“All the police have to do is enforce the law.”
Agreed.
However, I seem to see much more time spent in donut shops and “protecting” utility workers on the side of the road than in actual enforcement of traffic regulations. Even something as relatively simple as the ban on using handheld cellphones is rarely enforced.
Absolutely agree that dual speed limits is a bad bad idea. That’s what they do in Indiana. Trucks 65 and cars 70. If you try and drive in the right lane except to pass, you are continually having to move to the left and then back again. Just silly. Trucks bunch up and the left lane fills up and has the effect no better than a two lane highway.
Igot a ticket once in Chicago, no trucks left lane, silly me there were vans as big as my f-100 but was ignorant enough to think it did not apply to pickup trucks.
@VDCdriver …you are right, they should Inforce it. But, Germany has 25% more police per capita then in the USA and with fewer roads, that difference is even more significant. There are lots of countries that do a better job of traffic law enforcement. It can always be traced back to support and time allotted for it as well as the will to prosecute. Donut shops are usually not the reason cops aren’t out there. It’s the voters who choose to support or not with their tax money.
Each cop has a multitude of duties each day. Right now, huge amounts of time are allocated for drug inforcement as that’s the offense de jour for the politics of our time. I had a good friend of mine, a state police supervisor tell me that answering calls from the public and criminal investigation are always a priority over traffic inforcement when understaffed…which in our state, is nearly the norm every year.
What is the solution to this problem if we don’t limit trucks to a lower speed than cars on highways with very high speed limits?
If you live in areas with many hills, as we do, the speed differential of the truck alone is significant. I have no problem with these rigs being restricted to say 65 mph and going 55 or even 45 up a hill. I have a big problem with them doing 80 plus down the other side and 75 on flats. Around here they have swings of 30 plus mph. Nothing agaist them, but they should be governed.
I beleive Virginia used to have dual speed limit signs “Speed Limit 65 - Trucks 55”.
“All the police have to do is enforce the law.”
Which brings up a point: With cities and states crying for tax revenue, that is a huge revenue stream yet to be tapped.
I once stood at a busy intersection in downtown Boston and counted the number of cars that popped a red light, and the average was over 5 per cycle during rush hour. Multiply that by number of intersections and number of cycles per day, and you get a hugh amount of money flowing into the coffers.
Of corse once the laws began to be rigidly enforced, the number of violations would go down, but the revenue would still be large, and we would all be safer.
b
Washington State has dual speed limit signs, the stretch of I-5 between Olympia and Chehalis/Centralia has a 70mph limit - Trucks 60mph limit
Set that speed limit wherever you want to, they are not going to stop doing what they do for that. Heck, back when the limit was 55 on most interstates, it was common place for trucks to go faster than they do today. You’re not going to stop them with tickets… Ever seen Smokey and the Bandit? That CB radio is an effective tool. IMO, it’s better than a radar detector.
The fact is, what really limits the speed on most trucks today is the governor on the truck and the limit that is set by the company (or the owner - operator in some cases) to improve fuel economy, lower wear and tear, improve safety, and last but not least, most of the time they get a discount on their insurance for it. It’s about $$$$$$$, and as evil as that sounds, it’s the best motivator because it accomplishes the goal. That is why most of the big outfits like JB Hunt, Wal-Mart, Werner, Schneider, etc. all limit their trucks to 65 or 68 mph. It saves a lot of things, which all translate into dollars, and that’s why companies exist… to make money.
I bought a rig a few months ago for my boss, and helped set up our trucking department. We set the limit at 68 mph on cruise and 74 mph on the pedal. I had no idea you could have 2 limits, but we did it to avoid becoming part of, or the cause of, a 65 mph traffic jam. Two trucks trying to pass one another, both governed at or around the same speed, with 10 to 20 cars behind them… there is little good that comes out of that. We choose to not contribute to the problem if we can help it.
My grandfather drove for 55 years before he retired. I rode with him in the 80s and 90s on every holiday or summer vacation I could. My cousins and I had to draw straws to see who’s turn it was.
