California Towing Speed Limit

jmtandem wrote:

To me, a 15+mph speed differential is dangerous with one lane doing 55 and the other lane doing 70+. Traffic should flow together, it should blend.

Agreed! A tangential issue is what lane you are towing in. On any California multilane highway you must be in the right most (slow) lane towing except when passing or when there is a left exit. This also adds some issues when there is merging onto the road traffic. And that traffic wants to get up to 65 or 70 and you are slower. The speed differential really does not work well.

When the trucking industry wanted to go up to 80,000 gross on California highways their concession to the state was to be limited to 55 mph. Of course, they knew that that would be really more like 60-63 mph so they were OK with the concession. Supposedly 'slower' damages the road less when at eighteen wheeler fully loaded weights.

Drivers that are towing are not restricted to the right lane except when passing. On three lane highways, drivers towing may use the #2 lane and on four lane highways, drivers with tows may use the #3 and #4 lanes. Many times trucks on four lanes will ride the #3 lane and may be more closely observing the speed limit than some folks like. I do the same thing. We do it because it is safer to run a little slower in the #3 lane than run in the #4 with the on and off ramps and fools that come on the highway at 40 and slowly accelerate to 55 in two or three miles. It is hard to be braking and accelerating all the time so many of us run in a "faster" lane. It is also not possible to pull over a lane when approaching an on/off ramp situation safely.

I will say that I think the 55 limit can safely be raised to 60 but then everyone will go 65 or 70. If it enforced then everyone complains about California without knowing if their complaints are backed up by accident statistics.

Yes 900 sounds like Boise to SoCal, BTDT. We stop in Ely and get some rest.
(also least time at CA 55mph vs coming down I5)

Let's see - 900 miles in one day with 3 kids. Obviously, some stops as well. So want to do that at 70 mph. That is 13 hours - including the stops.

Ho boy!

I hear stories of people who say they've got tickets, however, I have lived in California all my life, have towed either a boat, a utility trailer, or a car behind the motorhome for the last 35 or so years, and was a cop for 28 years. I have routinely fractured the 55 mph limit when towing and have never been pulled over for doing it. In fact, for all my years of driving my RV and my dad's RV before that, I've only been pulled over one time and that was when somebody stole my electric adapter from the trailer I carried my motorcycle on so I couldn't plug in the tail lights for the trip home. In my time as a cop I never enforced that law either, but then again I was a City cop so there wasn't really places to enforce that section as the fastest speed limit on any road in town was 55 anyway.

So if it is heavily enforced, I sure have lucked out over the many years. But also, I don't make unsafe lane changes, and don't follow other vehicles too closely. CHP tends to notice your speed more when combined with things like that.

Used to live in California. My neighbor got a speeding ticket on I-5 near Williams, 65 mph towing a boat. It cost $350 fine plus 145% penalty assessment for a total of $507.50. There is no place I want to get to fast that's worth that much.

2oldman wrote:

djgarcia wrote:
IMHO, drivers who are not driving the "general" speed of the flow of traffic present more driving hazards and potential for accidents than those driving to (sic)fast.

Reminds me of that old saw I heard from my parents: "If Johnny jumped off a cliff would you do that too?"

Remember that opinions are not based on facts but on what someone wants to believe regardless of the facts. Show them the facts from NHTSA and they'll tell you they don't believe them. Not because the facts are wrong but because it conflicts with what they want to believe.
IL use to have separate speed limits for vehicles under 8000 lbs (65 mph) and vehicles towing (55 mph). I don't know how CA or other states figure fines but here's the way it worked in IL. The fine is figured by how many MPH you're over the limit. For example, a car gets a ticket for 76 mph. The fine and points on their DL is figured at 11 mph over the limit. A pickup pulling a trailer is ticketed for running the same 76 mph. The pickup/trailer is fined more at 21 mph over the limit and more points on their DL.
So maybe a state with reduced speed limits don't stop everyone until they're say 76 mph. If you're classed for the lower speed limit you could receive a high fine and more points.
Just FYI. The feds are currently in discussion to set a nationwide standard to reduce the max speed for heavier vehicles and vehicles towing. I don't expect any resolution in the next year or 2 but it is being discussed and limitations being formulated.

GordonThree wrote:
What's the big hurry?

I'm not independently wealthy or retired, so my vacation time is very precious to me. I'm not a smell the roses driver... none the less, I can't see any good reason to drive more than 60mph while towing.

Even at 60 I get terrible mileage with the combo in my signature.

I'm not against speeding. I speed when I'm driving unhitched, but steam doesn't start billowing from my ears when I run up behind someone doing the speed limit. They're not the problem, I am.

I usually don't tow much over about 65, but as I mentioned above on this particular day I was trying to cover 900 miles and had three young kids with me. I averaged a little under 11 on the way back versus more like a little over 11 on the way down so there was a mileage penalty, but not a huge one. Most of the trip I was under the speed limit in Nevada and Idaho, I was just curious about how rigid the California towing speed limit was as I expect to tow in the state again in the future.

What's the big hurry?

I'm not independently wealthy or retired, so my vacation time is very precious to me. I'm not a smell the roses driver... none the less, I can't see any good reason to drive more than 60mph while towing.

Even at 60 I get terrible mileage with the combo in my signature.

I'm not against speeding. I speed when I'm driving unhitched, but steam doesn't start billowing from my ears when I run up behind someone doing the speed limit. They're not the problem, I am.

djgarcia wrote:
IMHO, drivers who are not driving the "general" speed of the flow of traffic present more driving hazards and potential for accidents than those driving to (sic)fast.

Reminds me of that old saw I heard from my parents: "If Johnny jumped off a cliff would you do that too?"

djgarcia wrote:

rightlaneonly wrote:
I run around 58 to 60 mph and seldom pass a simi, usually they're passing me;)

IMHO, drivers who are not driving the "general" speed of the flow of traffic present more driving hazards and potential for accidents than those driving to fast. Driving too slow causes people to constantly adjust their speed and/ or make others make frequent passing lane changes.

IMHO if you are travelling at the minimum speed you are safe and legal. The other drivers should slow to accommodate conditions including slow vehicles. Just because the speed limit is 70+ does not indicate that it is always safe to drive that fast. Certainly if a vehicle is limited by law to go no more than 55 the law is clearly on the side of this driver obeying the law. There is absolutely no reason to make an unsafe lane change or pass dangerously.

For the OP, if you are pulled over for speeding while towing your citation will read 55 as the limit and you fine will escalate from there. More than 20 over gets expensive very fast. And likely you will not be pulled over going a few miles over 55.