Unless their deadlines are getting extended I highly doubt that.

They only slow down when they're passing another truck. So you end up with two trucks "racing" one another at about 45 when the limit is 70.

Why does diesel cost so much?
In the past it was always cheaper, and help me understand something here.. but I thought we had a surplus of unrefined oil, but not enough refineries here in the U.S. Diesel, as much as I remember, takes less refining to be road ready.. no?

So.. what am I overlooking?

-readies his tinfoil hat-

angrymacface: They only slow down when they're passing another truck. So you end up with two trucks "racing" one another at about 45 when the limit is 70.

THIS.

I have to drive in "rush hour" truck traffic south of town to get to work. I love watching three cars get through a green light because truckers are trying to pass each other.

Dr.Knockboots: Why does diesel cost so much?
In the past it was always cheaper, and help me understand something here.. but I thought we had a surplus of unrefined oil, but not enough refineries here in the U.S. Diesel, as much as I remember, takes less refining to be road ready.. no?

So.. what am I overlooking?

-readies his tinfoil hat-

From what I understood (and I could be very wrong) diesel is more or less the waste product of processing gas. It would stand to reason (if it were true) that it would ALWAYS be cheaper than gas; though as gas supplies got more expensive it would go up in price too.

angrymacface: They only slow down when they're passing another truck. So you end up with two trucks "racing" one another at about 45 when the limit is 70.

Urge to kill truckers rising....

angrymacface: They only slow down when they're passing another truck. So you end up with two trucks "racing" one another at about 45 when the limit is 70.

I do not do much interstate driving, but have been a victim of that several times. It is frustrating as all fark. I do mainly city driving where the law is trucks must drive in the right lane on expressways. The worst I contend with on a routine basis is seeing a truck in the left lane and a bus in the right lane on a busy artery. What to do? My head explodes.

Dr.Knockboots: Why does diesel cost so much?

New EPA regs for low sulfur diesel. Costs quite a bit to upgrade so you can get that out of diesel.

Crosshair: Dr.Knockboots: Why does diesel cost so much?

New EPA regs for low sulfur diesel. Costs quite a bit to upgrade so you can get that out of diesel.

THIS. The question is, does it really cost that much more or are they gouging? The same reason/excuse/question always seems to arise with CARB-compliant gasolines being more expensive.

18 wheelers should be throttle goverened at 80km/hour and limited to the slow lane.

/tired of seeing innocents killed by these yahoos

Subby can afford to drive on highways?

discount sushi: Unless their deadlines are getting extended I highly doubt that.

This. Truckers don't have forever to get a truckload of product from one place to another. And even if they did, fewer truckloads = less pay.

Diesel is the most-used fuel globally (53% of new cars in Europe are diesels), so the price of diesel is more strongly affected by world demand than gasoline is.

What we really need to do is to modernize our rail system in this country.

Rail uses 1/10th the amount of fuel. Maintaining a rail bed costs 1/50th the amount it costs to maintain a highway that moves the same amount of goods.

Welcome to the beginning of the end for long haul trucking.

what is subby talking about? Damn truckers are always going too slow, not too fast.

I submitted this with a funnier headline, oh well. I wonder if Easter dinner is ready yet...

They haven't been slowing down at any truckstops the Subby frequently visits, either.

Get outta my way Greenhorn!

/Awesome game
//Kinda short though

Agnosto: What we really need to do is to modernize our rail system in this country.

Rail uses 1/10th the amount of fuel. Maintaining a rail bed costs 1/50th the amount it costs to maintain a highway that moves the same amount of goods.

Welcome to the beginning of the end for long haul trucking.

This is what's been happening since Carter deregulated the rail industry in 1980, one of the few things he did right. Since then, now that there's a profit motive, our rail infrastructure has been progressively upgraded and made about 80% more fuel efficient. Last I read, rail shipping can't expand fast enough to meet the demand.

TeddyRooseveltsMustache: Get outta my way Greenhorn!

/Awesome game
//Kinda short though

Greenhorn? Who's a greenhorn?? What's a greenhorn!

angrymacface: They only slow down when they're passing another truck. So you end up with two trucks "racing" one another at about 45 when the limit is 70.

I noticed this too. I like how one truck is going .00001 mph faster than the other truck but still feels the need to pass, which can take 20 minutes.

Agnosto: What we really need to do is to modernize our rail system in this country.

Rail uses 1/10th the amount of fuel. Maintaining a rail bed costs 1/50th the amount it costs to maintain a highway that moves the same amount of goods.

Welcome to the beginning of the end for long haul trucking.

THIS

Trucks = short haul in-city
Train = all long hauls. 1 train = 200 trucks off the roads.

Truckers are already slow as balls.

Truckers, when they slow to (perhaps around 58-62, depending on how the truck is spec'd etc.) they actually save considerably on fuel costs... which amounts to thousands over a month.

Owner/operators will normally drive nice and slow.

Company drivers tend to go faster because it's not their fuel. (Although some companies give incentives to drivers who save fuel).

