To what speed ought trucks be limited?

21 Comments

  • eugene - 7 years ago

    should be governd to 75 and no faster.

  • James - 7 years ago

    The owners of these trucks decide what their speed should be limited to. From my 20 years it's some where between 65 and 72. Let the owners decide based on the cost of fuel, maintenance and truck & trailer payments. The government should look at shippers...not trucks.

  • Todd - 7 years ago

    Trucking has gotten so bad can't make money..Like we did back in day...we all need to stick together and shut down for 3days or more With out trucks USA will stop ....

  • Bobby Redmer - 7 years ago

    The government has already restricted trucks and drivers and company's so bad that it is getting harder for us to make money the way that it is so there is a very simple solution to this if they pass another law or dumb ass rule against trucks or drivers then we need to become United and stop all trucks for 14 days and let the government suck on that because the US can't operat for more than 7 with out going in to a melt down and most stores will run out of food in 3 just an option to thank about

  • American Rambler - 7 years ago

    Every truck on the road today already has 3 speed governors on it. 1) The physical limit based on weight, power, gravity, drag and gearing. 2) The imposed speed governor set via electronic or mechanical means per manufacture or owner of truck. And 3) the most important, the drivers right foot. Regulatory speed limits are set by governing bodies. Every public road we drive on has a speed limit already set by a federal, state or local governing body. A not small number of drivers fail to follow those limits every day by their choice for a number of reasons. In my opinion what we are seeing here is a power grab going on by parties who want to tell the existing authorized bodies what to do and establish their control for their own selfish reasons cloaked in so called public safety retoric. Authority figures or agencies are never satisfied with what they currently have. They always want more. It's as basic as procreation and eating. We had a temporary speed regulation at 55 mph that lasted over 20 years. It took a very long time to turn that around. If they impose this limit on trucks, it will be a lever used to restrict and lower your speed limits currently enjoyed by your cars, Pickups over 6,000 lbs GVW and your motor homes. Think about it and how much this has happened in other aspects of our lives. Do you really want to support this and allow it to happen?

  • Alex M Velez - 7 years ago

    Personally I believe the goverment has no right to impose on citizens private property. It is an owner operator's right to decide what speed he/she wants to drive his/her truck, as long as it is not at a unsafe speed. The FMCSA claims that it would prevent accidents but in a lot of accidents the trucks involved already had speed limiters for example the Wal-Mart truck that hit Tracy Morgan's limo.

  • Bill - 8 years ago

    Speed limiters have been enforced in Ontario Canada for the last 10 plus years. Being an o/o it doesn't really mean much to me, but save fuel.
    There's been no issue on traffic, or anything of a sort. In reality you really don't save much time versus using much more fuel.
    Before you all complain, I've been driving over twenty years.

  • Sherralie Majeski - 8 years ago

    Speed Limiters Hurt Everyone.

    Driving the Big Rig, I have had two crashes.

    One in Alaska on the Kenai Penneslia on 100 miles of black ice, I was navigating a 50 mph curve at 40 mph. A large SUV passed me on a curve, darted in front of me and hit his brakes. The auto did two 360s and managed to pull out of it and drove off. I did not fare so well, I jack-knifed and piled into a snow bank. My trailer slid into the oncoming lane and narrowly missed two SUVs. Luck was on my side as this occurred in front of an Alaska State Trooper and several witnesses.

    Another crash occurred when a motor home towing a car pulled in my path coming down a grade at 45 mph, just 40 feed in front of me. I locked my brakes and saw my trailer pull to the left into the oncoming lane. I released my brakes and drove between the rear of the motor home and the car it towed, totaling both vehicles and severely damaged my truck. The motor home driver admitted that he and his wife were fighting and he didn't see me at all because he wasn't paying attention. In order to avoid colliding into the motor home, I would have taken out three cars with my trailer.

  • Sherralie Majeski - 8 years ago

    Speed Limiters affect EVERYONE.

