Semis: what has changed?

[firemachine69]

Originally Posted By: JHZR2
Originally Posted By: gman2304
http://www.truckinfo.net/trucking/stats.htm

12% of all vehicles, but pay 36% of all federal and state road use taxes. " If you bought it, a truck brought it!"


Yet an 88000 lb GVW truck is as much mass on the road as 22 4000lb GVW cars...



You can charge whatever you want to truckers. Just understand you're going to pay it with a markup (and a higher total dollar amount based on a percentage margin) on absolutely everything you buy...

 

[grampi]

Originally Posted By: Jarlaxle
Originally Posted By: grampi
Originally Posted By: Jarlaxle
You have absolutely no idea how much an OTR truck pays in taxes, do you. (That isn't a question.)


No I don't, and I don't really care...


Then how are you any different from a child covering his ears and hollering, "LA-LA-LA-LA-LA! I CAN'T HEAR YOU! when told something he doesn't want to hear?


It's not that I don't want to hear it, it just doesn't have anything to with the subject of this thread...go back and reread my original post...I wasn't complaining about anything, I was just asking a question...why do you people have to blow up every thread?

 

[grampi]

Originally Posted By: JHZR2
The truck traffic in OH is about the worst Ive encountered. Ive driven out to Chicago multiple times, and more than once in inclement weather (heavy snow and heavy rain on different occasions). The trucks keep barreling through, splattering windshields, making it very unsafe. Ive also seen more than one semi hanging off an overpass or in the median along there. Not sure what it is with OH.


Careful there. Even though you were just making an observation, if you keep making posts like this you will be labeled as a truck hater, and anything you say from here on you will get bashed and ridiculed for...

 

[supton]

Originally Posted By: JHZR2
Originally Posted By: gman2304
http://www.truckinfo.net/trucking/stats.htm

12% of all vehicles, but pay 36% of all federal and state road use taxes. " If you bought it, a truck brought it!"


Yet an 88000 lb GVW truck is as much mass on the road as 22 4000lb GVW cars...


elejefino had a link showing that wear on the road surface was quite high; a quick google search shows it rises to the fourth power as a function of axle weight. Link

 

[Silverado12]

Originally Posted By: BigD1
If they make it mandatory for all trucking companies to do electronic logging, then I call it a win for drivers because then they will have to be paid fairly instead of this so called as the crow flies mileage pay that is rampant in the trucking industry.


Amen, bro. You get paid by the mile, but cheated out of miles even though the company knows how many miles are run because they're dedicated runs.

 

[Silverado12]

^^^A run-on sentence LOL.

 

[gman2304]

Years ago companies used the old 'household movers guide' to determine mileage between points. It got to where those companies couldn't keep drivers as they were paid 'city limit to city limit' per the guide. In that scenario when you enter the destination city your mileage pay stopped, even if you had to drive an additional 20 or more miles to get to the customers dock. So most companies started paying what's called 'hub miles' or, actual miles driven. I'm sure you've all seen the old hubometers that were mounted inside the outside drive wheels that showed the miles driven. The mileage was recorded at the beginning and end of the trip and you were paid the mileage accordingly. Nowadays, most companies pay by GPS mileage which are usually very close to actual miles driven.

 

[Vern_in_IL]

So how do truckers cheat today?

Had a neighbor in the early 80's made a living hauling illegally heavy loads exceeding road limits, have a uncle that used to cheat on paper logs, etc.

I'm not in the trucking industry, but the only "cheating" I'm hearing is "diesel doctor" disabling your trucks speed governor, and poorly trained Swift drivers.

 

[Mr Nice]

Off Topic:

Anyone remember the TV show... BJ and the Bear ?

That was a very nice Kenworth rig.

 

[gman2304]

'So how do truckers cheat today?'

Many small companies and owner operators still use paper logs . Many over weight trucks or drivers who are running illegal for whatever reasons, still 'run through the woods' to avoid scales and roadside inspections. Way too many dangerous trucks are running the highways that should be put out of service.

 

[SwampSurvivor]

Originally Posted By: 440Magnum

I like trucks just fine, and they're usually the most courteous drivers I encounter. UNTIL one that wants to do 67 mph decides to pass one doing 65 mph on the 80-mph limit interstate (or 85 mph limit tollway!) and jams up both lanes for a half mile behind. That's just rude, and for some reason the slower truck always refuses to slow slightly and let the other guy get by faster. They just form a rolling roadblock for the couple of miles it takes to complete the pass at a 2-3 mph speed difference. I've seen passes like that completed with a speed differential well below walking speed at times, too.



When I was headed to southern PA with the Jeep and popup in tow, I was on one of the rather large hills in PA (our hills in NY don't even compare to them) trying to get up and maintain speed, and one truck jumped out to pass another but missed a gear. Little frustrating having to drop down to 35.

Of course, at that point my 203000 mile engine and larger tires didn't have the power to go any faster so I was stuck in 2nd gear with no exhaust on the hill trying to get back up to speed. A 4.0 with no exhaust at 4000 RPM for a few minutes straight will cause slight hearing damage.

But I felt bad for the driver. It was a 30 year old R Model mack. No head liner, definitely no A/C and it was about 90 degrees out. Those old cabs weren't insulated so I'm sure it was heating up from the engine pulling the hill.