CHP catches bobtail truck driver zooming at 91 MPH on US 101

The California Highway Patrol (CHP) issued a reminder about the state’s speed limit for commercial vehicles after catching a truck driver traveling at 36 m.p.h. over the legal limit in the Santa Barbara area.

Troopers caught a bobtail truck traveling at 91 m.p.h. US 101, south of Fairview Avenue, according to a July 28 statement from CHP’s Santa Barbara Division.

CHP noted that the speed limit for “vehicles of this type,” the speed limit in California is 55 m.p.h., meaning that the driver was 36 m.p.h. over.

Trucks with three or more axles are legally capped at 55 mph on all highways, interstates, and freeways, even if the posted speed limit is higher, per California Vehicle Code 22406.

Under VC 22406, “a person who operates a commercial motor vehicle upon a highway at a speed exceeding a posted speed limit established under this code by 15 miles per hour or more, is guilty of a misdemeanor, with fines exceeding $1000 possible.

“Speeding doesn’t just increase the risk of a crash, it also increases stopping distance and the severity of injuries. Due to their size and weight, commercial trucks require significantly more distance to stop safely. Excessive speed puts the driver and everyone else on the roadway at risk,” CHP said.