Judd Bill Proposes Lower Bumpers On Monster Trucks

Two bills dealing with the legal height of truck bumpers passed through the Senate Transportation Committee on Thursday.

The first bill, proposed by Rep. June Judd, D-St. Maries, would make owners of so-called “high-rise” trucks place a lowered bumper on their vehicles.

“This (bill) is not to bring high-rise vehicles down,” said Judd. “It’s just to make them put drop bumpers on to make their bumpers’ height match that of a normal car.”

Judd hopes that the lowered bumper would prevent the numerous fatal accidents caused by monster trucks, which tend to run over other vehicles in collisions.

The second bill, drafted by Orofino Republican Rep. Chuck Cuddy, proposed to make legal any bumper over the legal height limit, as long as it was factory installed.

Cuddy said that he proposed this bill because many vehicles are rolling out of the factory with bumpers that are an inch or two above Idaho’s legal standard. People are buying trucks, that aren’t modified in any way, but are getting pulled over because their bumpers are too high, he said.

Both bills passed unanimously and will appear before the Senate.