Speed limiters......

Probably would have got more accomplished by pissing in the wind. At least then you'd have a moist, refreshing feeling.

 

LMAO! Probably right!

 

I commented too. Probably doesn't matter. I'm of the opinion a soft coup has already happened and we're all socialist now. Congress has made themselves irrelevant. If I can only travel at a mandated 65mph in a maximum mandated 11 hours than my pay is fixed to that of any other driver. If we are all making the same money, what's the point in being independent? I'm currently a company driver that's ready to go owner operator because I make more than my manager and I'm being treated accordingly. They don't like it so they want to slip seat my truck and cut my hours so I will be like everyone else. I figured out a way around the system to make more but they're on to me. Normal rational people not driven by emotion would applaud hard work. Liberalism is neither rational nor logical and therefore difficult to overcome. I'm at a point where my over achievement is being blocked no matter what I do. So...pondering if it's worth buying a truck even though my company job has become what it is. Average is okay for most, just not me. It would appear I can't break free either way or I am a being over dramatic?

 

There are many variables, but doing the truck ownership thing can be significantly better than just staying company driver. All depends on what you prefer to do for hauling, where you primarily haul, and how that relates to where you live. As in real estate, the best setups depend on location, location, location. And it has a lot to do with how much of a business person one is, and how to maximize net profits.

I do significantly better than most company drivers, anywhere, and I narrow my operating range to about 600 miles of the house. I can stop by the house a couple of times a week, take weekends/holidays off, and take 3-4 weeks a year off, and still make a solid living typically driving 60-65 mph in my 100 mph truck. My net last year was over $80K. Yes, Net... you know... after all expenses of the business. I finally had to change my setup to being an LLC with S Corp tax structure and put myself as a W-2 employee of my company to get taxes down to a better level. As of a couple of days ago, even paying myself $750 a week salary, my net to the business is about $52K this year. But I have save roughly $8000 in taxes so far this year that I would have normally had to pay as a sole proprietor, by doing the LLC combined with a S Corp tax structure thing.

And when combined with living in a more moderate cost of living area of the country, this all plays out extremely well.

 

A view into the future, took this guy well into the 4th mile to get it done, truck on the right was below the posted speed, but not by much. If all trucks are governed the same speed, it will be interesting. I foresee 4 wheelers squeezing through as soon as there is a gap to do so. When I'm pulling our lowboy, I just cruise along doing the posted speed for trucks. See others sucking the blacktop up behind them.

 

In the 80's and 90's it was interesting..... JB Hunt & Schneider National created a lot of road blocks.

 

Doubt they realize that whatever ridiculous speed they decide to mandate doesn't mean that's what everyone will run. I don't think they know it's not a safe practice to run right up against the governor in case of a blowout. I don't care about running 65 all day but not having the ability to get around someone is going to suck. I laugh when people say just slow down and fall back in the right lane. Doesn't happen around here like that unless your out late at night. The minute you back out of it you have a line of cars trying to pass on your right leading to more potential accidents, the kind most common involving trucks.

 

Derailed nailed it. Problem is you have to back out of it to let the passer back over. Then the guys behind are screwed and you're tailgating. What happens when you back out of it at Daytona?

 

There is some difference. The folks running cars around at Daytona Speedway are in a different league that the typical auto driver on the interstate who thinks that the speed limit is a minimum instead of a maximum, and typically is not focused on anything more than 50 ft or less in front of their vehicle nor realize that drafting can be extremely hazardous.

Example of this myopia was evident last week just east of Iowa City. Truck quite a ways in front of me in the right lane, blew out a tire and threw a wide based gator out into the left lane. 4 cars, all drafting each other had just passed me in the left lane. The first barely avoided the gator, then next just edged it, the 3rd ran over it, throwing it up in the air, where the 4th car ate it in the windshield, totally destroying the windshield and nearly injuring the driver. Speed limiter would have made zero difference. There is good reason why it can be argued that keeping safe following distance is a good idea.

This speed limiter thing, while somewhat a goofy idea, really will not compensate much for what stupid drivers do, whether they are going 45 or 85 mph. I have seen more rear end accidents in areas where the speed limit was under 60 mph. Speed limiters would be a non issue in those areas. One cannot overcome being stuck on stupid.

 

I have to disagree Cowpie. It's exactly like a restrictor plate race. I've put up with limiters for ~7+ years now (I'm not limited but other trucks are). I can tell you that speed limiters cause drivers to throw following distance out the window. Drivers are unwilling to slow down because there a 5 trucks behind you that will pull out to pass as soon as you drop 1 or 2 mph. It's going to take 5 miles of flat ground for them to make the pass and you'll have to let all of them back in. And if you come upon a hill then it all changes depending on weight and horsepower. Then throw in a little snow or ice. It's a death sentence.

Imagine this. You are limited to 65, running at 62 grossing 40K. 3 trucks coming up on your back door all doing 65, limited at 65. Two trucks behind you in the granny pacing you at 62. They all pull out to pass you. Lead truck gets by and second truck gets to your door by the time you come upon a 60 mph truck. You put on your left signal but the trucks on your left won't let you out. Now you're climbing a hill and the truck ahead of you has a little motor, or is 80K or is a B train. Now you're following him up the hill at 35 mph. This happens all day long.

I could list scenario after scenario. Trucking lives matter.