Petition to oppose FMCSA speed limiter mandate

Discussion in 'Ask An Owner Operator' started by Bret1984, May 5, 2022.

  1. Bret1984

    Bret1984 Medium Load Member

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    If you're with a mega different companies call it different things. I've heard "repower" from some but in the event that you arrive days early if there's another driver in the area that's out of hours you can swap loads or if there's a terminal nearby you can sometimes drop in that terminal, grab another trailer and get something else. In any case a dispatcher giving me a 3 day 800mi run is going to get cussed out unless he can reschedule the delivery.
     
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  3. W923

    W923 Heavy Load Member

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    well you have a valid point but fortunately lots of us don’t drive for megas and while driving faster typically does hurt fuel mpg there’s a balance between that and getting one more load this week or maybe in the day depending on what your doing. Or maybe just plain making up some time because of unforeseen circumstances. If you like the speed limiter idea just drive 60 and enjoy all the benefits and let me do what I feel is safe with my truck…which might mean 75+ in Kansas and other flat straight areas. I really don’t think that it’s going to give an overall increase in safety. There’s to many other factors that none of the supporters of it want to consider.
     
  4. TallJoe

    TallJoe Road Train Member

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    Safety wise you have to go along with the speed of the traffic and keeping the right distance from what is ahead of you. That does not need any academic research, it is pure logic , no more, no less. 62 mph vs 80+ mph of a minivan taking a family on vacation asks for tragedies to happen. I see it every day even when we travel at 65+... those 4 wheelers are too fast and too distracted and slowing the trucks down would create even more hazard not for trucks but for them. I really am dumbfounded that they try to apply the logic of "speed kills" to big rigs while it should apply to 4 wheelers or motorcycles who really travel at excessive speeds 80- 90+ on interstates and highways, often changing lanes. Of course a big rig travelling at 90mph might raise question marks but these are very rare and hard to spot. Speed limters for trucks? Sure, but it should be set at 85 mph!
     
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  5. Arctic_fox

    Arctic_fox Experienced mx13 execrator

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    Good for you that you work for a mega and can be lazy then sit on your ###. I dont, my loads are 100% drop em as soon as i get there type deals and reload asap. Loseing those miles means i will typically lose around 1 load a week. Said loads average around $1500 for me. so golly gee i end up loseing around $6000 a month just dropping that single load each week. So that means i either gotta raise rates enough to cover it and risk my customers wrath or eat it.

    Thats my entire paycheck right there. Or near enough at least. But hay i guess it doesnt matter ehh? Its just a couple mile less a day right? Just because you get to sit on your ### for days or drive slowly taking a pee break every hour doesnt mean all of us have that luxury.

    But thats the trouble with....people....like you. You have the mindset of "hay it doesnt effect ME so these other guys are just dumb and selfish because it clearly doesnt effect them either". Oh well with how high in the aor your noses are maybe you can confirm if gods farts actully smell like rainbows and sunshine for us.
     
    Last edited: May 8, 2022
  6. bryan21384

    bryan21384 Road Train Member

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    Ok sometimes that is the case. I just think that trucking is more so about efficiency than speed. Efficiency doesn't always bring speed to the equation. That scenario is more about trip and load planning. If both of those are done adequately, then speed is rendered a non factor, that is unless you come across an adverse condition(traffic, break down, whatever).
     
  7. KrumpledTed

    KrumpledTed Medium Load Member

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    You’re a hard one to satisfy, but I’ll whomp you same as before.

    I hauled quite a few loads of steel from AR to OR over the course of the past 6 months. Many trips I took 40 out across to Barstow then up through CA just to avoid winter conditions up in wonderful windy Wyoming. Average mpg for the two quarters was right at 5.7 mpg for both trucks. It’s about 860 miles the way I run from the river at Needles to crossing the state line into OR on 5. I run about 60 mph through CA because of their 20th century speed limit for trucks. All loads nearly identical for weight and dimensions, no tarp. Fuel mileage in CA? 5.8 mpg. A whopping .1 mpg better than the 75 mph I run from Fort Smith AR to Needles. 565/2050 X15 back with a 20918B Eaton Fuller, 3.25 rears turning 24.5 lo pros. Both trucks are identical in spec, 389 Petes with standup sleepers.

    So yeah, I can get better fuel mileage slowing down. But the time is a hell of a lot more valuable than the 2 gallons of fuel I save over 860 miles. The aerodynamics play an effect, yes. But the type of truck/trailer combo and weights pulled are far more influential in fuel mileage.
     
  8. bryan21384

    bryan21384 Road Train Member

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    I'd buy that driving faster works if every delivery had a window. Maybe in the flatbed division that could pass. In dry van, you may have delivery windows 30 percent of the time. With reefers that's probably even lower if at all. A person running a truck at 60 can do just as well as a person running 75. It's all about load and trip planning. As I said before, I'm not saying the speed should drop all the way to 60. That's ridiculous. I think there probably should be a range. In my opinion, 75 mph max out is fair. I don't see any reason why an 80k vehicle should go any faster than that.
     
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  9. bryan21384

    bryan21384 Road Train Member

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    What makes you think I work for a mega? What makes you think I am lazy and sit on my ###? What makes you think the way you earn your money is that much different than me? What makes you even think you know me? Wait a minute....you don't. Some loads I have are appt loads. Others are drops, ASAP....Just like you. A lot of weeks I can make 1500 too, just like you. I can even run 3800 miles in a week. Seems like a good week to me.....I've ran 670 miles in a day more than once in the elog era. May not be the most a driver runs in one shift, but 670 is pretty freaking long day. Guess what? It was all done in a 65 mph truck. So does that make me a better worker than you? Not at all. Just like your work doesn't make you better than me. You got your opinions on this whole topic. That's fine. I can respect that. I don't have popular opinions on this forum. Thats fine too. I'll respect you, you can respect me by not coming at me like you know me.
     
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  10. KrumpledTed

    KrumpledTed Medium Load Member

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    That’s is an opinion. Just like the following is an opinion:

    175 hp max out for passenger vehicles is fair. I don’t see any reason for a vehicle 8k lbs and lighter should have any more power than that.

    See how silly this all sounds?
     
  11. bryan21384

    bryan21384 Road Train Member

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    "That’s is an opinion." Nah really?!?! You don't say! Ain't nothing getting by you man....better stay sharp....I'm going to need you to catch my next opinion.
     
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