Swift Speeding The Trucks Up!!

Well, the rookies are taking us to school on this one Brett!

OMG I just now sent you an email saying exactly the same thing - nothing like having a bunch of rookies schooling us on what's important and what isn't out there.

Has anyone else noticed that all of the rookies are convinced this is super important, and all of the experienced drivers are convinced it isn't? And yet not a single rookie is persuaded.

This is one of the dumbest conversations I've ever wasted my time with, and after 25 years in trucking it's impossible to put a number on the dumb conversations I've ran away from trying not to scream.

Yeah, I've gone into lurking mode on some of these threads.

Yeah, I've gone into lurking mode on some of these threads.

I never dreamed it would incite a riot or hurt so many feelings. Turns out people get really, really get excited about 3 mph.

Well....considering that in Europe, all trucks 7.5 tonnes or more are governed and limited to 56 mph, I am delighted to think that i will be able to cruise at 62! Lol

Most of the major supermarkets there are even voluntarily limiting their fleets to 50 - 52 mph!

Mind you.... the fuel savings were colossal; which at approximately $8 per gallon is a serious consideration! Lol

Personally, I can't think of a single day when I was driving over there that an extra 3 mph would have made a significant difference to my day. Efficient time management and the ability to professionally deal with 'customer relations' at the deliveries made the difference between success and failure and was the real key; just as I seem to read in the threads here.

Oh well, just a foreigner's 2 cents worth...but before I go back to lurking in the shadows here; I would just like to note:

I'm finally off to Dallas for Orientation tomorrow...I guess this is where the 'rubber meets the road as they say 👍.

Excited, apprehensive and eager to get going! 👍😜

I am in full on lurk mode here. Laughing that some people think it'll change their life. It gives you a little extra legroom, but it's not going to change anything.

In my very limited experience, I see the increase as a means to be safer, being able to be more in tune with traffic speeds. My current truck already goes 63 on the pedal. I have yet to use cruise, even when I was on my training truck. I have used the pass assist a few times though, but can't figure it out on this one. I have had 3 different answers, too.

Personally, I can't think of a single day when I was driving over there that an extra 3 mph would have made a significant difference to my day. Efficient time management and the ability to professionally deal with 'customer relations' at the deliveries made the difference between success and failure

Ahhh, now there's a voice of reason!

Thanks Simon D, it's nice to see that you get it.

In my very limited experience, I see the increase as a means to be safer, being able to be more in tune with traffic speeds.

Danielsahn, I can't be critical of you - I mean you are barely even a beginner yet, but I want you to know that sometimes I will purposely drive slower than what the traffic is flowing at. It is actually safer to run a little slower than everyone else. You are in a great behemoth that cannot stop anything close to the way everyone else on the road can. Your following distance and even the fact that you are going a little slower than the crowd can be very critical for your safety at times. Don't concentrate on going with the flow of traffic. Concentrate on having clear space all around your vehicle.

If you are running the same speed as everyone else, then you may be all snared up in a crowd of vehicles that could quickly turn into a disaster if an issue of some sort develops. If you are running slower, then your space is only momentarily crowded as vehicles get on past you.

Moving freight is definitely a competition, but it is not a race.

Danielsahn, I can't be critical of you - I mean you are barely even a beginner yet

Hahaha... Thanks Old School. 😊 I would rather have you be critical, here, than my Safety Leader, after an accident!

But what you say makes a lot of sense. I will definitely keep that in mind. The big reason I don't use the adaptive cruise, is that it is set at 3.5 seconds distance, before it reacts. That doesn't compute, for me.

Thanks Old School 👍

Not so sure about the 'voice of reason' lol

Think it's more a case of 'Tortoise and the hare' syndrome or the 'Old bull v young bull ' story!

Been around the block a few times and old enough to know that there is some truth in the old 'less haste...more speed' cliche, as is so often true! lol

So I shall sit back and enjoy the Speedo needle being to the right of 60 mph instead of watching for it on the downhills...waiting for the digital taco to blink an 'overspeed warning' resulting in an inevitable call/meeting with our safety manager and a possible violation!

Not that it ever happened to me of course......

😜

I don't remember if I commented on this one yet, but I will anyway...

There can be a few niche situations where going slightly faster can potentially be helpful. Say for instance you're carrying a heavy load across the penna turnpike on 76 going into Ohio. Every minute you go, for instance, 57, you need to go 63 to be able to average your speed out to 60. Does this really make a huge difference? Probably not.

Maybe that extra 3m you save every hour could mean the difference of getting to a specific park location. "Perfect" example; I got parked this morning in Millersport OH with 9 mins on my 11. If I had potentially gone 3mph less for 3 cumulative hours, I would not have been able to make it here without going over my clock; I would have had to stop a few miles back, maybe 5-10m, which would have added that much more time to my night tonight. Is it a spit in the ocean when you look at the big picture? Probably.

Maybe going that extra 3mph to pass a slower truck will allow you to get the last easy parking spot available in a truck stop.