How Is It Legal For Company Trucks To Be Governed At Different Speeds?

I am, for the most part, not governed. I set my cruise at 68. But if I am not in a hurry I will run 63. At 63 mph in the Coronado on flat ground I can get around 8mpg depending on how heavy the load. At 68mph I usually come in around 7.5 mpg. Funny thing is, if I run 70 the best I do is around 6.9 mpg. There is a BIG drop off in fuel economy once I pass 68 mph.

The opening post of this thread made me laugh. So many times I have watched the same truck blow by me several times per day only to end up at the same truck stop as me at about the same time.

Our trucks are governed at 65. I try to stop every day with 1 to 2 hours left on my clock. In the last couple of days that cushion was ate up by weather and traffic.

I have a friend who bought a truck. His truck is ungoverned. The company does not want the ower/lease ops going over 75mph because the trailer tires are only rated for that. He drives 65 to 66 MPH because any faster he is always gaining on someone and it's too stressful. He gets plenty of miles because he drives every day and rarely goes home.

Just drive. If you are not happy with the money you're making, try asking your dispatcher how you can get a higher CPM. Good luck.

People do the same thing ALL the time in 4 wheelers lol In a big hurry to blow by you doing 70-80+ even on city streets. Only to get stopped at the same stop light I roll up to Yeah big deal, they got there 30-45 seconds sooner, and burnt up how much gas??

I can't recall the company but there was a company that allowed 63 on cruise and 65 on the pedal

Swift is 65 on cruise and 63 on the pedal.

I didn’t notice he had that backward. Wolding is the same, at least in my truck. Patrick said there are some even slower.

I will add that I have many times had trucks fly past me, then an hour or two later, come flying past me again. The old tortoise and hare story.

Most OD trucks are 65 some are 68 and a few are 70. Mine is 68 because of the run I have, I have to pass a lot more people now than I did at 65, which definitely can be more stressful.

Another thing... you can take 2 identical trucks set the same way and one might actually go a teeny bit faster, because its running better.

This stuff really makes no difference whatsoever. I don't turn any more miles running 66/67 than I do at 62. It's a negligible difference and doesn't affect pay.

If you're unhappy with what you're earning, ask your dispatcher what you can do to improve.. it's really that simple.

I run cross country, coast to coast and have found the difference between old truck 62mph and new 70mph, has resulted in making the east coast approx 1 3/4 to 2 1/2 earlier. This is based on 5 days 10 hrs per day, but the stress, tension, and worry, doesn't equate to the savings. If I run steadily with the flow, no weaving around or stressing about maintaining the speed, I arrive alive, comfortable, and as stated only with approx 2-3 hours total difference. Follow the knowledge and professionalism provided here (truckertruth), your career and experience will be much brighter.

After a preventable accident where i did something very stupid on my 2nd solo run my truck got turned down from 66mph to 62 mph. In about a month Ill be turned up to 70mph when my 1 year accident free kicks in and Im excited about it. Not because i think ill get more miles but because i think it will get me more rest. Instead of pushing 10 hrs for 500+ miles i can cut some time off that which translates to more rest for me.

After a preventable accident where i did something very stupid on my 2nd solo run my truck got turned down from 66mph to 62 mph. In about a month Ill be turned up to 70mph when my 1 year accident free kicks in and Im excited about it. Not because i think ill get more miles but because i think it will get me more rest. Instead of pushing 10 hrs for 500+ miles i can cut some time off that which translates to more rest for me.

Unless you primarily drive overnights or in less populated areas I doubt you'll see a significant difference. I start my days around midnight typically. I'll drive across I80 or I35 and could keep the pedal to the floor (70). I notice I get to my destination a little faster. However once everyone starts waking up it's not too often I can maintain 70. Between cars moving in front of me forcing me to back down and getting caught behind a truck passing another doing 1/2 mph faster. I don't save hardly any time so I don't think you'd be getting more rest. I find my stress level is nearly nonexistent if I cruise along at 65. If i come up on another truck climbing a hill I'll bump up to 70 and back it down after moving back over leaving them enough space. The only time I'll keep the pedal to the floor most of the day is on a 630+ mile run but that's because I don't want to be out overnight. The difference of 8 mph makes it seem like you could get roughly an additional hour of sleep. Realistically I'd guess it would probably amount to about 20 minutes, even less if you're in major cities when you factor in slower traffic. You'll also be coming up on slower moving trucks quickly which makes it more difficult to maintain safe following distance. With that being said I like being able to go faster than many trucks so I'm not playing leapfrog as we climb and descend hills. Once you're able to do 70 I'd be interested to hear if you notice any differences in miles you're running or having more time to rest. Are you paid a fuel bonus? The faster you drive the less MPG. I've heard several drivers say that your fuel economy drops significantly at about 67 mph.

Sometimes I've had people pass me up a long time ago and then I end up catching them at the light on the next exit like 10 minutes later somehow.