The speed limit for trucks in the state of Oregon is set to be raised from 55 to 60 mph by the end of this year.
Truck Speed Limits To Increase To 60 MPH
Oregon Live reported, The Oregon Transportation Commission approved the increase last month. The state has already begun changing old speed limit signs to new ones that read 60 mph. The signs are expected to be finished in December.
The speed limit change will occur on Interstate 5 south of Portland (not in urban areas), Interstate 205 from the junction of I-5 to West Linn, and I-84 from Troutdale to The Dalles.
According to State transportation officials, the speed limit change was spurred by the fact that trucks were on average traveling 60 mph in the 55 mph zone anyway.
Study Claims That Differential Speed Limits Do Not Impact Safety
Portland State University reported that the state of Oregon is 1 of only 7 states that previously posted lower speed limits for cars and trucks and that there is no evidence that a speed limit increase or decrease will affect safety.
That being said, the report also stated that a speed increase is expected to increase the frequency of crashes.
The Oregon Transportation Commission unanimously voted in favor to increase to 60 mph. Commissioner Sean O’Hollaren told Oregon Live, he believed reducing the differential in speed between cars and trucks would improve the flow of traffic.