The highest number of fines in the last five years was seen in 2025.
Excessive speed increases the risk and severity of crashes. Considering the weight, size, and center of gravity of commercial vehicles (CMVs), it’s important to understand why all 50 states consider driving a CMV 15 miles per hour over the speed limit a more serious offense. Law enforcement officers understand the risk this poses to other motorists, including CMV drivers, and in 2025, 463 speeding tickets were issued, the highest number in the last five years.
In Colorado, professional drivers face a 60-day license suspension for committing two serious traffic violations within three years while operating a CMV. A serious traffic violation includes speeding (15 mph or more), improper lane changes, dangerous driving, or following too closely. If a driver commits three violations within three years, this results in a license suspension of up to 120 days.
“An 80,000-lb truck traveling at 65 mph needs more than 525 feet—almost two football fields—to stop under ideal conditions,” said Colonel Matthew C. Packard, Chief of the Colorado State Patrol. “When a CMV driver chooses to exceed this speed limit, they increase the risk of an accident and endanger everyone who shares the roads with them.”
When we looked at the Colorado State Patrol’s 2025 ticketing data, the three highways remained consistent over the five years. In descending order, these highways were:
- I-70
- Highway 160
- Highway 287
Additionally, when we looked at the most common counties where patrol officers issued the most citations in 2025, the top three were:
- Summit (272)
- Eagle (95)
- Jefferson (30)
The Colorado State Patrol is taking a zero-tolerance approach to the leading cause of fatal crashes, including speeding and lane violations, by launching the “Slow Down” campaign. This campaign aims to break the myth that speeding is a “victimless crime” for every driver in Colorado and encourages them to drive as if a patrol officer were their passenger.
