Left-lane truck bill gets veto in New Mexico; Virginia bill heads to governor’s desk
Efforts in two statehouses to address concern about truck travel in the left lane were sent to governors.
New Mexico
In New Mexico, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham took no action on a bill to keep trucks to the right on interstates. As a result, the bill received a pocket veto.
House lawmakers voted 52-14 to send the bill to the governor that called for limiting truck lane use. The Senate approved the bill on a 33-5 vote.
New Mexico law already requires all vehicles to stay to the right on multiple-lane roadways. Violators face $25 fines. Certain exceptions apply.
Sponsored by Sen. George Munoz, D-Gallup, SB174 mandated large trucks traveling on interstates outside of municipalities to stay in the right lane.
Roadways that would have been affected by the rule are posted at 75 mph for all vehicles.
According to a fiscal note, the change would have applied to 4,437 miles of intestate in New Mexico.
Violators could have faced $200 fines.
A provision in the bill allowed truck drivers to merge left in affected areas when overtaking another vehicle.
Munoz said something needs to be done to address large trucks traveling below the posted speed limit on interstates. He cited travel up hills around the state.
Virginia
Virginia state lawmakers approved a bill to require trucks to stay to the right on highways during winter storms. The bill sent to Gov. Glenn Youngkin underwent notable revisions as it made its way through the legislature.
House lawmakers voted 94-4 to advance the bill that follows a January winter storm that resulted in jammed traffic that left some travelers on Interstate 95 in Virginia stranded for more than 24 hours. Senate lawmakers previously approved SB706 on a 26-13 vote.
Senate Transportation Committee Chairman Dave Marsden, D-Fairfax, said a crash involving multiple large trucks played a role in the backup along a 50-mile stretch of I-95 outside Washington, D.C. As a result, Marsden has called for keeping trucks to the right when the weather turns bad.
The Senate-approved version called for truck drivers traveling “in certain weather conditions” to stay to the right on any highway with two or more lanes in each direction. The rule would apply to trucks with a gross weight rating in excess of 26,000 pounds.
A revision made in the Senate Transportation Committee specified that trucks must abide by the rule “if reasonably possible and conditions safely permit” them to drive in the right-most lane of affected highways.
Additionally, truck drivers would be prohibited from using cruise control or compression engine brakes when driving in snow, sleet or freezing rain or other inclement cold precipitation.
Another change would prohibit police from stopping trucks during winter weather to enforce the proposed rule covering use of engine brakes or cruise control.
One more revision in the House removed the left lane restriction language.
All that remains in the bill sent to the governor are provisions addressing use of cruise control or compression engine brakes.
At press time, a decision on the bill was expected by mid-April. The governor could sign the bill into law, let the bill sit unsigned for seven days, after which it becomes law, or he can veto the bill.
OOIDA says the bill is pointless
Mike Matousek, OOIDA director of state legislative affairs, has said the bill has been watered down to the point it is useless.
“I’m not sure what purpose it really serves,” Matousek said. LL
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