I Don't Want To Do 65 (Or Under) For My Career..

Hello everyone! Hope all is well in your world.

So as I grow closer to being completed with my contract with PAM I am rally bothered by the fact that of the 51 companies I have spoken to, ALL of them are governed at 65mph or less but travel roads set at 75-80mph. I really enjoy trucking and have thought for a very long time before ever getting into it. But after driving a slow truck (63.9mph) for a year now, I can tell you it really is a horrible feeling (To me anyway) to be constantly holding up traffic, getting forced to always slow down for merging traffic, forced to stay in the fast lane after allowing slow traffic to merge and them not allowing me to get back over, cars constantly passing on the right when I move over for a emergency vehicle on the side of the highway and being passed by every car/truck on the road everyday for 10-11 hours a day.

I have searched long and hard to find a company that isn't doing the slow truck thing and have had 0 luck. I mean, I don't want to be doing 75-80mph down the highway, But if I could just find a company that would do at least 68 when traveling highways set to 75-80, I could be out of this "slow truck" crowd and feel a bit safer I'm sure.

My main question is..

Are there any companies that hire out of North Carolina that are known to meet such standards? Or will I be forced to do a LP just to have the freedom to do 68 or better?

Will I spend my career in trucking, traveling the country at 65mph?

There's a "validated rumor", that an FMCSA rule to speed govern ALL CMV's in the next couple of years.

So companies that don't currently speed govern, may well be required to in the next few years.

Rick

Hello everyone! Hope all is well in your world.

So as I grow closer to being completed with my contract with PAM I am rally bothered by the fact that of the 51 companies I have spoken to, ALL of them are governed at 65mph or less but travel roads set at 75-80mph. I really enjoy trucking and have thought for a very long time before ever getting into it. But after driving a slow truck (63.9mph) for a year now, I can tell you it really is a horrible feeling (To me anyway) to be constantly holding up traffic, getting forced to always slow down for merging traffic, forced to stay in the fast lane after allowing slow traffic to merge and them not allowing me to get back over, cars constantly passing on the right when I move over for a emergency vehicle on the side of the highway and being passed by every car/truck on the road everyday for 10-11 hours a day.

I have searched long and hard to find a company that isn't doing the slow truck thing and have had 0 luck. I mean, I don't want to be doing 75-80mph down the highway, But if I could just find a company that would do at least 68 when traveling highways set to 75-80, I could be out of this "slow truck" crowd and feel a bit safer I'm sure.

My main question is..

Are there any companies that hire out of North Carolina that are known to meet such standards? Or will I be forced to do a LP just to have the freedom to do 68 or better?

Will I spend my career in trucking, traveling the country at 65mph?

Well good luck Sammy! I'd think you'd probably have to go with a mom n pop company, but then you gotta deal with the realities that go along with that type of a gig. Then again, I've noticed a bunch of linehaul trucks like FedEx and ODFL tend to go at least 65 so maybe it's mainly otr trucks that tend to be governed so low at this point. At least, until Rick's "validated rumor" becomes a reality in a couple years.

Highly Validated Rumor

Highly Validated Rumor

Bro I wasn't disagreeing with ya lol. Just quoting you.

Incidentally, Sammy, maybe you should just go local for a while. I mean, I totally understand where you're coming from (I'm governed at 62--boooorring!!!), but need for speed, in and of itself, hardly seems like great criteria for a search for a new company. Maybe if you went local you'd find yourself less bored behind the wheel, and you'd have alot more good options for trucking companies.

The drivers I know who have ungoverned trucks all work for small outfits. One guy I talked to regularly drives 75 or 80 where it's legal. He does a lot of miles every week on paper logs.

I just started with Titan Tranfer about three weeks ago, our trucks are governed at 72. It feels great not being the slowest truck on the hwy anymore.

I drove a 62mph truck for over a year. I made the most of it, but I don't want to go back to being that slow.

I think there something to be said for the fact that you can't find a major carrier that won't let you go fast.

Even Big Company O/Os are governed.

The first reason is safety. 80,000 pounds is way more dangerous rolling at 70 mph than at 62. Not just in forward speed, but in turns.

Second reason is fuel economy. 70 mph uses more fuel than 60 mph. If you are of a certain age, you may remember when 55 was the national speed limit everywhere, not just big trucks in California. That was to cut down on fuel consumption.

Finally, insurance costs less (safety) for limited speeds. If your company runs 100 trucks, that money talks loudly.

1. I am not making a decision on a company based on the fact of speed governors alone. As I have said and had conversation with many people, I understand the reason for governors. But to govern 1 type of vehicle and not the other is ridiculous.

*The Government - Lets make the biggest vehicles go 15-20mph slower than cars/trucks, thus forcing all trucks to maintain their position in a single lane which will cause miles and miles of nothing but a line of trucks traveling the highway in the right lane. Which happens to be the merge ON lane AND the merge OFF lane..

Makes sense yeah?

2. I don't want a local job because I currently don't have a home and practically live in the truck except when I stay with a friend for a few days every few months during off time. Seeing as I have been offered over 12 local jobs thus far and non of which pay even close to the .29cpm I make now. Plus having a house payment, utilities, food, gas, etc.. while working a local job would be a few step backwards from where I was in automotive.. by a couple hundred dollars backwards.

3. I am not really sure where to go from here. I guess i'll just go with Trans Carriers pulling another dry van seeing as they offer the most pay out of the 51 I spoke with. Still a month to figure out a plan.

Working for an owner operator , small fleet around 8-16 trucks, just for thought? ? Find them on Craigslist, make sure you don't take anything less then .42/mile, check out their equipment, make sure their trucks and trailers are in good condition, check their DOT number online, and see if they have prepass (most do). Depending on your fileing status, be ready for tax time, most o/o company's will paycheck weekly, no taxes out. IRS will tax when you file. Not much tho, You sir spend thousands of dollars a year on food, appliances, gloves, clothes, ect. Right??? ;) Now be ready, your gonna run, your gonna face highways and many different roads Big Company drivers never experienced or are just Banned all together. Some shippers and customer locations can be tricky to find, communication will be everything, loading and unloading in certain situations can take long but your paycheck at the end of the week we surely be worth your hard work. You'll have a lot more freedom, no company bs, but you will also have a lot more responsibility, this man you work for has busted his azz to become the president of his trucking company, don't let him down!! :) Note: Keep your logs clean, and don't run illegal. Know your truck, report problems so boss man can prevent breakdowns. Be fuel efficient minded when coming up hills, it's not a problem running 70, it's a problem taking off like 'sonic the hedgehog and running up hills @ 18rpm going nowhere fast!! Lol