Idaho House panel introduces speed limit bill

An Idaho House panel has introduced legislation that would allow trucks, buses and other large vehicles to go the same speed limit as other vehicles on the state’s highways.

House Transportation and Defense Committee Chairman Joe Palmer, a Republican from Meridian, said Monday that he wants to eliminate the slower speed limits currently placed on truck drivers.

Palmer says the separate speed limit system sometimes creates dangerous scenarios where truck drivers are traveling at much lower speeds than everyone else.

The panel agreed to introduce the proposal, but it still must clear a full hearing.

An investigation in 2015 by The Associated Press found that 14 states have speed limits for big trucks that are equal to or higher than their tires were designed to handle. Most truck tires aren’t designed to go faster than 75 mph, and tire manufacturers say traveling faster than that can cause tires to fail and blow out, creating safety issues.