are places where a higher speed might actually be unsafe for a less agile vehicle.

I think that should mostly be the basis for speed limits.

I think a good sports sedan driven by a competent driver should have a higher speed limit than an SUV or other less agile vehicle, too. I drive both regularly, and have driven quite a few different types of passenger cars, and the difference in safe speeds between them, particularly in corners, can be very high. Larger trucks are an even more extreme case, though the drivers all tend to be good. But inexperienced people driving a rented moving van or an RV? Yikes…

NO! It just slows everything down.

They should have the same speed limit, but be prohibited from sitting in the left lane.

@marinelife Everyone should be prohibited from sitting in the left lane not just transports.

I live in a state with a lot of mountains. I believe trucks should have a lower speed limit on descents that cars. I also believe they should be restricted to only the right lane, never in the #1 lane.

And, they should not be allowed on Interstate 80 Eastbound from 12 Noon Friday until 12 Midnight Friday night, and not permitted on I 80 Westbound on Sundays or on Monday holidays.

@zenvelo that’s hardly fair! So they can never pass any one?

They are trucks, they don’t need to ever pass someone. If they do they disrupt traffic.

Of course they do. They don’t want to be stuck behind some old man puttering along at 45 in a 65.

They also need to change lanes to move over for vehicles stopped on the shoulder or to allow traffic in coming in from the entrance ramp.

For a long time that was the case on the Ohio Turnpike and some other of the highways up north. Cars could go 70, but the truck speed limit was 60 or 65.

I think that it may no longer be the law. Mostly because truckers ignored it anyway, and they went 70 (or higher) regardless of the posted limit. And enforcement was non-existent. Trucks got away with murder, literally.

They have limiters on their trucks. They can’t just go any speed they want.

The limiters are only on the engines, governors to limit top engine RPM. Differential gearing and tire/rim size will determine final top-end road speed.
With trucks made they way they are, and drivers trained, regulated, and experienced as they are, there is no reason to limit their speed to less than that of autos.

In Washington and Oregon states, in most places the speed limit is the same, but on some stretches of highway there is a difference for trucks, usually 5 mph (e.g. 70, 65 trucks).

In Italy (and I would imagine, Europe at large), there are speed limits indicated on the backs of the trucks themselves, and also differences depending on which lane one is in (if I read and remember correctly). I think that makes a lot of sense (but I’m not sure people in the land that elected Trump have enough intelligence to follow that, though they might since cars are a cultural specialty).

I think some specific bug trucks and drivers might be up for doing 65 or 70 safely, but again I think it depends on the stretch of road as well as the driver and the truck. Also, I wonder if the purpose of the split speed limits isn’t really to get trucks to let most cars go by.

And as someone who likes to drive zippy European sports sedans, of course what I’d really like is to be allowed to drive faster than the current limits. I can drive at least 50% faster than almost any posted limit if the conditions are clear, without endangering anything but my driving record and bank account.

@Zaku ”(but I’m not sure people in the land that elected Trump have enough intelligence to follow that, though they might since cars are a cultural specialty).” That was cold, man. :/

Thank you all for your opinions on this, while I may not agree with some of you it is still good to read your opinions on this subject.

In my experience, the majority of the time truckers are better drivers than John Q Public. You won’t see them cruising in the left passing lane and stuff like that.
But when they screw up, boy do they screw up!

This picture of a truck having squashed a car made me think of this question.

Yeah @Zaku and I would bet hands down it was that pickups fault.
CBC radio said a while back stats can said out of all auto accidents involving big rigs and passengers vehicles 90% of the time it’s the passengers vehicle at fault for the accident,it seems that most if not all the motoring passengers vehicles are absolutely clueless about sharing the road with transport trucks.
One of my biggest peeves is some passenger vehicle will do an unsafe pass just to get in front then proceed to drive 10 to 15 kilometres slower than I was driving,and that happens to a lot of us.

Trucks should have to stay in the right lane on expressways and, yes, I think they should drive a bit slower than cars.

Reading your opinions make me super glad my driving doesn’t take me state side.

