Whats up with 62 mph?

My truck is electronically limited at 105 kilometers per hour, roughly 64.8 mph because of the stupid speed limiter laws that got passed in Quebec and Ontario. That being said, I find my Pete gets its best fuel mileage running 59mph. Any slower and it falls on its face.

The really ridiculous part of this speed limiter horse hooey becomes apparent when you consider that some states have recently increased the speed limit on interstates. A good example of this is I95 in Maine. It used to be 65mph, now it's 75.

Now, I can kinda see this if the trucks are allowed to travel at the posted speed limit. What they're talking about doing though is limiting truck speeds to 65mph across the board in the US, which becomes dangerous in areas where the posted limit is 70mph or even higher.

I say if you're going to put mandatory speed limiters on us, put them on the 4 wheelers too. Kinda makes buying that 556 horsepower Cadillac CTS-V look a bit stupid, doesn't it?

 

1. Slow down. If you get, say, 7 mpg at 55 mph, then it'll be 6 mpg at 65 mph. And at 70 mph, you'll be down to 5.5 mpg. Those are not small differences.
2. Spend as much time as you can'90 percent or more'in top gear. Don't get in the habit of cruising one gear down.
3. Assuming the road isn't slippery, spend as much time as you can in cruise control'when on flat terrain. If you use it in hilly territory, it will ­probably accelerate too quickly in trying to get back up to speed after cresting a grade. Remember, a good driver will beat cruise control every time in terms of fuel economy.
4. Aim for the lowest number of engine revolutions per mile. With many engines, you'll win by cruising at about 1,300 rpm, though Cummins says 1,380, and of course higher gross weights will mean you also need to be higher up the tach.
5. Use the engine's full operating range before downshifting. All modern engines are happy to pull at 1,000 rpm or so for brief periods. Stay at peak torque speeds or slightly lower if the truck is accelerating.
6. Try to maintain high average speeds while spending the least time at the truck's maximum speed. You can do that in several ways, starting with keeping a high field of vision and staying well back from the vehicle in front of you. That allows you to anticipate changes in traffic and road conditions and lets you avoid rapid deceleration or abrupt stops. You'll waste fuel getting back up to speed.
7. Try coasting to a stop gradually instead of staying on the loud pedal and then braking hard.
8. Get access to the information in your engine's black box and analyze the number of sudden decelerations and service-brake actuations you make. Use this info as a benchmark to improve against.
9. Old issue, but you really should minimize the amount of time your engine idles. Every idling hour can decrease fuel efficiency by a percent. Sometimes there's no choice, in which case choose the ­lowest idle speed possible, like 600 rpm or so.
10. In rolling terrain a light throttle is the way, and allow momentum to carry the vehicle over short grades. Again, turn off cruise control because your foot will be ' or should be ' much lighter on the throttle.
11. If it's quite hilly or mountainous use the engine's full operating range before gearing down.
12. As you crest a steep grade, don't mash the throttle to get back to your cruising speed. Use gravity instead.
13. Plan your routes to maximize time on multi-lane highways.

 

Bull, the idiot not paying attention that runs into the back of the slower driver is the hazard.

 

Why? Not everyone has the money to buy a new or newer vehicle. You the type of surpa trucka that gives us all a bad name.

When I was 16, my first pickup was a 1980 Datsun. Bought it for $500. Truck ran fine, but shook and raddled above 65. So your saying that truck shouldn't be allowed on the interstate? Arizona law say 45 to 75 on the interstate. Running 55 is perfectly safe.

 

Yeah, it shouldn't be allowed. My 79 Toyota pickup ($300) is smooth at 70 because I take care of it and it isn't a falling apart PoS. My 72 Caddy is smooth at 135 even as worn out as it is. Same on my 91 F150 ($250). Not anyone's fault but your own that you paid more for less and couldn't figure out how to fix it or take care of it.

 

Ya, well, I was 16, had no money at the time to fix it up. But ran fine at 65. I usually drove it 55 to 60 on hyw. Saying I shouldn't be allowed?

 

It's not bull. Ever been on a busy hiway (ie 70w in MO) and seen brake checking and a sudden backup? Then, come to find out its a Prime truck doing his 58 mph causing the brake check? Is part of it the fact cars doing 70 run up on the slow truck before noticing? Yes it is, but we are professionals. We are suppose to be operating our trucks in such a manner as to not be a danger to the motoring public.
Look at it this way. The company or O/O that is operating well below the posted speed limit is doing so to reduce costs. Agreed? Now suppose a city decides to lower costs by no longer painting cross walk lines. Both actions lower costs, but it doesn't make them a sound decision for public safety.

Now follow me here cause I'm going to stretch it way out there with this statement. Driving a truck at a sustained speed well below the posted limit, is a self serving, and careless act with no regards for other people. Your only concern is the almighty dollar.
Think about it.

 

Driving your vehicle at such a high sustained rate of speed that you cannot adequately guarantee the safety of others on the highway including other trucks travelling at a slower rate of speed is negligent and wreckless. YOU'RE the HAZARD.

 

Lmao. You're funny. My truck does 65 max! But I guess that's a "high sustained rate of speed" if you're at 58 mph.

 

Btw I never used the term hazard.