Virginia Truck Speed Limit

How fast a truck can run in Virginia

Virginia runs 70 on interstates and trucks get the same limit — no split (Va. Code § 46.2-870). The number that ends your day is 85. Drive faster than 85 mph anywhere, or 20-plus over the posted limit, and it's reckless driving, a Class 1 misdemeanor (Va. Code § 46.2-862). That's criminal — up to 12 months in jail, a $2,500 fine, and a suspended license, not a simple ticket. On I-81 and around Northern Virginia (Planning District 8), stay out of the left lane on any interstate with three or more lanes each way (Va. Code § 46.2-804).

Truck-specific rules and quirks

• Slower traffic keeps right; drive in the right lanes on the interstate (Va. Code § 46.2-804).
• Commercial vehicles must keep to the right when running 15+ mph below the limit on interstates with only two lanes each way. On I-81 and inside Planning District 8 (Northern Virginia), trucks are banned from the left lane of any interstate with three or more lanes each way (Va. Code § 46.2-804).
• Interstates are 70 rural and urban where posted. The reckless-driving speed threshold was raised to 85 mph (from 80) effective July 1, 2020.

What a speeding ticket costs

Here's the trap. Over 85 mph anywhere, or 20 mph or more over the posted limit, is reckless driving under Va. Code § 46.2-862 — a Class 1 misdemeanor, not an infraction. Up to 12 months in jail, a $2,500 fine, and license suspension. At a posted 70, that puts 90 mph into reckless territory, but the 85 mph line applies no matter what's posted. Work-zone speeding with workers present adds up to $500 (§ 46.2-878.1).

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