Suggested Citation:
Zhang, Michael and Sarder Rafee Musabbir (2025)

Brief: The Costs and Gains of Raising Truck Speed Limits

Highway speed limits are increasing across the United States. There is also a national trend toward uniform speed limits, within states, for both passenger vehicles and trucks. California is one of only seven remaining states that sets different speed limits, with lower speed limits for trucks than passenger vehicles. While higher speed limits provide operational benefits by shortening travel times and fostering economic benefits—especially for the trucking and logistics industries—they can also increase the likelihood and severity of crashes since higher vehicle speeds require longer stopping distances and generate more energy during a collision.

This policy brief is drawn from the reports “Assessing the Safety Implication of Alternative Speed Limits in California” available at www.ucits.org/research-project/2019-11, and “Assessing the Economic Impact of Speed Limit Changes on Safety and Mobility in California” available at https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7r94h26c.