80 MPH speed limit. Would you?

Do you not realize how unsafe that is? Stopping distance, tires, reaction time. Not to mention Johnny Law. If you had to panic brake/emergency stop you are looking at what? Safety should be your primary concern as a professional driver, not how quick you can complete a run for 900 bucks.

edit: I overshot on the stopping distance, but even at 65 you are looking at over 500 feet vs around 300 for a 4 wheeler. So add a couple hundred when you are traveling at 80. Still looking at over 700 feet in perfect road conditions.

 

That explains why reefer tuggers drive like the load was supposed to be there yesterday.......

No thanks.....I'll stick with tarping and having "Bankers Hours".......

 

So a 90k gross load becomes 40?

 

For some drivers out there.....50 mph ain't safe either......

 

Back in the good ole days of the "Double Nickle"....I used to run the 15 between Riverside and San Diego frequently....
I'd drive 80 and get passed like I was standing still....

 

Ironic that in that 80 mph section...Drivers are still getting pulled over for speeding......

I guess 80 isn't fast enough for their liking.....

 

Because sometimes time is worth more then fuel sometimes its not if it allows me to get an extra load in the day its worth it

 

If I was OTR and had a fast trk,I would drive 80 maybe.Just depends on the day.Not because I just have to get that load delivered so I can get the next dispatch.Companies mean NOTHING to me.The load will get delivered when I get good and ready and not before.But I would drive 80 because sometimes a slow trk makes me tired.Then other times I don't mind slow.Just depends on my mood and the day.Of course safety is my number 1 concern.

 

Every rig has it's sweet spot......And I would say running 80 with a large car...Isn't in the Sweet Spot....
I run 70.....At 1375 rpms and I get ~ 7.5 mpg......

Can't get much better than that......

 

I even crunched some hypothetical numbers in another thread. Assuming all was equal, the operator operating at 70 mph and able to score more miles a week than the operator operating at 55 mph still took home more money despite the fuel penalty. To be honest, it all boils down to how well you run your operation. Ive noticed a lot of the slow operators are working for the lease purchase mills. With that huge truck payment looming over your head, yeah, you're going to have to save money any way possible. But if you have a smaller traditional finance payment, or better yet, NO payment, you can pretty much afford to take a few liberties.

My wife's uncle is an owner operator. He owns his truck outright. Usually he operates around 73 mph as he runs mostly in 70 mph states. He only hauls loads under 30k. He can afford to be choosy.

My boss looks for similar loads but she will take a heavy load when no other option is available. Running how I usually run, my lowest MPG this trip was 5.5 and that was thanks to hauling heavy from Alabama to Indiana over those hills.