Cost of getting in front

Actually had that discussion with an office beancounter. She started this spill about how their fuel surcharge was set up so that if we averaged 6.5 MPG, we would actually make money on the fuel surcharge. The open deck fleet average was 5.5MPG. She then tells me that if I run 55MPH, I would only be 8 hours slower but would save $400 in fuel per week. I told her that I would rather have the 8 hours. That puzzled her.

“Why?”

Open deck work, especially OSOW is mainly Monday-Friday 6-6. 8 hours is the difference between getting empty Thursday afternoon vs Friday morning, or Friday morning vs Friday afternoon, bettering the odds for a load to run over the weekend. 1 extra load a month will more than offset a month’s worth of fuel savings. Time saved>money saved.

 

You beat me to it, I was just bout to ask what’s the price of bein in back

 

Here's another. Showing up right behind another guy who takes hours to load/unload and thinking for the rest of the day what you coulda been doing instead of waiting.

 

You keep saying professional drivers should most likely do as you say trying to say that your right with everything you do.

Me I just find that very hard to bieve by your wording and answers to my previous post.

Myself I feel that your most likely that truck that runs slower than traffic flow by an unreasonable amount in every situation. Hits thier brakes for things miles before needed. Builds the congestion and then everyone that wants to pass you want to call aggressive just because they don't feel like doing 48 in a 65 zone with every lane change, merge or tap of the brakes that happens in front of you.

You said to me that I should pull over and assess the situation and determine if its road rage just because I described what might be a reason people seem to be wanting to pass you and might actually come up on you and then hit the brakes. Let me ask you are you guilty of road rage against others if your vindictive refusing to yield to that faster traffic, refusing to hold a large enough gap for them to pass, not letting off when they attempt to pass or might you just be incapable of understanding bad driving on your part will create the very thing you want to pass off as aggressive.

A few years ago I met a Warner driver blinded by all his safety ########. I was stuck behind him for over 30 miles at 30 to 32 mph on a 2 lane roadwith a posted 55 limit. Even on straight sections I couldn't see the end of the backlog he created, then as he finally got to the truck stop cars trucks basically squeezed by him on the burm as he stopped to make the left into the truckstop with nothing coming at him for at least 3500 feet and then he wanted to wait and let 3 trucks get from way inside the truckstop out to the road and he attempted to wave them out.
I fueled beside him listening to him ##### about aggressive drivers.
I wonder if it was you?

 

The thing about going slow on a two lane and holding everyone up is that most of the ones slowing everyone down are so self absorbed that they won’t pull over and let traffic pass when they have a chance.

Also, when you’re driving 17 under the limit on a multi-lane highway which lane do you prefer?

 

No. Just no.

On a 4 lane road, 30 in a 55 is not reasonable. Neither is 48 in a 65. Assuming that weight isn't the restricting factor.

If we are talking 2 lane roads - still no. Running that far underneath the speed limit will encourage unsafe passing. There may be curves a truck must slow for, but once clear the truck needs to get to getting and not be the dam causing flooding.

 

He had absolutely nothing in front of him as he turned onto the road for miles and he caught up to no one. I say 30 to 32 as that was actually the highest speeds he reached. I remember hitting speeds as low as 17 and recollect his average was probably 26 to 27 overall.
This on a fairly open road with good to great visibility, dry day no wind, sun not in our eyes! Try again!