In the 80s and early 90s, Pawpaw drove fast. Keep in mind that twice in my lifetime, he was the recipient of “million mile zero accident” awards. During the day time and anytime there were cars around, he drove the speed limit. But when that sun went down and there was no traffic, there weren’t enough numbers on the speedometer for him. His 1986 International 9300 had a speedometer that topped out at 85mph. One night I saw it go past 85 and start over again back to the 5 mph mark. That cummins was bellowing.
By the late 90s and 2000s, that all ended. Insurance, diesel fuel, and maintenance cost got to a point where it wasn’t worth it. He was just happy to still be driving. right before he retired, he’d take a 400 mile trip and drag in out into a 2 or 3 day affair. Just enjoying his craft and driving 55 or 60 mph.
@DangerousDIY
Good post. I think you answered my question about why one truck passing another truck sometimes seemed to turn into a dead heat contest on our recent vacation, sometimes taking too long.
CSA
The only solution is for the D.O.T to change the tire standards for trucks, and the states to change theirs to comply with the new D.O.T. standard. Sorry, but it ain’t gonna happen in my lifetime soon. It’ll take a gazillion dollar lawsuit that climbs through the civil appellate court systems without being overturned, years of politicking, any many more years of “grandfathering” allowing truck companies with currently compliant tires in stock to deplete their stocks.
There’s unions involved, lawyers, and… the lawyers too corrupt for the normal courts… lobbyists. Oh, and politicians, the most corrupt of the breed. Can’t forget the politicians.
I’m sure there is a built in margin though so the tires don’t just blow at 66. And I think it is sustained speeds of 65 and I wonder at what road temps. I think they would have to consider summer temperatures. I saw a lot of the peeled tires but not so many that just blew out. So I think we’re probably pretty ok. I still don’t like to stay on the side of one or in back of one too long though. Those rings can be killers if they give way.
The tires are L-rated, 75mph max with specified conditions.
Typically with a safety issue designers will build in a 50% “error budget”. I don’t know what the standard is in the tire industry. Capriracer is the resident expert in this area. Perhaps he’ll post.
The last truck my grandfather owned was a customized 2000 Freightliner Classic with an 500 HP N14 Cummins, a 15 SPD and 3.55 gears. He got it used. It had been a cattle truck. Apparently livestock haulers have to go pretty fast at times to deliver long distances without feeding and watering. That’s what I gathered anyway.
When he bought it, he sent it straight to his favorite shop for a once-over by his trusty old Mechanic Danny (Danny, from Scott Truck & Tractor in Monroe, LA, is locally renowned for his diesel expertise, kudos Danny). He reported back that the computer speed limit was set @ 114 mph.
Things like that, coupled with the fact that it is common practice to retread these tires 2 times before discarding them, Which adds up to 3 life spans on one set of side walls, I’d say that the durability of said tires is better than you people may think. Getting 300,000 miles regularly out of a good set of sidewalls is normal. Hell, then its time to put them on a trailer.
The notion that truck tires are dangerously unregulated and that tire companies, truck companies, and Drivers don’t care about safety or rules… that’s just poppycock.
I’m also in the crane and rigging business. I’ll have you know that the computer that controls the parameters of a 200 ton crawler crane will only allow it to lift 85% of the capacity listed in the lifting chart. Even then, you can override it. I’ve seen cranes go well over their charts when the need had arisen.
Most of uhaul trailers have giant decals saying “MAX 45 MPH”. Yeah… OK. I guess its gonna explode like something from Terminator 2 if I lay the hammer down.
No disrespect meant, but I hope you realize that your comments that the image of truckers as being safety oriented is in direct contradiction with your descriptions of driving Freightliners at speeds way in excess of the legal speeds, and cranes lifting well over their charted limits definitely doesn’t describe a concern for safety.
While tires are the subject of the thread, I think most long haul truckers will try to get away with as much as they can. Trucks are routinely overloaded, the cost of fines considered a cost of doing business, and I think many put off needed maintenance to keep the truck on the road making money. Even more dangerous, many routinely fudge their logs by a large margin.
