The California Highway Patrol (CHP) is reminding truckers to obey the state’s speed limit for commercial vehicles after catching a semi exceeding that limit by nearly 20 m.p.h.
On September 5, 2024, a CHP – Santa Cruz Coastal Division Mobile Road Enforcement (MRE) officer conducted a traffic stop on a commercial vehicle after clocking the truck’s speed at 74 m.p.h.
California Vehicle Code 22406 forbids any “motortruck or truck tractor having three or more axles or any motortruck or truck tractor drawing any other vehicle” to travel on a highway at speeds in excess of 55 m.p.h.
“Speed Kills. Slow Down,” CHP said.
Many people responded to CHP’s social media post calling out the trucker for speeding by calling into question the state’s speed differential.
“Speed DIFFERENTIALS kill much more than just speed. Having artificially low limits for one vehicle when others are going faster creates much more of a hazardous situation. Go with the flow of traffic if you are worried about safety…..if everyone is doing 80 and you are doing 70, then YOU are the problem,” said one social media user.
“55 MPH limit for trucks while passenger vehicles are wizzing by them at 70MPH (if you’re lucky) is what is unsafe,” another person pointed out.
“Californians don’t seem to understand this is why EVERYTHING cost more there. We get an automatic 1500 up charge for crossing into that ridiculous state. So please, continue to harass, raise the price of fuel and keep the speed limit low. We’ll just continue to raise the rates,” said another Facebook commenter.