Driving slow on fast freeways?

[Deleted member 9101]

By driving fast you are costing us ALL more everyday, and your equipment is much more EFFICIENT at a slower speed.

Most drivers are paid by the mile, the difference in fuel economy vs. getting another load that week is rarely enough to warrant going under the speed limit.

Really man, all truck drivers ask is that you do the speed limit... is that too much to ask?

 

[Pskhaat]

Honestly man. just be respectful of other drivers... let us get on with our journey. Don't in fronge on others simply because you feel that you have the right too.

Of these two points you have nothing to worry about from me and my likes. I drive like I'm from Texas all the time: always pulling over for people. I drive on the highways signalling those who drive truck when they've passed me and clear to get back into the right lane, returning the thanks with my lowly flashers when I get to pass. If we could all be kings for a day...

I also don't believe in our slow speed limits either, I want them increased across the board.

On another note, I look forward to meeting anyone coming back from being deployed overseas or in any similar situation. Stop by for a cold one anytime.

 

[Deleted member 9101]

Of these two points you have nothing to worry about from me and my likes. I drive like I'm from Texas all the time: always pulling over for people. I drive on the highways signalling those who drive truck when they've passed me and clear to get back into the right lane. If we could all be kings for a day.

I also don't believe in our slow speed limits either, I want them increased across the board.

On another note, I look forward to meeting anyone coming back from being deployed overseas or in any similar situation. Stop by for a cold one anytime.

:beer:

 

[Owyhee H]

I dont want to take money out of your pocket in anyway. I think that the system is the problem because it encourages unsafe (IMO) behavior. If the speed limit was lower it would be easier for all to maintain safe speeds together and the standards for shipment time/ loads would be changed. Would your supervisor ever ask how you got 70 miles in under an hour on a road where the speed limit is 60MPH or would he be glad that another load got in and that is more money in the bank.

 

[sargeek]

Driving Slow

OK my .02 on driving slow:
- Lane manners - Keep the vehicle in the right lane as much as possible. When you need to pass do it quick and get back to the right.
- Know what the minimum speed limit is for the road and try to maintain it.
- Make your vehicle conspicious - Drive with the headlights on, and use your hazard lights when vehicle is 10 MPH slower then the posted speed limit.
- I would also recomend that you install repeater tail lights/brake lights/turn signals as high as possible on the rear of the vehicle. This allows fellow travelers to see your vehicle from a distance. I would also consider adding DOT Conspicuty Tape to the rear of the vehicle or european chevron makrings.

 

[Deleted member 9101]

Would your supervisor ever ask how you got 70 miles in under an hour on a road where the speed limit is 60MPH or would he be glad that another load got in and that is more money in the bank.

My dispatchers never cared. As long as the load was on time, no accidents, call in's, or tickets they were happy. Time = money, its that simple.

 

[Owyhee H]

My dispatchers never cared. As long as the load was on time, no accidents, call in's, or tickets they were happy. Time = money, its that simple.

Sonds like a broken system which encourages unsafe driving. Time is money and there are risks involved in everything but we should all be encouraged to play nicely, this means maintaining a minimum and maximum speed. Do you accept big companies putting out an unsafe product knowingly because they weighed the risks and the payouts from lawsuits wouldn't outweigh the profits. Where is the line to draw, I think that everyone must be responsible and that means personal accountability. I do endorse the idea of safe windows of speed and maybe 45MPH is too slow for interstates, but i see lots of big trucks going 15-20MPH on hills, is that unsafe?

 

[kerry]

I was talking to the brother of a Canadian tractor trailer driver last week. He told me that the company monitors all their trucks and offers bonuses to drivers who never exceed the speed limit. He claimed his brother always got the bonuses and had the highest average speed of all drivers since he always drove consistently. Don't know if that kind of practice is just Canadian?

 

[Owyhee H]

Sounds like a good practice to me......crazy Canucks they had a good idea.

 

[Deleted member 9101]

Sonds like a broken system which encourages unsafe driving. Time is money and there are risks involved in everything but we should all be encouraged to play nicely, this means maintaining a minimum and maximum speed. Do you accept big companies putting out an unsafe product knowingly because they weighed the risks and the payouts from lawsuits wouldn't outweigh the profits. Where is the line to draw, I think that everyone must be responsible and that means personal accountability. I do endorse the idea of safe windows of speed and maybe 45MPH is too slow for interstates, but i see lots of big trucks going 15-20MPH on hills, is that unsafe?