In short, the evidence from inspection stations combined with your own statements suggests that they’re not as safety conscious as you’ve suggested. Many of the trucks pulled over in NH are so bad that the cops take them off the road entirely. The drivers have to pull off to the side of the inspection area and another cab has to be brought in or a load transferred before the load can continue on its way.
I drove tractor trailer for 40 years, mostly for union freight companies. Our city drivers (pickup and delivery within 50 or 75 miles of a terminal) were paid by the hour with time and one half for overtime. Our road drivers were paid by the mile with hourly pay for dropping and hooking, breakdowns, or waiting. When you pay a driver by the mile, the only thing he is interested in is going as fast as he can. It is human nature and if you were in his position, you would do exactly the same.
There have been governors on truck long before I started in the business in 1955 and drivers have been defeating them just as long. I guess today you would need wicked skill with a laptop to do it.
In the old days it was done with vise grips, switching air lines between the governor and the road ranger so the governor never realized you were in top gear, hitting the ether start button to get more power going uphill, or on some tucks stabbing the clutch under power to get the rpms over the governed limit after which the the fuel wouldn’t be shut off until you dropped below that limit again.
I even knew one driver who carried his own fuel pump and could chane it much faster than any of our mechanics.
" I think most long haul truckers will try to get away with as much as they can. Trucks are routinely overloaded, the cost of fines considered a cost of doing business"
+1
Near my house, there is a bridge over the historic Delaware & Raritan Canal, and the bridge is rated for a maximum load of 14 tons. However, local residents say that trucks in the neighborhood of 40 tons have routinely crossed that bridge–despite the warning signs stating the 14 ton limit.
The result–not surprisingly–is that the annual state inspection of that bridge found it to be so badly deteriorated that it was closed within one hour of that inspection.
The repair of the bridge took about 2 1/2 months, and during the closure of that bridge it was necessary to take some very involved and inconvenient detours, as there are very few bridges crossing the canal in this semi-rural area, and some of them have the same 14 ton limit.
During that closure, I spotted an 18 wheeler that missed or ignored the detour signs, and it appeared that he was headed to another bridge with a very low weight limit.
I personally pulled the guy over and told him that I was going to phone the police unless I could see that he was headed toward the less-convenient detour that could bear the weight of his big rig. Luckily, he complied with my directive even though he was none too happy about it.
The unknown question is…How many other truckers used the “unofficial” detour, as this guy had tried to do?
I also wonder if he was one of the “safety-oriented” truckers who damaged the bridge in question in the first place.
Just because I’ve seen a truck go over 100 mph a few times (with incident mind you) does not mean that truckers are inherently unsafe as a whole.
Likewise for the crane.
Every time our truck gets back from a trip, it get inspected visually by at least 2 people that are not the driver. Legally, the driver is supposed to inspect it each time he is about yo take off. Frankly, if it takes a NH local yocal to find a problem for you, you have no business in the business.
I think you may be letting a few bad apples spoil the whole bunch.
One problem I see with the trucking industry is that they have nearly taken all the craftsmanship out of it. Insurance companies won’t cover someone under 24 years old. Most of the time, blue collar professionals have found a trade and invested too heavily in a career to change. What you end up with is 30 year old guys taking a 6 week trading course after they can’t find a job doing anything else.
Just because I've seen a truck go over 100 mph a few times (with incident mind you) does not mean that truckers are inherently unsafe as a whole.
You’re right…not ALL are unsafe. But the number that are unsafe is not a single digit percentage. Drive around the Boston area sometime. Every other week I see a trucker in the left lane on I-495 in an area where truckers are limited to the right most lanes. Rarely do I see independent truckers obey the posted speed limit. You ought to see an independent weaving around in the far right lanes doing 75+ in a 65 zone.
When a trucker gets in an accident on a moderately busy highway - they usually take out 5-10 cars with them.