    I am of the belief that big trucks are safer when traveling with the flow of traffic and that slower moving vehicles of any kind create a safety hazard on the road. It is a proven fact that motorist don't give their undivided attention on the road 100% of the time. They are the ones causing a good majority of the crashes when not alert to slower moving vehicles impedeing the traffic flow. When roads have two different speed limit for trucks and automobiles, congestion occurs. Where there is congestion, there is agitation. When motorists get agitated, they take unnecessary risks traveling at high rates of speed to get around the truck. They then dart in the trucks stopping space and hit the brakes. This occurs all day, everyday, at any speed.

    On the other hand, there is an economic issue involved in such requirements. In the Midwest where the speed limits range from 75 to 80 miles per hour, a driver can cover 780 miles a day. In California, a driver cannot legally drive more than 550 miles a day. That is a 230 mile difference, $103 loss in my paycheck. Every 5 miles per hour amounts to 50 miles a day. Companies will have to pay drivers more to deliver their goods, resulting in freight rate increases and consumer goods, trickling down to the consumer. Higher prices at the grocery store or local cafe and the fuel pumps.

    I drove for three large trucking companies. My loads required more drive time to make deliveries. I averaged less than 2,000 miles a week, less than $300 weekly after taxes. At the end of the year I did the math and figured out that I worked 70 hours a week, was away from home, living an unhealthy lifestyle-truck stop meals - no exercise equal weight gain, no life at all...no life, missed family events like birthdays, weddings, births, funerals, anniversaries, the list goes on. My youngest daughter died while I was on the road and I didn't make it home in time for her funeral! Her dad cremated her before I got there. ALL THAT SACRIFICE FOR $3.50 AN HOUR. Yes, over the year, that is what I averaged driving on Elogs and speed limiters. I drove for three large companies and with their contracts, I never got the miles and we get paid by the mile.

    Today's young drivers haven't done the math and have not seen a $2,000 weekly paycheck.

  • Lance v Miller - 8 years ago

    we all know this corrupt government has already made their mind up about the speed limit on big trucks they just making you feel like you're part of something because that's the way they do it in this country just like when it comes to electing a president of the country it's all corrupt bottom line the driver drivers two companies could care less the drivers are the ones that are paying for it how can you have unlimited earning potential when they stick in an electric log in your face a camera and a slow truck how is that unlimited earning potential of course I have plenty of Miles you're going so slow out here you can only go 5 600 miles a day yeah if you start driving at midnight and drive 10 hours and take a break and blah blah blah yeah you can get seven eight hundred miles but you know what we all know that doesn't happen far and few between so who are we kidding the government is the reason why the trucking is falling on its face that's why that hopping the fence at alarming rate to jump in these trucks they don't even know how to drive them that's why they're turning out automatics. The American truck driver is dead it's the bottom line it's the government the corrupt government the corrupt government the corrupt government of this country the corrupt government did I mention the government is so corrupt on the planet they are the worst people on the planet but yet we keep voting I'm in so go ahead and make your little boat for you little trucks it's not going to change what's already going to happen you're going to be driving down the road at 63 and a half miles an hour bottom-line guaranteed mark my words

  • Charles Browne - 8 years ago

    The best speed limiter is the human version. Input to controller (eyes) see the speed limit and road conditions, the controller (human brain) processes this input and sends appropriate commands to actuators (foot or finger to set cruise if possible) to desired speed.
    The ATA or self-insured big boys want to mandate speeds that will cause increase of frequency crashes of cars rear ending big trucks (to feed the crash lawyers). Have you ever noticed how many of these "speed limited" trucks run at governed speed in construction zones, which is more of the problem. Why Walmart settled so quick on the Tracy Morgan crash (tired driver running 65 in 45 mph construction zone). Have these ATA "boys" watch their video of their trucks, and they too will see what more experienced drivers see. Virtually every company will throw their driver to the "wolves" with a saying "you are the captain of that ship" when that incident happens. If we are the "captain of the ship" we are what is in control of the truck. Excessively slow speeds on a higher speed highway can actually even induce fatigue and incidents. Watch on any given 70+mph freeway and watch the "slow trucks" clog the middle lane (when they should be in right (slow lane). This is a precursor to what speed limiting every truck will cause. A passing vehicle that takes 5-10 miles to pass becomes extremely dangerous for EVERYONE around it. Maybe it is time to get the EPA involved as the ones that change multimillions worth of design engineering to alter engines chasing fuel mileage. What ya wanna bet they are no longer emissions compliant once they are super tuned for efficiency having lost their designed specs in chase of fuel mileage that can't be achieved when running governor bump. Speed limits are also one the things that fall under states rights as our congressmen like to say.

