OOIDA Call to Action - Illinois Members
February 12, 2004

Heads up, Illinois truckers! You need to contact members of the Senate Transportation Committee about a new proposal to eliminate the state's split speed limit.

SB2374, introduced Feb. 3, would eliminate provisions in Illinois law that set up a slower speed for vehicles over 8,000 pounds.
Currently, those vehicles are required to travel 10 mph below the 65 mph limit for other vehicles. Under the new bill, all vehicles would face a 65 mph speed limit.

The bill, sponsored by Senate Transportation Chair George Shadid, D-Pekin, is the second recent attempt to eliminate the split speed. Last year, Rep. Dan Reitz, D-Sparta, sponsored a measure that would have eliminated the split. That bill passed handily in both houses, but was vetoed by Gov. Rod Blagojevich. An attempt to overturn the veto failed in the House by two votes.

It is vital you contact the committee members and let them know the importance of uniform speeds to road safety.

For contact information, visit www.ilga.gov. You can also call OOIDA's Membership department at 1-800-444-5791 and they'll look it up.