Truckers want ‘Slowhio’ to raise speed limits

COLUMBUS, Ohio — If there’s one jurisdiction in North America where you don’t want to take liberties with the accelerator, it’s Ohio.

Road speed enforcement is known to be less than forgiving in the Buckeye State, which is commonly referred to by truckers as ‘Slowhio.’

Even worse for commercial drivers, they’re stuck doing 55 mph, compared to cars and smaller trucks which are allowed to travel at 65 mph (heavy trucks can only go that fast on the Ohio Turnpike).

The Ohio Trucking Association, however, is hoping to change that. According to the Plain Dealer Reporter, the association is lobbying for a uniform speed for all vehicles.

Ohio is one of only four states with a 55 mph speed limit for trucks and only one of only 11 states where the limit is different for cars and trucks.

Some Western states, meanwhile, have speed limits as high as 75 mph for truckers.

Previous efforts by state legislators to raise the limit for trucks to 65 mph faced stiff opposition from the State Highway Patrol.
Turnpike commission spokeswoman Lauren Hakos said the uniform speed limit on that highway has worked out well, adding that speed variances are known to contribute to crashes.

But the Highway Patrol contends faster trucks have a harder time slowing down, which leads to more severe crashes.

The American Trucking Association, meanwhile, thinks all trucks should go 65 mph — and that’s it. The group formally asked Congress to mandate a 65 mph speed limiter rule for all vehicles — a move that’s similar to legislation already in effect in Ontario and Quebec, which cap trucks only  at 105 km/h.