In most states a loaded tractor-trailer may run the same posted limit as a car. As of September 30, 2026, eight states hold heavy trucks below cars on the interstate: Arkansas, California, Illinois (in six Chicago-area counties only), Indiana, Michigan, Montana, Oregon and Washington.

Idaho dropped its truck split on July 1, 2026. Virginia keeps one, but only on secondary roads. The highest legal truck speed is 80 mph on posted interstate stretches in Idaho, Nevada, North Dakota, South Dakota, Texas, Utah and Wyoming and on some Oklahoma turnpikes, plus 85 mph on part of the SH 130 toll road in Texas.

The figures below are the maximums for rural interstates. Wherever the posted sign is lower, the sign is the limit, and urban stretches are almost always lower. For each state's limits on other roads, fines and lane rules, open its page from the truck speed limits hub.

Where trucks run slower than cars

California and Oregon hold trucks to 55. In California the cap follows axle count and towing: any motortruck or truck tractor with three or more axles, and any truck pulling another vehicle, is limited to 55 mph on every highway (CVC 22406). Cars get 65, or 70 where posted. A two-axle straight truck that is not towing follows the posted limit. Trucks under the 55 cap must also keep to the right-hand lane, or the two right-hand lanes on a divided highway with four or more lanes in your direction, unless signs designate other lanes (CVC 21655).

Oregon sets its 55 mph cap by weight rating: a motor truck over 10,000 lb GVWR or a truck tractor over 8,000 lb GVWR, on any highway, I-5 included (ORS 811.111). On I-84 from the east city limit of The Dalles to Idaho, and on I-82, trucks may run 65 while cars get 70. The statute also lists sections of US 20, US 26, US 97, US 197, US 395, OR 31, OR 78 and OR 205 where trucks get 60 and cars 65, and US 95, where it is 65 and 70.

Washington caps every vehicle over 10,000 lb gross weight, and every combination, at 60 mph on all roads, rural or urban (RCW 46.61.410). Cars get 70 on rural interstates. When a Washington speed sign says "trucks," it means that same group of vehicles.

Montana gives cars 80 on rural interstates and holds any truck or truck tractor over 1 ton manufacturer's rated capacity to 70. Off the interstate, those trucks are limited to 65 on every other public highway, day and night (MCA 61-8-312). Interstates inside urbanized areas of 50,000 or more are 65 for everyone.

Michigan caps a truck with a gross weight of 10,000 lb or more, a truck tractor, and any tractor-trailer combination at 65 mph on freeways and state trunk lines where the posted limit is higher (MCL 257.627(4)). Cars run 70 on most rural freeways and 75 on the raised segments, and your limit stays 65 on both. The same section limits those trucks to 35 mph while seasonal reduced loadings (frost laws) are being enforced (MCL 257.627(3)).

Indiana holds any vehicle except a bus with a declared gross weight over 26,000 lb to 65 mph on interstates outside urbanized areas, where cars get 70 (IC 9-21-5-2). I-465 around Indianapolis is 65 for every vehicle.

Arkansas raised cars to 75 on rural controlled-access highways and kept commercial motor vehicles of 26,001 lb or more at 70 (Act 784 of 2019, in force July 1, 2020; Ark. Code 27-51-201). Controlled-access highways in urban areas are 65 for both.

Illinois lets trucks run 70 like cars almost everywhere. The exception is Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry and Will counties, where a second-division vehicle built or used to carry a gross weight of 8,001 lb or more is limited to 60 mph on interstates and 55 on other roads (625 ILCS 5/11-601(e)).

Virginia has no truck split on its interstates. Its split is on what the statute calls "all other highways," meaning roads that are not interstates, limited-access highways, four-lane highways or state primary routes. On those, a truck, tractor truck or combination designed to carry property is limited to 45 mph while cars get 55 (Va. Code 46.2-870).

Three more states give the road agency power to post a lower truck limit: Nevada (NRS 484B.613), New Jersey for trucks of 10,000 lb or more on four-lane state highways (N.J.S.A. 39:4-98.1), and Oklahoma for its turnpikes (47 O.S. 11-801). Where a separate truck speed sign is posted, that sign is your limit.

