I'll second the thoughts on the only time a "slower" truck is a pain is when you're trying to pass someone... which leaves everyone cranky because of the turtle race, particularly when there are only two lanes.

I've only ever had one truck (the Columbia at Arrow) that ran faster than 65. My Arrow truck was cut at 75mph. I'll be honest, it was nice to have, but if someone offered me more money, I'd have cut that sucker back to 65 in a heartbeat. I never used the 75mph except passing on some of the Oklahoma turnpikes. Typically you'd find me at 65mph cruising with the company trucks. Out in west TX, NM, AZ, speed is nice. But I thank my "slow" trucks for keeping my driving record clean of speeding tickets.

There is alot of talk on several websites that say trucks turned down to 65mph save the company thousands in fuel cost per truck, I worked for FFE for a year and they have about 8000 trucks with all 3 companies they own, so all there trucks do 65mph as a company driver and owner operators can have them at 70mph, most of the owner ops I talked to only drove 63mph to save on the fuel they had to pay for.

So getting paid 1 cent more per mile is a bonus for you and it saves them thousands of dollars so wat was the question again????

Might be 700 mile run but why not go to the receiver with it the next day and try to deliver it early. Most places will unload you even if you might have to wait a bit and when unloaded tell em you're ready for another load.
That'll let your dispatchers know you want to work and Run.

Then why pass? Do you really need that extra .5 mph?

I think there is a tactical value for being able to occasionally do 70 MPH.

Passing. Especially governed trucks at 63 or 64 MPH. My truck is turned down to 64.5 so out of courtesy when a 65 MPH truck comes by I back down and let him pass, but I find that most drivers will not extend that courtesy.

There has been more than a few times I wished I had 70 mph to get by a 63 MPH truck and then settle back to the 65 speed limit. but alas ..

i was governed at 65 for my first year and now i'm at 70 there is no difference in miles per week.the only difference is being able to pass the slower trucks and i find this to be much safer and less stressful as you are not stuck in the packs of trucks you see straining to go around each other.at 65 i was always surrounded by other trucks and had to wait for a hill to try to get around them.at 70 i seem to be by myself most of the time and i feel it is much safer and seems more like just driving than working

Anyway, also Yoopr, I know I don't have miles under my belt, but remember I didn't go in there and ask to have the truck turned up, they offered me this whole thing of less speed for more money. I'm just trying to figure out what's best for me.

Don't get me wrong-I believe driving governed trucks can be dangerous, Particularily if you're driving 2 lane highways.
My Opinion

If you get an extra .01 cpm, that means you will make and extra $25 per week, give or take $5.

I am governed at 65 mph and have learned to live with it. Even at 65 mph I can log 700 per day. It actually takes allot of the aggravation out of driving because you are not constantly coming up on slower traffic and trying to jockey for position to pass. All you have to do is sit back and let everyone fly around you. However, this gets very annoying when it's getting late and you know that the one of the trucks passing you is going to get the last parking spot in the truck stop. :x


Prior to my current company I had a 70mph truck and an ungoverned truck. Personally I prefer the faster truck. But if your only making .28 cpm (WHY!)you might find the extra $100+ per month worth driving a slightly slower truck.

when i started out driving for Werner I had a governed truck never saw that as a problem. where are you in a hurry to go

I think it boils down to whether you want to go 5 miles per hour faster or make more money. I am not sure it will make much difference either way. Which is more important to you?