  • Kattburner - 8 years ago

    The slower you go the sleeper you get and you are tiered times two those companies that's limited to 62 go back and see how many times there drivers have run off the road into the woods everything working against truckers limited speed,electronic logs,34 hour rule, getting harder to make a paycheck in trucking just penny's and not many of them

  • Alan - 8 years ago

    Please can yhe government do something about the car's, pickup trucks, RV and Grandma and Grandpa are out there driving like idiots because they have a regular drivers license the road should be covered by all. It doesn't matter if I'm going 55 miles an hour 35 miles an hour when an idiot Cuts in front of me and slammed on his brakes that rig is going to hit him just like a brick wall.

  • Greg Hernandez - 8 years ago

    It's not the speed that kills, it's the inexperienced drivers that kill. Company's that hire inexperienced drivers just to move their products should be heavely fined. All companies are looking for is a clean MVR, and a body to fill the seat.

  • KT - 8 years ago

    Speed limits need to be left up to the states. Slow trucks will just make the interstate's more dangerous. There will be more road rage, more traffic do to clogged roads. Trucks need to be able to get up and get out of the way also. I've done a little study my self on what speed to go/rpm's for fuel mileage. The way my truck is geared and the engine I have 63 mph I get 5 mpg, 65 5.5 mpg, 68 6.8 mpg. I have already bought into a DEF truck and the manufacturer's haven't figured that one out either. My truck is in the shop fixing EPA shit more than anything else. Leave it alone and let a man earn a living. More crap the Feds do the worse everything is.

  • Jerry Gibour - 8 years ago

    Never has there been such a rule proposed that can unite the transportation industry to call a nationwide strike as this one. Everyone wants fresh food in our stores and you continually try to stop this. The amount of deaths caused by cars flying down the road and hitting these rolling road blocks isn't even addressed. You better get a CDL and drive out here for six months before you make foolish laws. We have a bunch of baseball coaches trying to coach a football game here. Learn about what you're trying to regulate.

  • Chris Slayer - 8 years ago

    This is some more stupidity coming out of FMSCA and large carriers. I'm sure none of these bureaucratic *sshats have ever had jobs in the private sector. This will definitely cause more road rage and accidents. I see a mass exodus of drivers. I'm on that list. The stupidity coming from DC never ceases to amaze me.

  • Pete Cary - 8 years ago

    I think if they're going to put speed limiters on anything, it should be the four wheelers. Easy solution... Ticket people who sit in the left lane the entire time and that should help with the problem. It's not truck drivers that should be harassed when most of us are doing the right thing!

  • Marvin - 8 years ago

    It is time for the government to back off.This is called over reach.

  • John mays - 8 years ago

    I own my truck the speed of my truck should be up to me and my insurance company not the government /! The government needs to back off the truckers

  • Dave Boyer - 8 years ago

    I voted that they should not be limited, but I feel I need to add to that.

    They should not be limited BY THE GOVERNMENT! Require the governor to be there is fine with me. What it is set to should be left up to the owner of the vehicle.

    The 3 speeds they propose are already a joke and will cause nothing but congestion on the nations highways. Not to mention in many states class 8 vehicles can legally travel much faster than any of the speeds listed

    This whole thing is for nothing more than so somebody at the FMCSA can say, "See! Look what I did."

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