If I passed the same Prime truck 3 times....

Oh, I know it, I was just venting. Is it that the trucks are governed at that speed, though? I've seen some that can move a little faster.

 

I figured you were.....But , I really believe it is..at least nowadays anyhow...insurance companies have such a strangle-hold on them now that when they are budgeting for the years expenses , insurance coverage is a big part of their expenditure. It's a sad thing , but we've created our own monsters I'm afraid. If companies can save insurance rate money on their trucks being governed at 62 , 3 , or 4 then they'll do it every time.

 

Prime company truck are 58 on the peddle and 62 on cruise, lease trucks are 65 on both.

 

@dinomite. How many cpm are you saving? Have you also tried say 55 or 57? And what was your previous average?

 

ICs are 65 on cruise and 62 on the pedal... NOT 65 on both.

It's about the fuel. That's the single largest controllable expense any transportation company has now, exceeding even the payroll. If your carrier has heartburn over their net, the easiest way to make some more money is to turn down the trucks. If you look at why many businesses failed in the '09/'10 time frame it's simply because they couldn't make enough money to pay the oil companies and the payroll.

Prime company guys have to turn in 7.5-mpg with a GVW of 75 to 80,000-lbs. If you can't do that in a 62-mph truck, they'll let you try it in a 58-mph truck. Still can't do it? You're headed for a few weeks on a training truck. Still can't do it? Can you say S-W-I-F-T? Or C-R-E?? You see the problem... these guys can't run 62 all the time, and in fact need to be running in the 55 to 58-mph range to get to the point that they start paying the fuel bonus. Company guys get as much as 6-cpm extra for turning in a good week for fuel economy.

As for the lease guys, it's again, all about the fuel. We're paid percentage of linehaul, fuel surcharge and accessorials... and what your settlement comes down to is how much you don't pay the oil companies. The difference between 7.5-mpg and 8.5-mpg puts quite a bit more in your bank account. Besides... it's easier to wash the windshield in the summer when the bugs fly away because you're running slow!

 

Im governed at 60mph and today on the 80 in Nebraska, I blew by a Prime truck. I thought I was slow...holy hell!!!

 

If I get over 8mpg for the month I get a 4 or 5 cents bonus for all the miles. A little less if I keep above 7.5. Those 3 and 400 dollar checks come in handly on slow weeks. I haven't tried 58 or 57. I'm already getting 8.5 or more if I keep it at 60, and they don't give any extra pennies if I turn in a 9 per gallon month, and since I have always used 60 as my average speed anyway. It's just easier to calculate. I go 58 or 59 if I'm in cali, but normally I do 60 or 59 there as well. This is a new truck and I'm just seeing what she can do. Got her in December so seeing what she can do in the not so cold months. So I can keep my average up. I was getting 7.5 at 65 depending on the terrain and the wind. Wind has kicked my butt last 2 days so I'm averaging in the 7.7 range doing 60.

 

Yes and then there's Prime.......my company has the stupid On Guard collision system and the only good thing about them is the radar that they have allowing me to see how slow the guy in front of me is going.... I've come up on Prime trucks going as slow as 48MPH... This is in a 75MPH state.. When does slow become too slow? Prime trucks are a moving safety violation and often impede traffic, yes in the right lane as well. Come on guys, get a clue! If you're spending more money in fuel at 62 then you need to raise your rates....cruise the USA at 50MPH and stay on the road for weeks at time.. Sounds like a great deal where do I sign up? Oh! Can I get a Prime fleece purchase with that? I bet most local drivers make the same or more than most Prime drivers and are home every day....

 

So... you're saying you're such a poor driver you can't deal with slower traffic without becoming a hazard yourself? Just because you can drive 75 doesn't make it safe to do so even under the best of circumstances. You may pass me 3 times, but many days I see those same trucks where I park (after passing me 3 times) and it's all repeated the next day. So what's the point? Go fast just to end up covering the same amount of ground a slower truck runs... at many times the cost?

http://www.thetruckersreport.com/tr.../249869-conroe-tx-fatal-three-trucks-two.html

This happened in a vaunted 75-mph state to trucks most likely driving at the speed limit that had no time to avoid the wreck. Yep, I drive a little slower, and it's incumbent on the faster vehicles to drive at those speeds and deal with the slower traffic SAFELY. That's the law. If YOU can't deal with it, maybe it's time for YOU to get off of the road.

BTW... that "fleece purchase?" I'm well on the way to owning my truck, with more in the bank than I owe on said truck. So yeah, it has been a great deal.

 

Well, I only have a high school education and missed quite a few days of my junior and senior year but according to my math, 5 cent fuel bonus does not make up for the loss of production assuming a 10 MPH average reduction and 60 hrs/wk drive time when considering 62 MPH avg vs, 52 MPH avg. If you don't have the freight to keep you moving, then I guess maybe, but where I am we have freight to run all the miles our hours will allow and I'm not going to give up 600 miles/wk production.

If they have a problem with their net profit, maybe they need to rework their rates. I'm not saying they should not try and conserve fuel -within reason- but I've seen many of their trucks that bordered on or were actually operating below the minimum speed limit and that I have a real problem with from a safety standpoint.