Truckers should know that Texas has not abolished split speed limits as previously reported by the Austin Statesman, the Dallas Morning News and the Texas Department of Public Safety.
When the Austin Statesman stated the Associated Press reported Gov. Bush had signed a bill eliminating split speeds for cars and trucks, other publications picked up the story and the misinformation spread like wildfire. In fact, when the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Assn. spoke to the Texas Department of Public Safety in late June, a department spokesman confirmed trucks and cars would travel at the same speeds, claiming his information was “based on news reports.”
Then, in late June, the Texas DPS released a media advisory clarifying the new speed limits, stating that the bill which did pass apparently led to some confusion. Gov. Bush’s press secretary discussed the misinformation with OOIDA, stating that the Associated Press “usually got things right [but that this] story took on a life of its own.”
The actual bill, as signed into law, increased speeds for passenger cars/light trucks pulling a boat trailer under 26-feet long and livestock trailers to 70 mph in the day and 65 mph at night. The highway speed limit for truck-tractor-semi-trailers and other large trucks did not change — it remains at 60 mph in the day and 55 at night.
For more information, call The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Assn. (816) 229-5791.