Imo all of this new fangled "safety equipment " was created for new drivers and those who lack the ability to pay attention to the task at hand DRIVING! I think the perfect speed is around 70mph to 75mph you can pass in less than a mile and aren't fast enough to get a ticket in most cases.
^^^^THIS^^^^^
1) i'm opposed to the cutting down to 65, however i don't think 3 mph is really going to make a difference in time; Anyone who has done linehaul knows each night is different. Even IF you run niteliner, do your homebound trailers get closed at the exact time every night? Are they hooked up everynight by the jockey, or do you have to hook them up----and how fast can you find them? Every night is different.
What speed does do, i think, is give you FLEXIBILITY. With a "faster" truck i can take naps and STILL get the run done in under 14 hours.....usually.
The whole "argument" of 3 mph adds to the workweek: That's only IF everything goes exact and perfect on time every night. And you know this never happens.....
Now,, there are meet and turn runs and set terminal to terminal runs that are NOT niteliner. In those cases, yes 3mph can make a difference in time. But only for these runs.
2) As far as safety, i also don't think 3 mph is really going to make a difference?
Wouldn't having the cruise be at 65, and the 68 on the pedal be safer? A driver is less likely to have their foot on the pedal all night vs. setting the cruise? Yes?
Like i've been saying, i think each terminal should set their own speeds. With most outfits i've been with that have 20 drivers or less, the drivers were very responsible with the speeds even up to 75-77mph.
With smaller terminals, it's easy to monitor/police/discipline/rescind etc.
If there are tickets/accidents etc., then the speeds get lowered until safety improves, but like i said, with smaller terminals, it's usually not a problem.