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XPO | 62 MPH?

There are times to use brakes will cause a bigger problem.

I dont want them. I dont care what the engineers think they can do or not.

I have had so many hard braking times in both personal cars and 18 wheelers where necessary that I cannot trust that ::shit:: to a computer. No way. I do love my ABS. I'll work with a awesome ABS any day. (And have...)

Living in the east brake pads were common shop work. But here in the south its rare that we deal with brakes. Usually once a decades a rotor set will be turned or replaced and the pads generally last the life of the car with very occasional replacements. We probably replaced one set already in 25 years across about 7 total cars. All the rest still had the pads that they came with when we disposed of them.

The last OTR Tractor trailer wife and I had together we put about 221,000 on it that year on original brakes, they were about 60% to the good from brand new in just under a year. I think that was pretty darn good considering.
 
almost13ranch said:
Does that emergency braking come on when the road is bad? Or do you turn it off when that’s the case?
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Fedex Freight tractors are geared to either slow the unit or slam on the brakes when one of the morons cuts in front of you. In theory of course this is just wonderful engineering. In the real world however going downhill with a set in the snow, when said moron cuts in front of you, you will have several of the most intense moments of your life while you somehow manage to keep these a$$ holes unit intact and upright even though it has gotten badly out of shape because of the needless brake application. And no one in company management cares or even wants to hear about it.
 
FatChance said:
Fedex Freight tractors are geared to either slow the unit or slam on the brakes when one of the morons cuts in front of you. In theory of course this is just wonderful engineering. In the real world however going downhill with a set in the snow, when said moron cuts in front of you, you will have several of the most intense moments of your life while you somehow manage to keep these a$$ holes unit intact and upright even though it has gotten badly out of shape because of the needless brake application. And no one in company management cares or even wants to hear about it.
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That’s a good example of someone making something and never thinking about asking one of the great unwashed masses their opinion.
 
All you need is a laptop, a program for Detroit Diesel, and one cable. Then the truck will pull a hill and go as fast the RPMs let you like 72 to 74 for the Detroit engines. Unless you drive a newer truck then you need the Cummins program. Then there's program for the trans if your really want to get the most out of these trucks
 
Fly-by-night said:
Have to ask did you check the speed with another device like a GPS. I driver truck were the needle will be at 67 but on the GPS it really only going 65
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I have caught FFE out of Lancaster with my own Laptop with GPS. Scheduling hot JIT Team loads failed because the darn truck did not knock down yardsticks on stopwatch at 65 like it was saying on speedo.

We suspected speedo was busted. Bought a GPS Rand DVD put on laptop, got it to highway speed and it said 63 mph. Took screen shot went to safety in Lancaser and Company shop, turned in the tractor telling them its not doing 65 and speed is incorrectly displayed etc.

That turned into a really big to do in that office back there. Apparently they set the trucks to 63 secretly for insurance and then displayed 65 for solos not to bitch about it and the different slower arrival times did not have a problem until me and wife were late on loads where a few minutes mattered for on time and late.

They asked what do we do to make this go away. And keep this a secret from everyone? Well we told them to make sure that Dispatch quit scheduling us so close on those JIT because the trucks were too slow OR... strip a president fleet tractor and hand it to us (Old 379 petes that could do 70 for their poobah favored million mile drivers etc)

They simply told dispatch to slow down the schedules a little bit. They never fixed the tractor speedo so we were checking that laptop in towns with speed trap signs in certain areas (Sheridan Arkansas comes to mind...) Or Bellevue Ohio etc.

We eventually quit FFE one summer to move on to McKesson where the money just overflowed on faster trucks that could do 75 in those days.
 
vongrimmenstein said:
You want more speed? Remember what the former truck drivers in the cemetery are saying, ‘I should have been late & alive, than early & dead’. Von.
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Actually what I learned was all the speed in the world does not mean anything if dispatch deems you late again.

I had a little outfit in Gettysburg years ago, KTC. They were bought by exel logistics breakbulk out of Carlise in the mid 90's We had trucks fast enough to get into say Chicago overnight next morning delviery. Or perhaps Louisville or Jackson TN. OR St Louis.

I got myself away from that outfit to save myself. We had a pervasive culture that they pay lip service to safety and Dispatch would demand next morning delivery regardless of how far away some place was.

And we had the tractors to get it done in those days. What a waste.

To this day I'll be damned if I buy a snapple drink on the east coast. Thats about all they hauled. Something to do with the family apple operation there.

Another Carrier called MS Carriers on 81 from Winchester down. They had a similar culture in those days too. I think they went out of business. But we used to race those trucks upgrade across Ironton. Throwing down horses to see which gets top first. Whew. Not doing that again ever.

However we used Luray Gap eastbound one day. Enough horses to hold the speed limit upgrade loaded. Now before some of you think this is lunch counter stuff, she did get onto her hands and knees in a few spots at 14%.
 
1984Sideways said:
Actually what I learned was all the speed in the world does not mean anything if dispatch deems you late again.

I had a little outfit in Gettysburg years ago, KTC. They were bought by exel logistics breakbulk out of Carlise in the mid 90's We had trucks fast enough to get into say Chicago overnight next morning delviery. Or perhaps Louisville or Jackson TN. OR St Louis.

I got myself away from that outfit to save myself. We had a pervasive culture that they pay lip service to safety and Dispatch would demand next morning delivery regardless of how far away some place was.

And we had the tractors to get it done in those days. What a waste.

To this day I'll be damned if I buy a snapple drink on the east coast. Thats about all they hauled. Something to do with the family apple operation there.

Another Carrier called MS Carriers on 81 from Winchester down. They had a similar culture in those days too. I think they went out of business. But we used to race those trucks upgrade across Ironton. Throwing down horses to see which gets top first. Whew. Not doing that again ever.

However we used Luray Gap eastbound one day. Enough horses to hold the speed limit upgrade loaded. Now before some of you think this is lunch counter stuff, she did get onto her hands and knees in a few spots at 14%.
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Copy that. We used to run over toads going down Zulu hill into Brightstown. She would hop off one of us and onto another every time a quarter would hit us into slow town. Those were the days !
 
There is no one left at the XGO that has ever worked the dock or drove a truck. Bunch of liberal arts grads with no logistics experience. This is why we are driving junk automated manuals that can't reach or maintain top speed. Detroit diesel and Cummins engine programs need a license. The ecm record time, date, and user info for changes. For power upgrades you need dealer level clearances. Only hacks I have heard of are sensor related. Just enjoy the hours and get paid. Nothing will change, fuel cost is king.
 
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eBiTDa said:
There is no one left at the XGO that has ever worked the dock or drove a truck. Bunch of liberal arts grads with no logistics experience. This is why we are driving junk automated manuals that can't reach or maintain top speed. Detroit diesel and Cummins engine programs need a license. The ecm record time, date, and user info for changes. For power upgrades you need dealer level clearances. Only hacks I have heard of are sensor related. Just enjoy the hours and get paid. Nothing will change, fuel cost is king.
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You sound like you're company is the only one who is operating like this.....
 
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