A Nebraska lawmaker introduced a measure last week that would limit the speed limit for tractor-trailers on the state's interstate highways to 65 mph, 10 mph below the limit for passenger vehicles.

According to the Lincoln Journal Star, Sen. Marian Price from Lincoln would like to make big rigs slow down. "People have come to me, about the big vehicles that come up right behind you at a rapid speed, and expressed a concern about the safety of themselves," Price said after introducing the measure.
The trucking industry says that concern is misplaced.
Bud Cuca, executive director of the Nebraska Trucking Association, told the paper that different speed limits for trucks and cars are the greatest deterrent to highway safety.
Two separate studies, by the American Automobile Association and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, have indicated there is an increase in rear-end and side-swipe accidents when trucks and cars have different speed limits, he said.
Doyle Neemann, a veteran trucker of 3 million miles who has spent more than 25 years on the road, told the paper that he has driven the problem. Professional drivers tend to keep their eyes on the rear-view mirror, trying to anticipate when a car will pass them, he said.
Sen. Price said she hadn't seen the studies indicating that differing speed limits are not safe, noting that nine other states have lower speed limits for trucks than for cars.