Schneider slowing fleet down

We used to go 63?

 

Until the mid 1990s we were an 'outlaw' company. Wink and a nod to the HOS, just get it there.

 

Start looking for another company. 60 is too #### slow.

I spent almost 4 months in the south at 55 limited and intense interviews any time they detected 60. I moved on. I fell asleep at 55 and sometimes was scared of the 70+ traffic that stampeded.

I once was limited from 125 to 60 with the immediate result of that rockwell 9's top two gears failing to achieve horse in top gear and not enough rpm in the next gear down creating a monster that dragged at 57 all the way to Ohio. Up, down, up down up down.

I took the bobtail home, told them they can stick it. They went out of business a year or two later consumed by driver turnover.

 

I was thinking on this this morning over coffee.

60. Too. ####. Slow.

However.... if the Ivory tower issues this proclamation to all Pumkinland to slow to 60... I think this is why...

Driver pay too high, slow the trucks, cut the fleet average from say 45 mph to around 35 or so. Lowers the gross miles per week payable.

Fuel burn, provided you can stay in that top gear, you burn less hopefully per hour lowering one of the biggest expenses in trucking. I recall our Freightliner Century 2001 model which I was assigned at 20 miles cherry virgin, ran it with my spouse team in 2001 for 306 service days only stopping for fuel and once a month for food and fluids for two in Laraime.

My engine a detroit 500 reported my fuel burn for the year at 4.00 a gallon working out to approximately 78,000 dollars. I think it was approximately 221,000 miles pricing fluctuated from 2.50 all the way up to a high of 6.00 during 9-11. A bad timing for fueling 300 gallons I tell you. What a bad day...

We ran a minimum of 600 per day, a max of approx 1470 or so every 24 hours. Sometimes I think the long grades boosted us coast to coast at speeds governed 63 closer to 67 or more depending on prevailing winds.

We were just one truck. If Pumkin realized some savings across 20000 trucks you are talking real money.

Now how many accounts do you think Pumpkin stands to lose when your precious 60 mph chokes you across Ohio hmm? Or starves you on the Colorado Raton. Swift would be the one to join to go fast.

Ack!

 

It is either an attempt to lower payroll costs (and payroll taxes) through cutting income and increasing experienced driver turnover in favor of inexperienced (and therefore lower cost) rookies, or a drive to put more drivers into lease trucks, therefore passing the costs of operation onto the driver and increasing company profits.

 

the thread 8 years old

 

Ok so it's 8 years old. Ive been off the road since 2009 thereabouts. The Net the last 20 years these forums a few weeks ago. I used to stuff dollar bills into machines to get net service before I bought park and view way back then... remember those? Now it's what? Satellite to the sleeper? My last year was GPS laptop with rand software and a stack of every single business numbers on disk across the USA. (DRIVERS DO NOT GET THIS *&%% NUMBER WHERE IN THE ***Explodes world you get this effing number!!! Ima fire your runt... )

 

We long for the good Ole days of Truck.... I mean TTR!

 

So what is the current governed speed? I hope its 68, drove for Western Express at 62 and that really stunk!