What changed in 2025 and 2026

Idaho repealed its truck split. House Bill 664 was signed March 23, 2026, and took effect July 1, 2026. Before that, trucks with five or more axles grossing over 26,000 lb ran 10 mph below cars on rural interstates and no faster than 65 on urban interstates. Idaho Code 49-654(3) now gives them the same limits as every other vehicle, up to 80 on posted segments. The bill's fiscal note says the separate truck speed signs have to come down.

Missouri raised its statutory limit on rural interstates and freeways to 75 mph on August 28, 2026 (S.B. 1408; RSMo 304.010). The signs still say 70. On August 20, 2026, MoDOT said no change will take effect until it finishes reviewing eligible locations, which it hopes to do by the end of the year, and that I-70 stays at its current limit during the Improve I-70 rebuild. Missouri law presumes the posted limit is the legal limit, so 70 is the number to drive until the sign changes.

North Dakota went to 80 mph on access-controlled interstates on August 1, 2025 (House Bill 1298; N.D.C.C. 39-09-02). Lower limits are posted through some cities.

Iowa raised its default limit, which covers roads with no other limit set, from 55 to 60 on July 1, 2026 (Senate File 378). Interstates stay at 70. Some roads may still show 55 while signs are being replaced, and the posted sign governs.

Bills to raise interstate limits to 75 died in Mississippi (House Bill 74 in 2025 and House Bill 436 in 2026) and were withdrawn in Tennessee (House Bill 1055 in 2025).

At the federal level, FMCSA and NHTSA withdrew the speed limiter rulemaking on July 24, 2025. That ended the 2016 proposal to require a speed limiting device on vehicles over 26,000 lb GVWR and FMCSA's 2022 plan for a follow-up rule. No federal rule requires a governor, so any setting on your truck is your carrier's policy.

Truck speed limits by state

Each line gives the maximum interstate speed for a heavy truck as of September 30, 2026, what matters for a truck driver in that state, and the statute.

