Why don't trucks go 55 for fuel efficiency?

Discussion in 'Ask An Owner Operator' started by Jordan Shackelford, May 24, 2021.

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  1. TokyoJoe

    TokyoJoe Road Train Member

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    LESS likely to have an accident with every vehicle on the interstate blowing past you and trying to get around your rolling road block for 11 hours?

    I seriously doubt that.
     
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  3. gentleroger

    gentleroger Road Train Member

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    Your math is faulty.

    In essence we're doing a basic min/max problem, microeconomics 301 level stuff. Your variables are time, fuel consumption, and revenue. You set up the equations to figure out what the optimum speed is. Not too hard, right?

    But then you need to account for the HOS, appointment times, TS locations, safety and a whole host of other variables which makes it easy to get into the weeds.

    Luckily, we have a real world example. For 2 decades my company was governed at 60 mph. Safety and fuel consumption were the reasons. A few years ago fmcsa changed how aobrs calculated drive time, which resulted in lowering the number of miles our trucks averaged a day. 8 months later we upped our speed to 63 mph. In 2019 we started running elds, with the resulting loss of efficiency. By early to mid 2020 we had upped our speed to 65 mph.

    The fuel savings of running at 55 don't overcome the revenue loss. There is an argument to be made for 65 vs 70, but 55 just don't hunt.

    Tldr - the fast pass at Disney costs me more money, but I get more enjoyment out of my day.
     
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  4. TallJoe

    TallJoe Road Train Member

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    55 mph all the time - Swift or Prime style? 55 mph is a torture.
    I swear I'd forfeit whatever fuel savings and then pay someone a few grand more to be able to ride at 65 mph +. That's just a part of my own pursuit of happiness, the only thing I miss is a long hood.

    In the era of ELDs and parking scarcity, metered customer service performance, 55 mph would do more harm than good.
    Let Kevin drive his RV at 57 but his savings won't translate into this business world.

    At times, I'd go slower maybe 57-60 but due to my own whim, without any $$$ in mind.
     
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  5. skallagrime

    skallagrime Road Train Member

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    Spec your tires better? I have a suspiscion that many people dont know what their tires are rated for and severely abuse them or many times overbuy them based on things like rolling resistance alone, not accounting for weight, inflation and speed.

    I dont make stellar mpg, but in a 94 loaded to 80k (gross) and idling the truck a good 12 hours i still pulled 6.3 mpg rolling about 65-70 mph accross indiana and ohio, 7.3 last week same run with 0 idle...
     
  6. WizeWeelz

    WizeWeelz Bobtail Member

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    Found a new powertrain treatment that bumped my mileage about 4%. Mix it 1:16 ratio to oil. Should save me around $2k a year. Called ELEV8, I think its only at amazon now
     
  7. Long FLD

    Long FLD Road Train Member

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    Uh I did. A lot. Multiple times a week. I drove for Cliff Reed for 10 years. So keep telling your trucker stories about roads you traveled once, just don’t be upset when someone who drove the same roads weekly disputes your claims.

    In case you’re wondering, there wasn’t 3 to 5 of us showing up daily at Intermountain Wood in Meridian with empty trucks. I’m certain we drove loaded to get down there.
     
  8. Dave_in_AZ

    Dave_in_AZ Road Train Member

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    58 or 59 in California.
     
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  9. Grumppy

    Grumppy Trucker Forum STAFF Staff Member

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    As for me, I'm driving the same speed as that naked lady is driving.
     
  10. CAPTransport

    CAPTransport Light Load Member

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    They are the same people that actually think tuning their engines up to 600hp so they can pull hills faster will improve fuel economy because they're getting up the hill faster.
     
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  11. CAPTransport

    CAPTransport Light Load Member

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    I typically cruise at 60-62 depending on traffic. I start my day in the evenings and understand psychotic solar powered drivers need to get parked so I'll slow down to let the fleet drivers by more quickly or speed up if I'm running front door to a bunch of ungoverned trucks. I always hammer down on my load that gets me home though.

    There's just no need to be in a rush these days. I don't want to have a heart attack before I'm 50 because I've wasted my entire life trying to keep up with four wheelers or get mad over 65 trucks cutting in front of me. I just do my deal with the hand on the wheel and ride to the beat of my own kick drum.
     
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