Truckers Back a National 65-mph Speed Limit

Truckers Need to Observe Law

I am so damn tired of trucks pulling right in front of me in order to pass some other truck that is driving 1 mph slower than they are. Often I have to apply brakes in order not to hit them. They disobey the law by improperly passing without sufficient time and distance and then one is herded around a bunch of trucks in a convoy. The pulling in front of me was dangerous and now the "close in" packed traffic is dangerous.

With this proposal this will only get worse. The Cops need to ticket such individuals for cutting in, but they never do. If it takes a little time and judgement and doesn't invovle a radar gun, they are not going to bother. Too much work!

Anyone interested in safety, knows what I am talking about and slowing down cars is not the answer. The Trucking industry needs to look in the mirror to find the real problems out there and stop trying to scapegoat everyone else.

Frank Goudy of @ Mar 30, 2008 19:29:38 PM

You right foot controls your speed!

Why do you need the government to tell you slow down to save fuel? The government doesn't drive your truck, you do. Simply slow down and save fuel.

If your trucking company can gain an advantage against its competition through driving slower, saving fuel giving you the ability to offer lower freight rates, then you do it. Some companies may wish run faster and burn more fuel, but offer a little quicker delivery times.

Every driver behind the wheel has the ability to slow down. Con-Way Freight is showing you the way and the government had nothing to do with it. The government doesn't need involved in this at all.

Gary Howell of WV @ Mar 30, 2008 14:41:10 PM

Electronic govenors

If you put everybody at 62 mph then all your going to get is a big traffic jam of trucks and cars its bad enough out on the road now . It seems now when you go to pass another truck you look in your mirror and here comes a car going about 75 or 80 and you have to stay in line and loos all of your momentum then pull out and get it back . I pull 50 to 60 thousand pounds all day and i keep my truck right in the torque curve where it pulls the best. If you pull a lot of weight and you get the truck below the torque curve your just going to make the truck work all the more harder and burn more fuel. I can do 65 all day and still have cars going around me like I'm sitting still very seldom do i pass a four wheeler . Their is no need for 4 dollar a gallon diesel fuel when the oil from the Alaskan oil field is going to Japan because the government says its to dirty and will cost to much to clean up well Japan has a lot more stricter pollution rules then we do.

I think we should just shut the country down for a few days and see what happens to the cost of fuel .

I have friends who work in the oil industry and the last crunch we had it wasn't true the United states wasn't low on oil the tanks were full and we wouldn't let the tankers come into port to drop their oil they just sat out in the harbor .

In the late 80 ,s the fuel tankers out in California would come back to the yard with gas in the tanker yet and the guys would take the extra gas and put it in 55 gallon drums and take it home or go out in the field and dump it .

What the problem is the United states needs to make more oil refineries and stop oil companies stop shutting down their oil refinery plants just so they can get the price of fuel up.

Look people every quarter of the year the oil companies come out and say we made a record profit last quarter well look who gave them that profit we did .

When Catrina hit fuel went up why because we didn't have their refineries to produce the gas and fuels we need.

i agree we need better vehicles that get better gas and fuel mileage and become a lot less dependant on foreign oil.

R M of MI @ Mar 30, 2008 09:36:14 AM

Conservation is the only answer to Peak Oil

Conservation is the only answer to the Peak Oil energy crisis. Conway Freight has it right. Scientific and government studies indicate that there are no real alternatives to oil. Solar, wind, hydrogen, nuclear, coal to liquid, and geothermal will yield little. Most of them yield electric power which is not useful for planting, harvesting, transportation, and heating. As global oil production declines, we are in trouble. For a review of these studies, see: http://www.peakoilassociates.com/POAnalysis.html

Cliffford J. Wirth of NH @ Mar 28, 2008 22:22:04 PM

62 MPH limit makes sense

Conway Freight is on to something when they set their trucks' limit at 62 mph. That is the speed which provides the greatest increase in fuel economy while producing the least slowdown in transport speed.

I have kept close track of my fuel usage for years and have determined that 62 mph provides fuel economy almost equal to 55 mph. It is the point just before the fuel economy curve begins a steep down turn. When traffic is light, I drive 62, and find myself in company with many trucks these days. When traffic is heavy, I speed up to keep pace with the flow of traffic.

At highway speeds, the engine is primarily trying to overcome wind resistance, which is an exponential function. A good test to demonstrate this is to get on a bicycle and notice how much more power it takes to go only a little bit faster. One only requires 50 watts (1/15 hp.) to go 10 mph, but to double that speed to 20 mph requires 250 watts, five times as much power.

Before the 55 mph speed limit, cars and trucks traveled at different speeds, which resulted in much weaving. The 55 mph limit put everyone at the same speed, which created more smooth traffic flow. A 62 mph limit should be across the board, so that everyone is on the same track. A 62 mph limit would be the quickest, lowest cost way to reduce fuel consumption.

fred schumacher of MN @ Mar 28, 2008 12:11:28 PM

split speed limits

Reducing the speed limit for the sake of fuel savings is fine, however, I would be against it if there are split speed limits. All that split speed limits do is create a road hazard.

of SC @ Mar 28, 2008 09:18:51 AM

Peak Oil and Speed Limits

I think going to a 55 mph (88 kph) speed limit is the best thing for now. It will reduce fuel consumption significantly and help to stave off the coming energy crisis a little longer. It is still much faster than by horse and wagon, which until recently, was the prime mode of transport. With the post-carbon era upon us I suspect that '55 MPH' will appear very fast to those in the future unless going by train. International travel will be interesting too - sailing ships!

Daniel Draffen of AL @ Mar 27, 2008 22:37:07 PM

In The Right Lane

I drive 45. Be carefull when passing my home on wheels.

jerry jaran of UT @ Mar 27, 2008 18:59:41 PM