  • Alabama: 70 mph, same as cars. A vehicle hauling explosives, flammable liquids or hazardous waste is limited to 55 on every road (Ala. Code 32-5A-171).
  • Alaska: 65 mph, same as cars. 65 is the highest posted limit in the state, and unposted roads outside towns default to 55 (13 AAC 02.275).
  • Arizona: 75 mph, same as cars, on rural interstates where the state has raised it. More than 20 mph over the posted limit is a class 3 misdemeanor (A.R.S. 28-702.04, 28-701.02).
  • Arkansas: 70 mph for commercial vehicles of 26,001 lb or more, cars 75. Urban controlled-access highways are 65 for all (Ark. Code 27-51-201).
  • California: 55 mph on every road for trucks with three or more axles and for any truck towing, cars up to 70 (CVC 22406, 22356).
  • Colorado: 75 mph, same as cars (C.R.S. 42-4-1101).
  • Connecticut: 65 mph, same as cars, on designated multilane limited-access highways, 55 elsewhere. Over 85 mph is reckless driving (CGS 14-219, 14-222).
  • Delaware: 65 mph where posted, same as cars. Unposted four-lane and divided roads default to 55, two-lane roads to 50 (21 Del. C. 4169).
  • District of Columbia: 55 mph is the top posted limit, same as cars. 20 mph or more over any limit is reckless driving (D.C. Code 50-2201.04).
  • Florida: 70 mph on limited-access highways, same as cars, 65 on rural four-lane divided highways (Fla. Stat. 316.187).
  • Georgia: 70 mph, same as cars. 85 or more anywhere, or 75 or more on a two-lane road, adds a $200 state Super Speeder fee (O.C.G.A. 40-6-181, 40-6-189).
  • Hawaii: 60 mph is the highest posted limit, same as cars. 80 mph or more on any road is a petty misdemeanor (HRS 291C-102, 291C-105).
  • Idaho: 75 mph, 80 on posted segments, same as cars since July 1, 2026 (Idaho Code 49-654).
  • Illinois: 70 mph, same as cars, except 60 on interstates and 55 on other roads for vehicles of 8,001 lb or more in Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry and Will counties (625 ILCS 5/11-601).
  • Indiana: 65 mph for vehicles over 26,000 lb declared gross weight, cars 70. I-465 is 65 for all (IC 9-21-5-2).
  • Iowa: 70 mph, same as cars (Iowa Code 321.285).
  • Kansas: 75 mph, same as cars, on multilane highways the state designates and posts, 65 on other state highways (K.S.A. 8-1558).
  • Kentucky: 65 mph, or 70 where posted on the interstate and parkway segments listed in the statute, same as cars (KRS 189.390).
  • Louisiana: 70 mph, same as cars. 75 only where DOTD has zoned it on part of I-49 (La. R.S. 32:61, 32:63).
  • Maine: up to 75 mph where posted, same as cars. 30 mph or more over the limit is a Class E crime (29-A M.R.S. 2073, 2074).
  • Maryland: 70 mph maximum, same as cars, and no more than 55 on roads that are not interstates or expressways (Md. Transp. Code 21-801.1).
  • Massachusetts: 65 mph, same as cars (M.G.L. c. 90, s. 17 and 18).
  • Michigan: 65 mph for trucks of 10,000 lb or more, truck tractors and combinations, cars 70 or 75 (MCL 257.627).
  • Minnesota: 70 mph, same as cars, and 65 inside urbanized areas over 50,000. Speeding in a work zone is a $300 fine (Minn. Stat. 169.14).
  • Mississippi: 70 mph, same as cars (Miss. Code 63-3-501).
  • Missouri: 70 mph posted, same as cars. State law has allowed 75 since August 28, 2026, but MoDOT has not changed the signs (RSMo 304.010).
  • Montana: 70 mph for trucks over 1 ton rated capacity, cars 80. Those trucks are limited to 65 on all other highways (MCA 61-8-312).
  • Nebraska: 75 mph, same as cars. 65 on interstates in Douglas County (Omaha) and on I-180 and I-129 (Neb. Rev. Stat. 60-6,186).
  • Nevada: up to 80 mph where posted, same as cars. NDOT may post a lower truck limit (NRS 484B.600, 484B.613).
  • New Hampshire: 65 mph, same as cars, and 70 on I-93 from mile marker 45 to the Vermont line (RSA 265:60).
  • New Jersey: 65 mph where designated, same as cars. The state may sign trucks of 10,000 lb or more 5 mph lower on four-lane state highways (N.J.S.A. 39:4-98.1).
  • New Mexico: 75 mph, same as cars (NMSA 66-7-301).
  • New York: 65 mph is the maximum anywhere, same as cars. Radar detectors are banned in vehicles over 18,000 lb GVWR and commercial vehicles over 10,000 lb GVWR (VAT 1180-a, 397-a).
  • North Carolina: 70 mph where posted on interstates and controlled-access highways, same as cars. Speeding in a signed work zone adds a $250 penalty (G.S. 20-141).
  • North Dakota: 80 mph on access-controlled interstates, same as cars (N.D.C.C. 39-09-02).
  • Ohio: 70 mph on rural freeways, same as cars, and 65 on freeways in urbanized areas (ORC 4511.21).
  • Oklahoma: 75 mph on rural interstates, same as cars, and 80 on turnpike sections the Turnpike Authority has signed for it. The Turnpike Authority may set separate truck speeds, so read the turnpike signs (47 O.S. 11-801).
  • Oregon: 55 mph for trucks over 10,000 lb GVWR and truck tractors over 8,000 lb GVWR, and 65 on I-84 east of The Dalles and on I-82. Cars get 65 and 70 (ORS 811.111).
  • Pennsylvania: 70 mph where posted, for all vehicles, and 55 where no higher limit is posted (75 Pa.C.S. 3362).
  • Rhode Island: 65 mph top posted limit, same as cars (RIGL 31-14-2, 31-14-4).
  • South Carolina: 70 mph where posted, same as cars. Hauling a manufactured, modular or mobile home caps you at 10 under the posted limit and never over 55 (S.C. Code 56-5-1520).
  • South Dakota: 80 mph, same as cars (SDCL 32-25-4).
  • Tennessee: 70 mph, and the statute names trucks at the same 70 as cars. Minimum 55 in the left lane of four-lane controlled-access highways (Tenn. Code 55-8-152).
  • Texas: 75 mph, same as cars, and 80 on posted parts of I-10 and I-20 in ten listed counties. 85 on part of the SH 130 toll road (Tex. Transp. Code 545.352, 545.353).
  • Utah: 75 mph on freeways, and 80 where UDOT has raised it after a study, same as cars (Utah Code 41-6a-602).
  • Vermont: 65 mph on the interstates, same as cars. 50 is the default on any road without a posted limit (23 V.S.A. 1081).
  • Virginia: 70 mph where posted, same as cars on interstates. Trucks are limited to 45 on secondary roads where cars get 55 (Va. Code 46.2-870).
  • Washington: 60 mph on every road for vehicles over 10,000 lb and all combinations, cars 70 (RCW 46.61.410).
  • West Virginia: 70 mph, same as cars. Coal haulers on the coal resource transportation road system pay triple speeding fines (W. Va. Code 17C-6-1).
  • Wisconsin: 70 mph on freeways, same as cars (Wis. Stat. 346.57).
  • Wyoming: 75 mph, and 80 on interstate segments the state designates, same as cars (Wyo. Stat. 31-5-301).