And the VAST majority of trucks I see are driving respectfully and professionally.

/Not a trucker.
//Listens to trucker radio shows.
///Very, very bored at work.

-Zack

TehNacho: Dr.Knockboots: Why does diesel cost so much?
In the past it was always cheaper, and help me understand something here.. but I thought we had a surplus of unrefined oil, but not enough refineries here in the U.S. Diesel, as much as I remember, takes less refining to be road ready.. no?

So.. what am I overlooking?

-readies his tinfoil hat-

From what I understood (and I could be very wrong) diesel is more or less the waste product of processing gas. It would stand to reason (if it were true) that it would ALWAYS be cheaper than gas; though as gas supplies got more expensive it would go up in price too.

Nope. Diesel is high because of global demand. The world uses diesel to truck, rail or ship things.

As for diesel being a waste product, not exactly. From that 42 gallons of crude you get 22 of gas, 12 or so of diesel, 6 of kerosene, then the oils, asphalt, grease and other stuff. It is all a by product of oil refining.

Trucks = short haul in-city
Train = all long hauls. 1 train = 200 trucks off the roads.


True, but 200 trucks off the roads also = 200 drivers without jobs. Politicians don't like to take people's jobs away.

/Not that I disagree with you

GiantPeon: 18 wheelers should be throttle goverened at 80km/hour and limited to the slow lane.

/tired of seeing innocents killed by these yahoos

90% of 18 wheeler vs car accidents are found to be caused by the car driver.

I can confirm that this is actually happing in the container shipping industry. Maersk line is running a lot of it's ships at half speed.

Also, this article is crap. The big company already put governors on the trucks to save fuel (never follow a JB Hunt truck...they are governered at about 61, and are notorious among truckers for being the slowest thing on the road), and the owner operators who buy their own fuel also drive slowly.

The only guys who drive fast are the guys who have something to prove, the guys who feel that quick turnaround times on loads will be more profitable, and idiots. Mostly, just idiots.

I can't (afford to) drive (over) FIFTY FIVE!

Spuddy345: I can confirm that this is actually happing in the container shipping industry. Maersk line is running a lot of it's ships at half speed.

Is the cost of bunker oil that high? That garbage is just one step up from crude.

whistleridge: Also, this article is crap. The big company already put governors on the trucks to save fuel (never follow a JB Hunt truck...they are governered at about 61, and are notorious among truckers for being the slowest thing on the road), and the owner operators who buy their own fuel also drive slowly.

The only guys who drive fast are the guys who have something to prove, the guys who feel that quick turnaround times on loads will be more profitable, and idiots. Mostly, just idiots.

Actually the ones that get paid by the mile and the company pays the gas drive fast to make more money.

I see the increased fuel prices as having a silver lining - we were buried under cars, which anyone could afford to own and drive.

Making the fuel more expensive has the effect of cutting down on driving, and freeing up space.

Less traffic.

AND the benefit that the traffic that's there is "of class", if you know what I mean. Americans.

Heavy trucks will always be needed. Trains offer low rates but you're locked into their schedule. I can't count the number of times 8000# of something has been loaded into a truck and hauled by driver teams to some type of shut-down 1000miles from the origin point. Can't do that with trains.

Not to happy about heavy trucks. I've never seen a flatbed or specialty closed van going slow. That's usually the LTL carriers on set runs that don't go too much over the posted speed limit. Flatbed drivers seem to be the fastest probably due to what they haul and where.

angrymacface: They only slow down when they're passing another truck. So you end up with two trucks "racing" one another at about 45 when the limit is 70.

Been there myself a few times.

You do realize that trucks carry around 40,000 lbs or more of freight do you not? Not entirely easy to accelerate with that weight behind you especially on a hill.

Also a lot of trucks coming out today have sensors or something in them that only allows them go to so fast, no matter what the speed limit. I think my dad can only go 70 in his even though some state he drives through are 75. And is some states, like California, trucks have to go slower than cars. In California trucks can only go 55 while cars can go 75.

The only ones that MIGHT slow down intentionally are Owner Operators (means they own their truck and thus have to pay for their own fuel) Company Drivers have their fuel payed for by the company they drive for so they don't really give a damn. Owner Operators are pissed too at the gas prices. Diesel is a by product of gas so technically it should cost less than gas.

/3 out of 4 accidents that involve a semi-truck are caused by a car.
//Parents are both truckers
///Roll on 18 wheeler roll on.

funny....

here in , diesel is less than regular.

it's $7 a gallon instead of $7.40


1 gallon= 3.88l
1 euro= $1.44

studebaker hoch: AND the benefit that the traffic that's there is "of class", if you know what I mean. Americans.

Oh bullshiat, every moran soccer mom with an H2 and a cell phone fused to her skull will still be driving.

GiantPeon: 18 wheelers should be throttle goverened at 80km/hour and limited to the slow lane.

/tired of seeing innocents killed by these yahoosOMG you're a farking douchebag. Why don't you drive all over the place and get your goods for yourself.

