any large fleets 250+ trucks, who are governed above 70?

when I WAS YOUNGER, DUMBER, AND FULL OF .... WELL YA KNOW . I HAD NO PROBLEMS WITH RUNNING TRIPLE DIGETS AND DID SO ...... NOW THAT I AM OLDER, SOMEWHAT WISER I HAVE FIGURED OUT AND HOPE SOME WILL AGREE WITH ME THE LOAD IS NOT WORTH MY LIFE, YOUR LIFE, OR THE DEMANDS OF AN OVER AGGRESSIVE DISPATCHER WHOM WANTS TO MAKE HIS/HER SELF LOOK GOOD..... 75 IS WHAT MOST TIRES ARE RATED AT.... BACK IN THE 80'S AND EARLY 90'S IT WAS 65 THAT THEY WERE RATED AT AND WE WERE STILL GOING TRIPLE DIGETS..... MABEY I JUST GOT TOO MUCH TO LIVE FOR NOW...... I WILL NOT GO OVER 75 PERIOD!!!! WHEN I FIRST GOT IN TO TRUCKING I WAS ABLE TO WATCH AN VIDEO ON TIRE RATINGS AND PAYED ATTENTION TO THE SHAPE OF AN TIRE AT HIGH SPEEDS AND YES TIRES DO CHANGE SHAPE AT HIGHER SPEEDS ....FYI FOR NEWBEES. WITH SPEED COMES AN SORT OF OBLONGATION.... IS THAT AN WORD.... OK FOR NOW IT WILL DO. BUT WHEN SITTING STILL THE TIRE IS PERFECTLY ROUND THE HIGHER RATE OF SPEED THE MORE OBLONG THE TIRE BECOMES NOW FACTOR IN ALIGNMENT OF THE TRUCK AND AIR PRESSURE OF THE TIRES . IF THE ALIGNMENT AND AIR PRESSURES ARE OFF THEN YOU HAVE AN MAJOR PROBLEM THAT MOST DRIVERS WILL NOT NOTICE UNTIL BLOW OUT.... THEN IT MAY BE TOO LATE TO SAVE YOUR SELF. BE COOL ON THE STOOL.... AND KEEP THE SHINY SIDE UP!!!!

 

Just remember that a fast truck not only lets you get more miles than otherwise, but it allows the boss to expect more miles from you than otherwise. Are these fast trucks driving in special "fast truck only" lanes or do they frequently have to wait while some car or truck passes another slow car or truck.

In my experience drivers of fast trucks throw away the speed advantage by stopping more frequently. On trips from Nashville to L.A. the same few fast trucks would pass me several times each day and we'd all wind up at Rip Griffin's in Barstow.

 

Why would a company let you guys run wide open, I have never let any of my drivers run wide open because i know how drivers are when they are driving someone else truck. My fuel economy would go for a ####, if I don't get good fuel milage I'm not making any money.

 

Even though my truck is wide open, I have never drive over 65, and I don't buy that idea that you are impeding traffic. Never in ten years have I ever had a problem driving slower than the 75 mph speed limit. If other traffic wants to go faster they can always pass.

Also I don't buy the idea that some people say that driving slower makes you less money, nobody is ever driving 70+ mph all day long, you would be lucky if you average 60 mph. Really you are only going to get somewhere a few minutes sooner driving faster, I don't feel that lowering my fuel economy is worth getting somewhere a few minutes sooner.

 

You have hit the nail on the head.
I seam to get were I am going just as fast as the guy's that fly bye me doing 80 and stop at every other truck stop. or are on the side of the road explaining to the Bears why he was going 80mph. And DOT just loves to catch the lead footed trucks.
As an O/O I like to run 65, Now I won't try and B.S. anyone if I'm headed to the house empty I tend to go faster. Might get up to 70, maybe.
But I have figured out that the money I save in fuel and everything else in a years time will pay for a nice Vacation for the Wife and myself.

 

AFAIK my O/O buddy has never topped out his truck 18spd 427HP Mack. He found his best MPG is 59mph. Still can run legal and make money.

 

The trucks I run are not speed limited. I have never found the top end on any truck I drive. I really don't want to. That being said I will still do the speed limit. If the speed limit is 75mph then that is what I will do. Until my company says something to me about fuel mileage then I don't care. This last trip I was hauling an empty 30 foot flatbed with a KW T660 with an ISL (9 liter) and an Allision 6 speed auto. At 75mph I was doing 1920 RPM. I think that the limit is around 2700 RPM and I stll got 7.5 mpg on that trip. 28 hours of driving from Pheonix to Indy.

 

Maybe it's just me, but I'm a lot more concerned about what I drive when I'm away from work. I'll take my 62 MPH truck right to the bank.

 

But not as fast as the guys that fly by you and don't stop at every other truck stop. They'll beat you every time.

Interestingly, I have an 18spd 460hp Mack, and my best MPG is at 69mph. My worst MPG came at 60mph in the top hole.

Really, over the course of an 11 hour drive, the guy that averages 10mph faster because he drove faster will be 110 miles further ahead than the slow guy. That's more than a few minutes ahead.

 

If I was a company driver I would want my truck to do about 68. It seems that most are at 65 or less so that little bit more would let you get around those guys. It would let you have your own space, and not just tagging along. I dont want to ride behind somebody all day

The last guys I ran for let us do 78 and that was just right, we ran IL to CA so we could use it out west. That was nice