It's funny, when I started many years ago with Swift they had their trucks set at 57mph. I still managed 2,500-3,000 miles a week. I think that it has a great deal to do with the freight and freight lanes. The thinking that if the truck go's 62 not 65 you will get 30 less miles a day is along the same lines as a team operation will double the miles of a solo driver and that just isn't true.
With the price of fuel continueing it's spiral upward, I just paid $5.11/gal in NY, everyone better be prepared to run slower.

 

headborg: no details yet on some things. They are dialing back to 62 on all trucks. Only the late models will get APUs. No word on AC power.

jonp: I think you get my beef. It's the loads and dispatch that are the big factor in miles/week, not top speed.

copperhead: Thanks man. I'm getting stuff worked out. For me, if I had a family, there's no way I'd be out here. And yeah, I see tons of divorced drivers out here

 

my point entirely, gmh. Dispatch can make or break you.

 

I average $1000.00 a week and am home every weekend, my budget is $600 a week to cover all bills. so it works for me..

 

hey fredog??? At what company??? I average almost $1000 a week,too(NOW at R+L!!!) I just wonder if you are talking Shaffer or Crete???

 

Funny, when I was told by my former assistant terminal manager at Crete that the length of haul and mileage would drop, one person called me a liar.

Now he starts a thread complaining about the lack of miles as well as cut back trucks.

Guess I knew what I was talking about.

 

I work for small tanker company here in Georgia. no qualcomms, no idle restrictions, no governers. a pretty good gig all in all

 

I know what you mean, I took a little less than a week off and was oh so thrilled to hear the good news. I don't actually mind the 62mph as long as I get an APU ASAP. No one is saying when installs will begin or when the new trucks will be handed out. I'm hopping to be one of the first in line with a 29### series and 640,000 miles on it.

I was reading the info sheet in the terminal. All units will be installed by Thermo King or Carrier shops until our shop techs are trained to do it and will take a day to install. A hotel will be supplied when necessary while the truck is in the shop, but we will not be payed layover or breakdown pay. Also, only 2007 trucks will be getting APUs and will be required to maintain a 10% or lower idle percentage. Older trucks will continue to utilize the Opti-Idle and will be expected to keep their idle percentage below 30% (drivers that do not will face disciplinary actions similar to log violations). All new trucks will be delivered (supposedly new Freightliners for Crete are on the production line at this moment) to drivers with an APU (WITH AC capabilities, don't know the wattage) installed or a battery pack (not a great alternative from what I've heard). The packs are suppose to last ten hours, but fade after 7-8 hrs and the trucks won't idle to recharge the batteries. If you sit in one place for any longer you have a bit of a problem. Hopefully they will address that little hitch.

I'm not thrilled by the 62mph thing myself, but I've been expecting it. The drivers in the terminal are up in arms about it and many are spouting off about going else where, but when I ask them where they can go and make the same pay they don't seem to have any real answers. Not to mention many other companies have already turned down their trucks and I can only suspect that others will be following suit.

I'm willing to hang around and see what happen. I keep detailed records and it will be clear soon enough if my monthly miles are affected.

I've driven a 62mph truck as a team driver with my wife back in the day and still managed to run around 300,000 in a year. With the liberal delivery schedules that we deal with here at Crete, I can't imagine it will have much of an effect. OK, I'm doing my best to be optimistic, it does annoy me, but I guess I could always buy my own truck, pay for my own fuel and drive 58mph to save fuel, right.

Also, they aren't turning the speed down at this time because they don't have the program to download into the CPUs yet. But they are asking us to voluntarily drive 62mph from this point on. I've been trying it here and there to get used to it. At least I don't have to pass very much traffic anymore.
__________________

 

Let 'em leave; more loads for the rest of us.

I've heard some grousing, but most people don't seem too surprised. But more than one person has wondered how much Tonn is making.

I've got 425,000 miles on this 2005 truck, so I don't imagine they're taking it from me any time soon. Now why the frak does this bastard keep shutting off? The inside thermostat says '82' and I know I set it lower than that.

 

I hear Tonn makes over $100K a year! :lol:

I would imagine your truck is shutting off after 45mins. If you don't have the unit set correctly or if the temp range outside is not above a preset level the truck will shut down after 45mins and then operate on a 15min on, 15min off cycle. I'm trying to find the specific directions in my old paperwork, but no luck yet.