Federal rules that apply on top

Federal law sets no speed limit. Since Congress repealed the national maximum speed limit in 1995, each state sets its own limits for all vehicles. FMCSA rules require a commercial motor vehicle to be operated under the laws of the state it is in (49 CFR 392.2), and they bar a carrier from scheduling a run that can only be made by speeding (49 CFR 392.6).

Speeding 15 mph or more over the posted or regulated limit is a serious traffic violation (49 CFR 383.51). A second serious violation in a CMV within three years means a 60-day disqualification from driving a CMV, and a third means 120 days. Convictions in your own car count toward the same total if they lead to a suspension or revocation of your license.

States may not mask a CDL holder's conviction, defer it, or send it to a diversion program that keeps it off the driver record (49 CFR 384.226). Traffic school or a plea deal that clears a ticket for a car driver will generally not clear it for you.

Roadside speeding violations also count against the carrier in FMCSA's Safety Measurement System, in the Unsafe Driving category. Since SMS version 3.0, violations of 1 to 5 mph over are no longer counted, because the federal speedometer rule only requires accuracy within 5 mph.

When a speeding ticket becomes a crime

These states treat speeding past a set threshold as a crime:

  • Arizona: more than 20 mph over the posted limit is a class 3 misdemeanor (A.R.S. 28-701.02).
  • Connecticut: over 85 mph is reckless driving, with up to 30 days in jail on a first offense (CGS 14-222).
  • District of Columbia: 20 mph or more over is reckless driving, and 30 or more over is aggravated reckless driving (D.C. Code 50-2201.04).
  • Hawaii: 30 mph or more over, or 80 mph or more on any road, is a petty misdemeanor with a 30-day license suspension (HRS 291C-105).
  • Illinois: 26 to 34 mph over is a Class B misdemeanor and 35 or more over is a Class A misdemeanor (625 ILCS 5/11-601.5).
  • Maine: 30 mph or more over is a Class E crime (29-A M.R.S. 2074).
  • Maryland: 30 mph or more over is reckless driving (Md. Transp. Code 21-901.1).
  • Missouri: any violation of the state speed limit statute is a Class C misdemeanor, and a Class B misdemeanor at 20 mph or more over the posted limit (RSMo 304.010).
  • Virginia: 20 mph or more over the limit, or over 85 mph anywhere, is reckless driving, a Class 1 misdemeanor (Va. Code 46.2-862).

Some states keep small speeding overages off your driving record, and some of those breaks exclude truck drivers. Montana's does not apply to anyone who holds a CDL, even in a personal car (MCA 61-8-725). West Virginia's does not apply to a CDL holder driving a commercial vehicle (W. Va. Code 17C-6-1). Tennessee's does not apply to a truck going over 65 on an interstate or four-lane controlled-access highway (Tenn. Code 55-8-152).

Work zone penalties differ from state to state. Minnesota sets a $300 fine (Minn. Stat. 169.14). California moves an infraction up one fine category instead of doubling it (CVC 42009). South Carolina has no doubled fine at all, and charges endangerment of a highway worker as its own offense with fines starting at $500 (S.C. Code 56-5-1535). The state pages on the truck speed limits hub list the work zone rule for each state.