Speed And Money

Does it make a difference what speed the truck is governed at? Will i make a little less and have a bit harder time making delivery times driving for Prime going 58 vs driving for Schneider or Roehl going 65 - 70?

All the speed in the world won't help you if you have poor time management skills. But to answer the question, company's know how fast their trucks will run and it's figured into their software when they dispatch a load. Aside from traffic, weather or other unforseen factors, the governed speed of the truck isn't anything to worry about. Plus, you're less prone to getting a speeding ticket.

Does it make a difference what speed the truck is governed at? Will i make a little less and have a bit harder time making delivery times driving for Prime going 58 vs driving for Schneider or Roehl going 65 - 70?

Short answer... No.

In my experience, how much you make has nothing to do with how fast your truck will go. Loads are set to pick up and deliver either at certain times or within windows. You can have the fastest rig out there but that is only one part of the trucking machine. There are shippers, consignees and load planners as well as traffic and weather that determine when and whether you roll, or not.

This game is not won by speed alone. Gotta have good trip planning, patience and persistence.

Lol you will be governed at 63 mph with Roehl. I am a driver for them and it really doesn't make a huge difference except if I want to pass another truck.

Well, these answers are not completely true . . . here's the breakdown:

55 - 58 MPH - these are Primers, or as everyone else calls them, "roadblocks" . . .

58-63 MPH - still mostly other Primers (some other companies as well) who bribed the mechanics to adjust the governor up a but but are still "roadhazards" . . .

65-70 MPH - a lease operator who got the mechanic to adjust the governor without having to bribe him . . .

70 and up MPH - a SuperTrucker, reserved for Bull haulers, grain haulers & tankers and Russians driving Volvos with their feet on the dashboards . . . you'll see . . .

Jopa

Haha!!!! I've told my trainer when he was saying " those people behind you are getting mad"

" Thats ok. I'll pull the brakes and turn this rig into a 70 foot roadblock. "

He kinda looked at me funny after that.

In a Prime company truck, you can go 62 on cruise. 58 is what it's governed on the pedal, and 58 or lower is what many Prime drivers choose to run at because the company incentivizes fuel economy very well. That being said, driving for fuel bonus isn't always what you will want to do if you have a tight load or something. I've driven 1870 miles in the past three days because my load required it. It's been on 62 the whole time, had to. I won't make any fuel bonus, but it's worth it, in my mind. I'm in a position to deliver early in the day tomorrow and I may get a better load getting out of here than I might have if I ran 58 the whole way and delivered in the afternoon tomorrow.

Our trucks at Watkins-Shepard are governed at 65. As has been mentioned before, it isn't the speed of the truck, but the time management skills. I've never missed a pickup or delivery appointment due to the speed of the truck. Some pickup and drops I have are in a 24 window....the faster I pickup and deliver the quicker I can get on the road, but I've noticed that because I don't stop at every rest stop and truck stop that I am often ahead of those driving faster than me. I notice big trucks and cars pass me two or three times a day on long roads, like I5 in California. If you do 10+ hours a day at near the top speed of your truck (or the speed limit in CA, OR and WA) you'll do fine. Make 10,000 miles a month and you'll be a success.

Tracy

The difference of 7 MPH - over the course of an 11 hour shift = 77 miles. At .38cpm - that's $29 that you "could have made" if you were going 65. Then again - not all of that 11 hours are going to be highway miles either.

Time management - as has been mentioned. Planners/DM's know how long a run should take from point to point, at the speed the vehicle can go on that route. If you're managing your time correctly (part of which is managing your 70 hour clock) and putting in a full days driving, there's no reason why you can't make the schedule based solely on drive time alone (from the time you roll out of pickup, until you roll into the drop site).

You'll find that screw-ups/delays at the shipper/receiver are going to make more of a difference in your schedule and your clock, than a governed truck will.

Versus the safety aspect and fuel savings (multiplied over 100's of trucks).

Set the cruise control - sit back, and enjoy the ride.

How many times have we watched speed demons take off from a light, and we still catch them at the next one. Likewise in my long-distance travels - I sill run into the guys that blew by me, at the next rest stop.

We're all going to get there, when we get there...

Rick

The best way to make good time is to "keep the left door closed." Slow and steady beats run and gun all the time.