To 2014....and BEYOND!!!!

Well most of the things you are talking about here are true. Most of the speed limiters are going to be set by the customer. I still don't like it but it is here to stay. In 10 years you all can look back as say "I remember when."

 

I would have no problem with a truck that got 10 mpg average at 80,000 lb. When one comes along, I will consider getting rid of my 2013 glider. But I think I will be able to keep this one for quite a while before OEM's get trucks to that level. And we all know, that what THEY say a truck will get, is a far cry from what it will get in the real world. They have been posting estimated mpg's on cars a pickups for years and very few actually get those numbers on the sticker. I have to admit, my 2006 Jeep Liberty Diesel had a manufacturer estimated highway mpg of 27 mpg, but I consistently get near that in local driving and upwards of 34 mpg on highway trips. I think that is the only vehicle I have ever had, or seen for that matter, that consistently beats the window sticker mpg. And my truck is averaging 7.6 mpg across the board on loads. Not a lot of new trucks beating that. And I do pull heavy frequently. I recently got 7.4 mpg, pump to pump calculated, pulling 46K of roll stock paper from Arkansas to Omaha, and that included all the hill crawling of I-540 and Hwy 71 from Ft. Smith up to Joplin.

As far as the government getting up to speed and doing something about gliders, it probably will have NOTHING to do with EPA standards. It will be all about the Federal Excise tax they are losing when this is done. There are a lot of new gliders running around, my dealer is doing 8 per week now. Add all the gliders up that are running nationally, and that is a hefty chunk of change the government is not getting in taxes. That is what they will target. For the government, it is all about the money first. But until the tax code changes, it is still a big savings.

 

Just want to clarify something here. In 2003 we saw the first round of serious EPA emmissions. They mandated NOx had to be reduced. NOx is produced at high peak combustion temperatures. One easy way to reduce temperatures is to dilute the oxygen. That's why we have EGR. They want less oxygen and more nitrogen to slow down the burn and reduce peak temperatures. The downside of this is our engines are less efficient. Efficiency is directly related to MPG and also carbon dioxide output. Very simply more fuel burned = more carbon dioxide. It's very linear.

In 2014 and beyond we may actually see EPA have a positive effect on truck engines. I don't know if it will all be roses, or how much the cost will be. But if they mandate a reduction in carbon dixiode output, that means they want more efficient engines. What's odd is that they want the opposite of 2003, but they also want NOx to be even lower than 2003.

That being said it will be a very long time before I buy a new truck. I just put a 2002 T800 equipped with a 500 detroit and I'm averaging mid 7's pulling fully loaded flatbed loads. Even if a new truck could match that, we still have new truck depreciation, higher maintenance costs, higher breakdown rates, and more headaches. It will be many years before the new trucks get back to where they were in those categories.

 

I think you misunderstood my point.
I didn't say the USA would automaticly have speedlimiters just because Canada and the EU have them.

I just wanted to point out that it is possible and has allready been done in other places.
And that they aren't afraid to target just the trucks while leaving the 4 wheelers alone.

 

Plus the fact that the ATA and others have been aggressively lobbying for the implementation of speed limiters for quite some time now.

 

Question for pete sales guy. What the average price increase for the "014" models expected to be?
The manufacturers better hire some real engineers if they are going to get 10 mpg. I can see lots of games in classifying road trucks as vocational trucks etc.

 

Wipe out the crappy American software and use a European tune then watch fuel mileage and performace increase.

 

You really this rate will be cut? I am sorry to say this but if what they say is true then the days of $150,000 trucks will be long gone. Lets all face it now. By 2017 they will all be $200,000+ trucks, they will need more things done then changing oil and filters. If anything rates will be up 20% or more by 2017. I am sure fuel will be around 6$ a gallon if not more tires will be up another 20-30%

Lets face it... Things are going up up up and unless you are going to truck for free rates will need to go up also. How much more can they take?

 

Plenty of NASA engineers need a job thanks to.......


...... you guessed it!

 

Thanks to the fact they sometimes don't double-check their work?

Even rocket surgeons get it wrong.