Dr.Knockboots: Why does diesel cost so much?
In the past it was always cheaper, and help me understand something here.. but I thought we had a surplus of unrefined oil, but not enough refineries here in the U.S. Diesel, as much as I remember, takes less refining to be road ready.. no?

Diesel is no longer a waste product. It was a waste because it was high in sulfur. But EPA regulations mean that the sulfur has to be removed, so now diesel requires more refining than regular gasoline.

Of course, most of the price of fuel is in the taxes. In states and the feds wanted, they could pull some taxation out of the diesel fuel price to make it more reasonable.

Has Hell frozen over? Of course they won't do that. In fact, they are discussing more taxes to pay for their bridges to nowhere. And please don't give me that "fuel taxes pay for our roads" crap. The revenue from fuel taxes gets dumped into General Funds, and gets spent on politicians hookers and blow.

re-elect_jimmy_carter: funny....

here in , diesel is less than regular.

it's $7 a gallon instead of $7.40


1 gallon= 3.88l
1 euro= $1.44

Yeah, but you get functional mass transit and health care.
/and a growing solar power industry
//I wish I could move to München

whistleridge:
True, but 200 trucks off the roads also = 200 drivers without jobs. Politicians don't like to take people's jobs away.

Can't they just shrug their shoulders and mumble something about "the market" into their chest?

Agnosto: What we really need to do is to modernize our rail system in this country.

Rail uses 1/10th the amount of fuel. Maintaining a rail bed costs 1/50th the amount it costs to maintain a highway that moves the same amount of goods.

Welcome to the beginning of the end for long haul trucking.
You gonna build train tracks to every store? What a stupid idea.

Rodeodoc: Dr.Knockboots: Why does diesel cost so much?
In the past it was always cheaper, and help me understand something here.. but I thought we had a surplus of unrefined oil, but not enough refineries here in the U.S. Diesel, as much as I remember, takes less refining to be road ready.. no?

Diesel is no longer a waste product. It was a waste because it was high in sulfur. But EPA regulations mean that the sulfur has to be removed, so now diesel requires more refining than regular gasoline.

Of course, most of the price of fuel is in the taxes. In states and the feds wanted, they could pull some taxation out of the diesel fuel price to make it more reasonable.

Has Hell frozen over? Of course they won't do that. In fact, they are discussing more taxes to pay for their bridges to nowhere. And please don't give me that "fuel taxes pay for our roads" crap. The revenue from fuel taxes gets dumped into General Funds, and gets spent on politicians hookers and blow.

Fuel taxes should be the only thing that pays for roads. Lowering the price at the pump by removing taxes will only reduce the incentive for people to find and use another fuel source.

stirfrybry: Agnosto: What we really need to do is to modernize our rail system in this country.

Rail uses 1/10th the amount of fuel. Maintaining a rail bed costs 1/50th the amount it costs to maintain a highway that moves the same amount of goods.

Welcome to the beginning of the end for long haul trucking.
You gonna build train tracks to every store? What a stupid idea.

What part of long haul do you not understand?
Short haul would thrive, going from the local railyard to stores and back.

stirfrybry: Agnosto: What we really need to do is to modernize our rail system in this country.

Rail uses 1/10th the amount of fuel. Maintaining a rail bed costs 1/50th the amount it costs to maintain a highway that moves the same amount of goods.

Welcome to the beginning of the end for long haul trucking.
You gonna build train tracks to every store? What a stupid idea.

In all fairness, he did say long haul trucking.

studebaker hoch: I see the increased fuel prices as having a silver lining - we were buried under cars, which anyone could afford to own and drive.

Making the fuel more expensive has the effect of cutting down on driving, and freeing up space.

Less traffic.

AND the benefit that the traffic that's there is "of class", if you know what I mean. Americans.

Translation: Poor people will no longer be able to afford to drive.

One day, vehicles will do all the math on this particular issue for you and calculate your best speed on the gear, show the gears you have in both directions and the miles per gallon you would be getting out of your RPM's and show it on your tachometer.

Of course, the evil gas companies would prevent such a simple feature from being implemented for so long.

in the meantime, I just keep my car at 2,500 RPM's at the second highest gear which is 60 mph and that usually gets 30 mpg.

stirfrybry

Translation: Poor people will no longer be able to afford to drive.

And the trips we take will be more business-related, furthering the country, and less of this screwing around crap.

/Tell me again how driving all.the.fcucking.way.across.America for no damn reason is a good use of our fuel resoures?

PlNG: One day, vehicles will do all the math on this particular issue for you and calculate your best speed on the gear, show the gears you have in both directions and the miles per gallon you would be getting out of your RPM's and show it on your tachometer.

Of course, the evil gas companies would prevent such a simple feature from being implemented for so long.

in the meantime, I just keep my car at 2,500 RPM's at the second highest gear which is 60 mph and that usually gets 30 mpg.

Nope, CVT will be popular quite soon instead.