The Illinois Senate on Tuesday, Oct. 2, overrode Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s attempt to bar semi-trailer trucks from going 65 mph on rural interstates.
On the first full day of the fall veto session, the chamber voted 39-10 against Blagojevich’s veto of a measure pushed by the trucking industry to allow semis to go 65 mph on nonurban interstates and tollways, the same speed as cars. The override now awaits House action.
“Traffic going at the same speed is definitely safer than having two different speed limits,” Sen. John Sullivan (D-Rushville), lead sponsor of the bill, told the Chicago Sun-Times.
Taking a shot at the trucking industry, Sen. John Cullerton (D-Chicago) told the newspaper that more than 100 Illinoisans could die on highways next year if trucks go faster than 55 mph, as they’re now allowed.
