Gas prices have some thinking they can drive 55

Congress repealed the national speed limit law in 1995, and today 32 states have limits of 70 mph or higher on some parts of their highways, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Texas already has an 80-mph limit on some roads and Utah's legislature has voted to raise the limit to 80 on part of one interstate.

At least two states — Alabama and Connecticut — have considered reducing speed limits, but those efforts haven't gained much traction. And despite the benefits, there seems to be little appetite in Congress for a new national speed limit.

"We haven't been able to find anyone to champion it," said Clayton Boyce of the American Trucking Association, which is advocating for a 65 mph national speed limit.

Some truckers are slowing down anyway as the average price of diesel heads toward $4.50 a gallon.

"I'm saving between $100 and $200 a week by cutting back from 72-73 mph to 60-65 mph," said Dennis Sheridan, who owns an 18-wheeler and hauls freight on a contract basis throughout the Northeast.

Sheridan is an owner-operator, paying for his own fuel and other expenses and getting paid for each load delivered. And so far, slowing down hasn't hindered his ability to make deliveries on time.

"If you're going from say, New York to California, you might lose an hour over the run," he said. "But on the East Coast, what are you going to lose, 10 minutes? You know as soon as you step on it you're going to hit traffic anyway."

Drivers who work for a trucking company have no incentive to slow down because the companies cover fuel and other costs and pay the drivers by the mile. The more they drive, the more they earn.

"I haven't slowed down at all," said Earl Wood, a regional driver for Allen's Foods, a Seafort, Del.-based food production and distribution company that specializes in poultry. "It's not worth it to me."

Other company drivers have no choice but to slow down. Boyce says many of the trade group's members have dialed back the maximum speed on their rigs to save money on diesel.

Con-Way Freight of Ann Arbor, Mich., is one of them. The company in January lowered the top governed speed of its 8,400 tractors to 62 from 65 mph.

The relatively small reduction will save roughly 3.2 million gallons of diesel fuel annually — about $13.3 million worth at today's prices — while increasing the time it takes to move freight between cities within the company's delivery regions by about 20-30 minutes, said Con-Way spokesman Gary Frantz.

"We found that it will have very little impact on our operations," he said.

While Con-Way has voluntarily cut back its trucks' speed, some states have considered the idea of mandating lower speeds for all vehicles.

Last year, Connecticut State Sen. Thomas Gaffey introduced a bill that would lower the maximum speed limit there to 60 mph from 65 mph, but it died in committee.

State Rep. Thad McClammy of Alabama — which has a maximum speed limit of 70 mph — this year proposed a measure that would enable his state to easily ratchet down speed limits when fuel prices are high and raise them when prices are low.

His bill would create a state commission with the power to adjust speed limits rather than having to go through what can be a cumbersome legislative process. McClammy said his bill doesn't appear to have the support it needs to pass this session, but he'll keep pushing.

"There is no realistic option on the table from anyone else to deal with the situation, and this legislation is going to look better every time the price goes up at the pump," he said.

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