There is money to be made with 9+ mpg trucks

I run more "regional" than anything. Typical runs are 700-800+ miles.

You can't' control what a consignee or a shipper will do. All you can do is prepare your logbook the best you can for them. If that means setting it up for 8/2 splits, then run them. And they will suck after a bit.

As to Ethan,

No doubt he is good at what he does. My comment was not specifically directed to him. It is a blanket statement to anyone that slacks off at work. As an employer, it pissed me off to high heaven to see it happen. And I did simply walk up to one of my employees and tell him to punch out and leave. I'd mail him his check. Don't bother coming back. It's as much theft of the employer as it is from the other employees.

You want a honest days pay, put in a honest days work.

As drivers, we don't have the "luxury" of having a boss standing over our shoulders watching what we do and how. All they see is the occasional load being delivered, either on time or not. That's about the only "performance" measurement that a person has some times. Fuel mileage fluctuating so wildly based on load weights, speeds and locations. With more rural with lots of stop and go driving being harder on it that straight out interstate running.

A good portion of my running this week was on 2 lane main highways. And I still managed to pull a 6.1 mpg average running 66 mph on a truck that's history is 5.9 mpg.

 

Sounds like my math didnt really register with most of you. If you start your career with mega carriers beating into you that "going slower saves fuel", then you may forget about the benefits of delivering more freight.

I get paid for miles traveled not days on the road so I want to run as fast as I can. I do regional all the time (Phoenix to El Paso tomorrow) the advantage to running faster doing regional is obvious, more time at home instead of my sleeper. The downside to running faster is you spend more money but I already did that math.

 

preaching to this choir guntoter. I have done that math a couple times and it comes out where running the speed limit just pays more than worrying about 58 or 62.

 

When you are running 1400 miles plus in one direction before you bump a dock, 62 MPH does not work. I Round trip to Florida and back from da UP of Michigan every week. Plus a little extra Dead head miles. I ave. when all is said and done each week, 3500 miles. I Could not do that with these Mega Co.s the Time lost in speed would kill my rest time.

 

And honestly what added maintenance/breakage is there running 70 vs 62??

 

I like the signature big bad bill has or had. "Work less, make more"

Simple.

Ethan

 

sure....

And driving an average of 60-62 MPH (66-70 mph governed)

I will also benefit by doing it in 12 weeks less time than you did as well.

Allowing me to work an additional 3 months this year doing in 9 months what would take you 12.

That 3 months would be me OVER the national average you are claiming and put you under the national average.

And that is where I am calling bunk on this argument.

You are ignoring that a slower truck costs you hours running allowing you to generate more revenue.

Some where in the middle is a happy medium.

 

You left out one important Variable. TIME. Time is also Money I drove 187,000 Miles last year. That is staying within 5 mph of the speed limit. and No speeding tickets or warnings. I get paid for every mile I drove. and I could not of done that if I had been Governed at 58. thus I would of made a lot less money or I would of got NO Off time. Now if you only want to drive 140,000 miles. Then sure. Drive slower. but again. You will only be home the same amount of time I am at 187,000 miles. 187,000 divided by Ave speed of 63 mph is 57 hours of driving per week. Now if you are Governed at 58 your ave speed would be 52 mph instead of 63. at 57 hours of driving per week you would only be able to drive 154128 miles. So the driver would in the 58 mph truck would make $63192 in a year of driving at ave speed of 52mph for 57 hours per week and the driver at 72 mph would make $76670 at ave speed of 63 mph for 57 hours per week both making .41 cents per Mile. so for the same amount of time and the same amount per mile. A driver would make $13478 more in a year working 57 hours per week if he were governed at where my truck is. 72 mph. As a driver, They are being Robbed so the company can make more money. I already told my company that there are enough small companies out there that will hire me with out governed trucks that if they nutted me down to under 72, I would go to one of them. So all the other trucks are nutted at 65 and the drivers are peved that I make more miles every week.