********.. you realize that professional drivers lave far fewer wrecks per mile than you average driver. Rarely do large trucks travel at "unsafe speeds" , most do slightly over the speed at max.

As for the trucks slowing down for hills:

1. Many trucks simply lack the power to get 60,000-80,000 up a mountain and remain fuel efficient on the flats.

2. My case was not the truck lacking power or gearing.. rather it over heated when being pushed that hard for long periods.

3. Most company owned trucks are gutless wonders who are governed too low to get up any speed to get up a hill in the first place.

4. I don't like it..but gravity is not on the side of a class 8 truck. They go slow because they have no choice, RV's and hybrids do it because they are cheap IMHO.

 

[Deleted member 9101]

I was talking to the brother of a Canadian tractor trailer driver last week. He told me that the company monitors all their trucks and offers bonuses to drivers who never exceed the speed limit. He claimed his brother always got the bonuses and had the highest average speed of all drivers since he always drove consistently. Don't know if that kind of practice is just Canadian?

Most large companies in America do the same.. or offer bonuses for fuel mileage. I got paid neither, just per mile... so I had no reason to baby the truck or drive like I was 90 in a buick.

 

[DrMoab]

I dont want to take money out of your pocket in anyway. I think that the system is the problem because it encourages unsafe (IMO) behavior. If the speed limit was lower it would be easier for all to maintain safe speeds together and the standards for shipment time/ loads would be changed. Would your supervisor ever ask how you got 70 miles in under an hour on a road where the speed limit is 60MPH or would he be glad that another load got in and that is more money in the bank.

I am allowed to work 14 hours a day, 11 of those I can drive. A general rule states that I can log about 5 MPH below the speed limits. In other words if I am keeping strictly to interstate roads with a 75 MPH speed limit I can log about 770 miles in a day.

One of the runs I do on a regular basis is from home (our yard in Ogden Ut) to Opal Wyoming then to Driggs Idaho and back to home. It's exactly 700 miles round trip. I can fake my way through a log book and make it look like I could do this legally but in in the real world it takes me about 15 hours (12 hours actual driving hours) to get this run done. This means that I get an hour from home, my wife and two little kids and I have to stop. If Idaho would allow me to run with the rest of traffic I could get it done in 11 hours and would get a much more restful sleep at home and could start my day fresh the next day. Instead I sleep in an idling truck which wastes fuel and never get as much sleep as I should.

The difference between a day running 65 MPH and 75 MPH is 110 miles. That is a considerable distance to lose every day.

 

[Deleted member 9101]

I am allowed to work 14 hours a day, 11 of those I can drive. A general rule states that I can log about 5 MPH below the speed limits. In other words if I am keeping strictly to interstate roads with a 75 MPH speed limit I can log about 770 miles in a day.

One of the runs I do on a regular basis is from home (our yard in Ogden Ut) to Opal Wyoming then to Driggs Idaho and back to home. It's exactly 700 miles round trip. I can fake my way through a log book and make it look like I could do this legally but in in the real world it takes me about 15 hours (12 hours actual driving hours) to get this run done. This means that I get an hour from home, my wife and two little kids and I have to stop. If Idaho would allow me to run with the rest of traffic I could get it done in 11 hours and would get a much more restful sleep at home and could start my day fresh the next day. Instead I sleep in an idling truck which wastes fuel and never get as much sleep as I should.

The difference between a day running 65 MPH and 75 MPH is 110 miles. That is a considerable distance to lose every day.

Don't forget how depressing it is to be stuck doing 65 in the right hand lane all day...lol

 

[DrMoab]

When I first started driving a few companies still had their trucks limited to 55 (Swift, JB Hunt and others)

We hired this guy from one of those companies. At that time I could only run 65 and this guy was amazed at how much better he was. I asked him once how he ever made any money. All he said was "I keep the left hand door shut and drink lots of coffee."

 

[Deleted member 9101]

When I first started driving a few companies still had their trucks limited to 55 (Swift, JB Hunt and others)

We hired this guy from one of those companies. At that time I could only run 65 and this guy was amazed at how much better he was. I asked him once how he ever made any money. All he said was "I keep the left hand door shut and drink lots of coffee."

Most people don't realize, the slower a truck goes..the more inclined a driver is to cheat his logs to get the miles he needs to get a respectable pay check for the week.

When I worked for Cypress Truck lines out of Jacksonville FL, my first truck was a 1989 FLD 120 that would top out at 74-75MPH... when they tried to "upgrade" me to a newer truck from the 1990's..I said no because it would only run 63...lol.