I don't think speed is the problem, It's the drivers! I may be older then many in this room but.... in the days of convoys (read 1970's) tractor trailer drivers behaved and drove very diffrently. The guys on the road today drive like. In the passing lane for miles as they cant really pass in any real amount of time. We used to look up to these guys as knights of the road. Now...Now, I look at them as a problem. If they keep on driving the way they do, there will be limits placed on them. Cant say I will feel sorry for them, I was always content and in fact would follow the knights of the road in the old days, Now they worry me. It's a diffrent world. from gentlemen of the road to driving as if they own the road.

 

I may not be as old as you are but I hardly ever see anything like you are describing when I am on the highway. Occasionally a trucker will be in the left lane, but they darn sure don't hog it up or drive like they own it. I am careful and respectful around trucks as I know they have one tough job maneuvering such a large vehicle with many significant blind spots. I feel that absolutely NO ONE has the right to say anything against truck drivers until they know what it is like to drive one every day for several hours.

 

what does it matter if they place speed limiters on them or not if people want to drive faster they will find ways to change the speed limiter just like smarty allows me to raise my speed limiter from 107 to what ever i want. strick enforcement is the only way that you will make people slow down. and i agree with madhat that its all cars not just trucks these chicks in suv's are the worse.

 

The people that petitioned NHTSA to mandate speed limiters also petitioned FMCSA to require the speed limiters to be inspected during roadside and scale inspections . Real waste of valuable time officers could better spend checking tires , brakes , and log books .

 

O3 just for the record I pull a 35ft fifth wheel. I drive for about 7 hr's a day. I drive very diffrently then when not towing, I had my TT license years ago as well. The deal is when your towing you dont drive 80MPH cause you just cant stop on a dime. by the same token you cant accelerate like a car. Used to be that TT drivers were a different breed. Thats my only point

 

O and for the record speed limiters (Governers) are nothing new. They were in heavy use years ago. They were employed years ago to save fuel after the first oil embargo. "out of gas my , fire schlesinger" If you remember that bumper sticker and odd and even days, You prob can confirm everything I've been saying

 

With your experience you know the best way to maintain a safe braking distance for trucks is to stay 4 to 6 seconds behind the vehicle in front of you . Now which vehicle would best be able to maintain that interval , a truck running with the flow of traffic or one forced to run 10 m.p.h. slower than everyone else except other trucks and constantly have cars cutting in and out , especially at interchange ramps ?

 

I notice that a lot of the trucks around here go with the flow of traffic, and those that are going by the slower limit have caused small to sometimes huge logjams of cars waiting to go around....this makes some other drivers impatient, and follow much more closer than they should and we all know what happens after that.....someone smashes into the car ahead of them, then they pull to the side of the road and then another huge jam happens because of rubberneckers, then another rear ender happens because of that.......it's like dominos.....see it at least 2-3 times per week.

 

All of the companys I know of that these programs exsisit with have 21 year old guys running over the road in less than two months! I dont know and maybe I just got a grudge but my father has driven for 36 years now. Its all he knows and its all he wants to do! He wont retire because he loves to drive a truck. Two very large freight companys came together several years ago and implemented one of these programs to get drivers. Well, in 32 years of driving and having only been hit one time, my dad has managed to be hit THREE TIMES by this companys drivers! All were 21 years old and on the job less than 1 year! His company does not hold this aginst him since he was parked in a truck stop all three times the accidents occured but they still have a record of the incidents on file. To top that all off, he was on his way home from Arizona when one of these accidents occured and saw another one of these trucks roll over from taking an off ramp too fast! This is just one of the companys that has one of these programs and im not saying they are all the same, but that does put a bad taste in my mouth about the whole deal! If more companys would require strict rules like you seem to do then it wouldnt be an issue but then again, most companys wouldnt exisit due to a lack of drivers!

 

DmaxEter,

Would the trucking company's name be SWIFT? I swear they have the stupidest drivers on the road. You do know what Swift stands for don't you? Stop Whining I'm a First Time Trucker.

 

When you tamper with company equipment and you get caught, and you will get caught they can montitor these satelitte equipped trucks from their office computer, you get fired and the company reports it to DAC. A "credit" agency that keeps records on drivers. All the companies check with DAC before hiring anyone. One black mark on a driver's DAC report blacklists him from ever getting a good paying job. So even though it's not a mandatory by law thing I still wouldn't mess with the limiter on my truck for anything. I'm at the top of the pay scale. It's not easy work. I wouldn't do it for less than I do so if they set the speed then that's what I run. Unless I buy my own truck now that's a different story. But i never will. Most of those guys ruister cruisin in fast trucks are working for peanuts just so they can look cool.

 

How about Stuck With Idiot Trainer (Yeah , I know I left a letter out )
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SH6F-nadeic

 

One thing everyone has missed thus far is what are the limits on the equipment. Looking at tires alone most if not all large(class 8) truck tires are only rated for a max of 75 mph, let alone tires that have been regroved and recapped several times. How many times have we all seen peices of truck tires on the roads?

 

I didnt want to be the one to call names out but since someone else did first is it bad for me to say yeah it was??? I dont think they are any worse than any of the other big name companys that participate in this type of training program, but they are most likely the biggest. Thats why you are more likely to see one of their stupid ones because there are so freakin many of them!!!

 

I run for Arrow transportation and we do 55 miles an hour(92 km/h) if I wasnt paid by the hour it would suck. Even on highways with 110 km/h speed limits we are in the right lane doing 92 km/h with the Traxxis telling on us if we do anything faster. They get real good milage at this speed because 1400 rpm is right at the touque peak and fits right in with 91 km/h. We are a big time hazzard to the flow of traffic though. sometimes on 2 lane roads there will be litteraly miles and miles of traffic behind me with clear sailing for as far as i can see ahead. I call it "my following"