ALL DRIVERS SHOULD STAY IN THE RIGHT LANE EXCEPT TO PASS!!!

Absolutely , well put @Dutchess_III but you don’t have to look very hard on any given day and you will find some dim witted passenger vehicle driving slow in the left lane like they own it type thing, and yet that seems ok but if I spend five seconds to long when passing some idiot they get all bent out of shape at me.
Another quite often I will notice one of these great drivers, hanging out right beside my drive wheels for miles,think if I had to something quick with that idiot right beside, or if a tire blew, but these great drivers never think of that.

It terrifies me to be along side of semis.

I asked a question on another site once. The question was “Has anyone told you you’re a good driver?” Virtually everyone said No, they hadn’t, but assured me they were good drivers.
Over my lifetime I’ve had 5 people tell me I’m a good driver. One of those was my hyper critical mother, of all people! Another was my ex, which was surprising too.

It shouldn’t terrify you, just don’t hang out beside us, pass when safe and go away that is all we ask.

It terrifies me! I get the hell out of that position ASAP!

@MollyMcGuire That might work if all trucks could maintain the exact same speed. Just like autos, they gotta pass! Especially on hills…

Exactly @kritiper to say we don’t ever need to pass is fucking ridiculous we disrupt traffic yeah what about the idiot passenger vehicle sitting in the left lane going 10 mph under the speed limit?
I have been forced to pass quite a few RV drivers on pretty steep grades because they seem happy doing less than half the posted speed limit, think that would disrupt traffic if all the transports had to sit behind someone like that?
I really like reading peoples opinions on this but again it shows me how clueless the average vehicle driver is when sharing the highway with transport trucks.

@SQUEEKY2 ”... when sharing the highway with transport trucks.

Maybe that’s the problem, sharing the same road. See my post above about not allowing trucks on certain Interstates on certain days and times.

I read your post, but why would passenger vehicles have priority ?
Transports have schedules , load times, stores and factories need goods delivered by trucks to keep going.
And @zenvelo is the problem the trucks or clueless drivers that don’t have a clue on how to share the road?
And when you say transports shouldn’t be on those roads at that time, then when they are allowed in your world should passenger vehicles be banned from those same roads when it’s the transports time to use them?

The problem is trucks. Truck drivers as a class are not all that extra proficient.

Trucks and truck drivers regularly scoff at many laws because they think they are privileged professionals. That’s why it is difficult to get through many cities because of all the double parked trucks.

They may have schedules, but schedules can be changed to conform with low density times.

Some sections of the Garden State Parkway are for autos only no trucks over 10,000 pounds

@SQUEEKY2 You forgot to mention that trucks pay more in road use taxes than autos.

Of course as well as more insurance costs, permits,fuel and so on, but people still think the problem is trucks, guess it’s our fault when the idiot car driver does an unsafe illegal pass just to get in front of us then proceed to drive 10mph slower than we were driving.
Or cut us off just to get in front of us.
And talk about double parked trucks, in my early years as a driver was at a Restaurant making a delivery and a Porche was parked in the loading zone couldn’t find who owned it so had to work around it the guy finally came out and gasped how close I was working around it,I said that is what ya get for parking in a loading zone he growled saying he owned the place I told him I could care less.

@zenvelo You are correct schedules can be changed,but drivers do not make them, a lot of companies have certain times when you can get loaded or make a delivery but I guess that is the trucks problem as well.
And you never answered me as to should passengers vehicles be banned from the roads when it’s the transports time to use them?

No, cars should not be banned, but they would know to expect lots of trucks. Cars aren’t the problem, trucks are.

Wow I really wish I could take you on a run with me, maybe that would clue you in cars are very much the problem, but this really does show me how clueless the average car driver really is when sharing the road with transports.

It doesn’t come down to cars and trucks. It comes down to drivers. I’ve seen more than one person cut a semi off, and that is really stupid. I’ve seen a handful of truckers doing stupid, dangerous stuff, but it’s not even a fraction of the times I’ve seen cars doing dangerous, stupid stuff.

Oh I admit there are some very bad truck drivers,but the bad car drivers out number them greatly.