Measures to Crack Down On New Mexico Truckers Hit Skids

SANTA FE (AP) — A Senate committee killed or tabled two of three bills to crack down on truckers who speed in New Mexico.

The Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday sent a third bill to the floor after amending it.

Two of the measures, part of a package sponsored by Senate Minority Leader Skip Vernon, would have reduced the speed limit on interstate highways for large trucks or those towing trailers to 65 mph from 75 mph and would have installed photo-radar to photograph and ticket speeding commercial vehicles.



The committee killed the speed limit bill and tabled the photo-radar measure.

It amended a third bill that in its original form would have raised fines for commercial truckers that used the left lane of roads when not passing. The committee amended the bill to raise penalties from the current $10 to $50 for all drivers — not just truckers.

Representatives of labor unions in the state complained that Vernon's measures would have punished good truckers for the recklessness of a few.

"We're penalizing the union drivers who aren't the problem, because the independents are going down the road like a bat out of hell," said committee member Sen. Cisco McSorley.

Truck drivers also would be more careful if police issued more tickets, said Bob Younger, a Teamsters representative.

Younger also argued that lowering speed limits for truckers would hurt those who get paid by the mile. But Vernon said public safety should take precedence over the economic interests of

ruckers or their employers.