Arkansas raising speed limit for big trucks on rural interstates to 70 mph

Truckers in Arkansas will soon be able to put the petal to the metal on rural interstates. Currently, the state has separate speed limits for big trucks and all other vehicles—65 mph for big trucks and 70 mph for everyone else. Beginning on Monday, big trucks will be allowed to go 70 mph, Noel Oman reports for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Speed limits are the same for both vehicles on suburban interstates (65 mph) and urban ones (60 mph). (University of Arkansas photo)

"The Arkansas Highway Commission on Wednesday adopted an order eliminating the different speeds, which have been in place for almost 20 years," Oman writes. " Research has shown that the different speeds don't promote efficient traffic flow, and none of the states surrounding Arkansas use the different speeds, according to the order."

Fatalities on Arkansas highways have reached record lows in recent years, with 465 in 2014 and 490 and 2013, Oman writes. Critics, though, argue that the faster a truck goes, the longer it takes to stop. (Read more)