Soon all new trucks set for 68 mph max

Don;t everyone get into a big panic over this. Just because the ATA has declared support for it, does not mean that it is going to happen. All this is was a test balloon floated to see what the response was. And even if it does happen, it is a very simple thing to override and get around. I don;t need to run any faster than that, but putting limiters on the trucks is not the answer to the potential problems. The large companies love this idea because it removes competition from them. If they all deliver at the same speed, none of them gets an advantage.

Don't get excited until it actually happens, and it hasn't happened yet.

 

And I think it would fly in the face of state's rights. The federal government took itself out of the speed limit business in 1995 when they did away with the National 55.

 

I think WY should sue any trucking outfit that drives through it's state with a rig that can't do the legal speed limit of 75mph. Doesn't mean they have to drive 75mph, just means they have to be able to drive 75mph. And if they de-tune the trucks to 65mph or less, they better start paying hour wages, or they are taking money out of your pocket.
​

 

Why would they sue a company for their truck not being able to do the maximum speed limit in the state? If the state has a minimum speed limit (usually 45 mph) in most states, and the truck is unable to meet that, you might have an argument. For example, for a tractor to pull doubles or triple on the toll road system, that truck has to be certified to the toll road commision that it has the ability to maintain certain speed up a set % grade.

But the legal rule is that you can drive at any speed between the minimum and the maximum. There are no restrictions within that. As long as you don;t exceed the speed limit, there is no penalty for excessive speed. And if you are traveling at below the minimum speed, then you are defined as a hazard to vehicles overtaking you from behind. But there is no requirement to be able to run at the top speed.

I am not able to with my company truck, nor can the majority of company trucks in the country, and even if I could run 75, I most likely would not. I lost a steering tire Friday morning at about 65 mph, and i have no need to discover what the consequences could have been losing one at 75 mph.

The issue is not one of how fast trucks can go, it is one of the government setting a specific limit on a vehicle, and the industry pushing towards that.

 

Did you miss this?

Doesn't mean they have to drive 75mph, just means they have to be able to drive 75mph.

Some states have posted min on how fast you can go, some states don't. Why shouldn't they sue for making trucks slower on their roads? I can't remember if WY has a posted min speed limit or not. I might not go 75mph if I don't want too, but I might want to go faster then 68mph. That being said, they start dropping the limits down, they better start paying hourly. Heck, they should pay by the hour anyway. Unless you enjoy working harder then a Japanese worker making less then one makes at McDonalds.

I'm just saying if they are going to start completely re-writing the laws and rules, they better start at the ones that give me money.

(FYI you'd lose $66 in a 8 hour period from 75 to 68 @ .87 a mile or $21 a day at .28 a mile or $150 a week.....)

 

But since I don't get paid by the mile, and never have, that isn't an issue with me. And the numbers you ar quoting are way too low. This year, it looks like I drove for about 53-54 cpm for each mile on the truck odometer. I wouldn't bother to get out of bed for 28 cpm.

 

New Mexico has a minimum left lane speed limit of 65 mph on 75 mph roads.

 

Your numbers only work if your speed never varies at all from those exact numbers during that 8 hour period. And you are not including the lower cost of fuel you would incur due to better fuel mileage driving 65-68 instead of driving at 75 mph.

 

Correct me if I am wrong, but mileage is not all about speed. Manifold pressure has a tremendous effect upon fuel mileage. By utilizing proper use of manifold pressure, I can get as good of mileage at 75 as I can at 65, providing that conditions are right. If you have enough horsepower, you can get good mileage at almost any speed. You just have to know what you are doing and have the right gearing to pull it off.