Speed limiters get mixed reviews from truck drivers

6 posts / 0 new

Mon, 2009-01-05 18:44

Agent 204

Quote:

Ontario's efforts to prevent truck drivers from speeding got mixed reviews yesterday from those behind the wheel.

Speed-limiters that force drivers to travel at 105 km/h or less became mandatory on transport trucks Thursday.

The government says the limiters will reduce greenhouse gases, save diesel fuel and make the roads safer.

But
not all transport drivers like the idea of having 105 km/h programmed
into their engine-control computers, which is what the law requires.

From the Record. To me, the bigger (pleasant) surprise is that many truckers agree with the new law.

Mon, 2009-01-05 19:07

Catchfire

Take them off the road and replace them with freight trains. There is no fix for the environmental, economic and physical danger truckers pose.

Mon, 2009-01-05 19:10

Agent 204

In the long run, I agree, but until we have enough tracks and rolling stock to make up the difference, this is a good start. Actually I'd like it applied to cars too, but that would probably go over poorly with the public.

Mon, 2009-01-05 22:56

Refuge

One truckdriver made a good point on tv against them. On the 401 the first lane is 100, the second 110 generally ( I usually go about 100 or 105 in the slow lane - wish I could say because I am a responsible citizen but it is mostly because I save so much on gas milage -and people almost always pass me ).

If a trucker wants to pass a slow moving car in the slow lane doing less than 100 ( I generally pass two every hour or so ) they would have to pass at 105 which could interfere with the flow of traffic which is a biggy for causing accidents.

Drive in the middle lane when the right lane fills up with slower-moving cars. But never travel in the far left lane (a.k.a. the fast lane) unless passing a vehicle in that center lane. When the pass is complete, immediately return to the center.

Though I would like it if everyone went my speed too.

Haven't thought of a rebutal to this, does anyone have any arguments against it?

Tue, 2009-01-06 00:32

Lard Tunderin Jeezus Lard Tunderin Jeezus's picture

I'll have to admit that on 400 series highways in Ontario I generally lock in the cruise control at about 118. This generally puts me at about the 6th decile - I pass six vehicles for every four that pass me. I'm also very conscientious about keeping to the right-hand lanes. I don't get tickets at this pace, but I'm often trapped behind aggressive transport trucks pulling out into passing lanes, often with very little notice. I look forward to these new rules improving the flow of traffic, as they do in Europe. In Europe, there are also rules for vehicles towing campers, etc. I look forward to such laws being introduced here.

Tue, 2009-01-06 00:53

Refuge

Lard Tunderin' Jeezus wrote:
I'm often trapped behind aggressive transport trucks pulling out into passing lanes, often with very little notice.

That is my quesion - most times the trucks get up to speed or near up to speed before passing in the centre lane but if they have this device on the truck they would have to pull out doing 100-105 in the centre lane until they passed the slow moving car or truck. If you are in the centre doing 118 and a truck pulls out doing 110 you would be trapped but imagine the same truck pulling out doing 100-105 in front of you while you are doing 118.

I have had instances where there has been a transport truck in the right land doing 90, another truck doing around 100 pulls into the centre lane and passes doing about 100 still and then it ends up blocking traffic and fustrating other drivers and then other drivers pull into the left lane doing 110 and people in the leftlane sometimes go as fast as 120 or 130 and can be extremly agressive if they aren't allowed to go "their speed". I dunno maybe it will be different but that is what I have seen.

I would like to be wrong because I think in theory this device is brilliant (brit slang).