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Gas mileage - hybrids

I've NEVER noticed cross-country semis driving that slowly!

Every few years I travel across the Midwest on US interstates, and the usual situation is two lanes of traffic.

Right lane: cars and trucks going about 70-75 (70 mph is the legal limit) Left lane: A string of semis, bumper to bumper doing about 2 mph faster than the right lane.

Of course, the cars in the right lane can't elect to pass, because the semis are bumper-to-bumper.

When you finally get to a clear spot (perhaps after a large city or truck stop) you can get going 85 or so, until you hit another clump like the above.

Alan Moorman

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DYSLEXICS OF THE WORLD UNTIE!

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Reply to
Alan Moorman
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I don't know which companies are involved, or not, but the stereotypical semi out on an interstate between cities, is running more like 70 - 75, in my experience.

Maybe they SAY they have limits, Philip, but what's going on on the interstates is different. . . .

Alan Moorman

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DYSLEXICS OF THE WORLD UNTIE!

_____________________________________

Reply to
Alan Moorman

Here's info on Yellow Transportation's web site where they mention that they govern speed on their trucks:

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Here's an article from Fleet Owner about semi truck speed governors in Canada:
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Reply to
Ray O

First off, I won't speak for Canada since I'm in Texas but the Yellow Co. web site mentions about an initiative to slow down their speeds and that makes me wonder if they actually enacted it yet or when. I've seen yellow trucks in Houston and they definitely went over 65 mph on I-10 this year.

Another thought comes to my mind if I owned a trucking outfit. If I take longer to make a delivery (perhaps at a lower cost), would that satisfy the buyer or would he want to hire the other guy(s)?

Reply to
Rob

Except for perishable and other time-sensitive goods, the simple solution would be to adjust the departure time so that the arrival time is the same as before. A friend who drives for a bakery with a fleet of around 100 semis leaves the Chicago area around midnight to arrive in the Detroit area in time for the grocery stores to open up. The schedule is calculated based on 50 MPH, with time for fueling and rest stops, so even a governed truck would arrive on time, barring any major traffic tie-ups.

I believe that one of the things that the Canadian association was trying to address was eliminating the advantage, real or perceived, that an outfit with non-governed trucks would have by having all trucks so equipped. Whether the government should mandate that every semi should be equipped with a governor or not is a whole different can of worms. With the price fuel going up, I'd guess that more and more trucking companies will voluntarily install them with the owner/operators watching their speed on their own.

Reply to
Ray O

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