Iowa State Patrol Commercial Motor Vehicle Unit / FacebookThe Iowa State Patrol's (ISP) Commercial Motor Vehicle Unit (CMVU) is usually focused on the size, registration, and travel authority of commercial motor vehicles to protect cargo laws and keep highways safe (as the name suggests), but troopers spotted something quite strange on I-80 on September 27th, 2026. So strange, in fact, that they felt the need to share the situation on Facebook. "Yesterday, our Trooper responded to a vehicle on I-80 that was attempting to push another vehicle to Nebraska, while traveling at just 31mph," the ISP Facebook post stated bluntly. An accompanying image showed a passenger vehicle pushing another passenger vehicle with a homemade shock-absorbing bumper in between. While that gets some points for creativity and determination, going 35 mph for potentially over 100 miles on a road with a 40 mph minimum got the driver a citation for failure to maintain minimum speed and a warning for movement of an unsafe vehicle. What got them in trouble?Dennis MacDonald/ShutterstockWhat's interesting about the Iowa State Patrol's citation is that it's largely focused on driving too slow. A reply on Facebook even joked: "So you're saying if they were at the 40 minimum they would have been okay? Asking for a friend of course..." While it may seem a bit silly at first, it's illegal to drive under the speed limit in many states, including Iowa, usually in an attempt to keep traffic flowing safely. In Iowa, Section 805.8A, Subsection 8 states that a person must adhere to the minimum speed, noting that driving at a slower speed could block the usual movement of traffic. This offense can be enforced by police, including misdemeanor punishment if the driver refuses to speed up. The law adds that those driving slower for safety reasons are exempt, which apparently did not apply to the car that was pushing another car down I-80. Maybe they should consider an SUV with a good towing capacity next time.
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