Trucking news and briefs for Monday, March 16, 2026:
- Idaho Trucking Association cautions against legislation to remove split speeds.
- Congress wants carriers to prove no Chinese ties for military freight.
Split speed limits for cars, trucks coming to end in Idaho?
A bill making its way through the Idaho legislature would put an end to the speed limit differential between cars and trucks in the state.
The bill -- House bill 664 -- seeks to amend state law to change the speed limits for vehicles with five or more axles that operate at a gross weight exceeding 26,000 pounds. It would set those vehicles' maximum speed limit the same as others, eliminating the current stipulation that requires speed limits in urban areas and on state highways at least 10 mph below than that of lighter vehicles.
The bill passed the Idaho House earlier this month and on March 12 was approved by the state’s Senate Transportation Committee. It now heads to the full Senate for a vote.
Idaho Trucking Association President and CEO Allen Hodges told Overdrive that ITA isn’t opposed to the bill, but it also doesn’t believe it would address the issues it’s intended to address.
Hodges said many interstates in Idaho are two lanes in each direction, and the public can become frustrated when two trucks get side-by-side at lower speeds and take miles to complete a pass, creating a so-called "rolling roadblock." Hodges said speed limits on state highways are 70 mph for all vehicles and 65 mph on interstates in urban areas for all vehicles. In rural areas, however, cars are limited at 80 mph, while trucks are limited at 70 mph, he said.
Raising the speed limit for trucks likely won’t address the issues there, as many trucks are already governed at or below current speed limits in the state, he added. With hilly terrain, trucks often struggle to remain at their current speed limit on inclines, so increasing the speed limit wouldn’t change much.
ITA expressed reservations, too, about the potential safety implications of increasing truck speed limits given certain Idaho state laws. One of those laws allows trucks to be permitted up to 129,000 pounds on designated highways in the state, including I-84, I-86, I-15, I-90 and I-184.
[Related: Speed-limiter mandate: How fast is too fast?]
Additionally, Hodges said certain classifications of trucks -- including agriculture, dump trucks, log trucks and trucks moving manufactured homes in intrastate operations -- are exempt from inspections and hours-of-service regulations. Intrastate ag haulers also aren’t required to hold a CDL, Hodges added, as long as they’re hauling their own products.
Instead of doing away with the split speed limits in the state, Hodges said he called for lawmakers to consider policies that neighboring states Utah and Oregon have implemented, with trucks not allowed in the left lane unless they’re making a “quick pass,” he said. “Ban us from the left lane and we’ll support it.”
Hodges expects the bill to be approved by the full Senate, but he’s unsure if the governor will sign it into law. The bill has an effective date of July 1, 2026, if it does pass, but Hodges noted that he believes state law would require the Idaho Department of Transportation to conduct a safety review before raising speed limits.
[Related: Tennessee ditching split speed limit on I-81]
Trucking Security and CCP Disclosure Act of 2026 aims at China-tied carriers
Members of the U.S. Congress last week introduced legislation in both chambers that would ban trucking companies with ties to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) from hauling military freight.
The “Trucking Security and CCP Disclosure Act of 2026,” introduced in the U.S. House by Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-New York) and in the Senate by Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas), would require trucking companies carrying military cargo to certify that they have no ties to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) or Chinese companies that pose a threat to national security.
It would also require the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to establish and maintain a registry for carriers that pass extensive national security checks and are cleared to handle Department of War (DOW) freight.
“Communist China continues spying on American military technology by exploiting truck drivers handling Department of War cargo,” Cotton said. “My bill will require anyone handling military freight to be properly vetted to ensure our adversaries cannot gain access to valuable information.”
The bill would create a new certification for carriers that states that, “to the best of the covered carrier's knowledge after reasonable inquiry”:
- The covered carrier is not owned or controlled by, and does not have significant business relationships with, any entity identified on the most recent list of Chinese military companies required under section 1260H of the William M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021.
- The covered carrier will require the same certification from any subcontractor or owner-operator it engages for performance of the contract.
A carrier who knowingly provides a false certification would be subject to suspension or debarment from Department of War contracting and civil penalties.
[Related: How to get access to military freight]
The new FMCSA registry would be known as the “Secure Defense Freight Carrier Registry.” For a motor carrier to be included on the list, the carrier would be required to:
- Hold valid operating authority from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
- Meet all applicable Department of War carrier qualification standards
- Undergo enhanced national security vetting
- Submit to periodic re-vetting at least once every two years
