55 mph plan irks truckers
7/27/08
MA

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Some of us do that speed regardless. I plan on driving 55 to 60 when I get my own truck. Fuel's too expensive.

If they do that, I'll probably find another line of work. There's only so much BS you can take from these clowns.

70Mph typical 11 hour day
650-700 miles X .40 = $260to 280 a day

55 Mph typical 11 hour day

500-550 miles X .40 = $200 to $220

average $60 loss per day X 6 days $360 loss a week

$360 potential loss of pay a week.....

I don't see you listed yourself as a driver so I am not sure if you have driving experience.. I assume you are speaking of being a company driver and driving 55 MPh when you get your "first" truck.. I hope your not speaking about buying a truck and going on your own without any experience.. Insurance alone would kill you and pretty much setting up yourself for failure in such a scenario. (of coarse there are people that have family friends ext.. in the buis that could make it under such a scenario perhaps)

I would not want to give $360 potential pay up to any Congressman... I tell you what, if every government official also takes an equivalent (that would be much larger cut then $360 because it would be a equal pay cut) then I may support it..
We all knows that would not happen..

I do have experience and I do plan on owning my own truck one day. There are some that make more money with speed runs. But trust me. The numbers have been run again and again. It is far more profitable to save money on fuel by going slower than by running on the assumption that going faster means you'll get more miles. It's simply not possible to average 70mph 6 days straight. There will always be waiting times. There will always be traffic. There will always be slower states. There will always be 1 to 2 day runs. Speed has very little on productivity.

Edit: Even if that very broad calculation can have real world applications(which it doesn't), how much does that $60 a day difference compare to the maintenance and fuel burned over a much larger time frame?

I read somewhere, that right now, if you compare a driver who runs at 65 to a O/O that runs 70-75mph, the driver who runs slower will save $15k+ a year in fuel....that is your truck payments for the year. all because you drive 5-10mph slower.

if you are getting ripped off almost $400/week, it would be worth it, to continue to run 65, and getting a ticket. How much is the ticket compared to how much you lose going 55. (granted you could lose your job with enough of those tickets.)

Let the big boys blow past you and get tickets, do the speed limit and win both ways. I say this cause i have seen enough independents run like stupid just to see them either wreck or get pulled over, not everyone of them but its just a matter of time.

After thinking about it...I guess I'd go along with it if they reduce the in-city speed limit to 20mph. That would save a lot of fuel ,be safer ,and just make good economic sense.

You must be talking about Dallas at 9 am.

Hurts my motor to go so slow. "Sammy H"

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