Digging slightly into my bag from a couple of posts ago, I ran across the picture I had posted of a speedometer with a red “55” on it. I began to ponder the origins and effects of this federally mandated requirement of the past that has been abolished by most states in both automobile and commercial truck laws of today? Being that I operate in one of the few remaining states that require commercial trucks to travel at no more than 55mph, I began to also think about its effect on things such as safety and fuel economy.
In the wake of the 1973 oil crisis, The National Maximum Speed Limit Law (NMSL) was passed, limiting the maximum speed of all vehicles to 55 miles per hour, or the old “Double Nickel”. This law was thought to have a reduction in the overall consumption of oil as a result of vehicles burning more fuel at higher rates of speed. Although it was a nationally recognized law, it was disregarded by most drivers and highly criticized by the motoring public and even by some states. Congress had hoped this would save a national average of nearly 2%, but actual savings are only estimated to have been between .5%-1%. This law did not change until the late 1980’s, when the limit was raised to 65 miles per hour. It continued this way until congress repealed all federal control over speed limits in 1995, returning speed control and enforcement to the individual states.
With maximum allowed speeds having now been raised by the majority of the states for automobiles, there is a great amount of debate from a lot of safety groups about the impact of split speed limits for commercial trucks. For example, a car in California being allowed to travel at 70mph, while the truck must travel at no more than 55mph regardless of road condition, traffic congestion, or weather factors. A great amount of research has been done on this very topic, proving in a lot of cases that these faster moving vehicles pose a great threat to the safety of the trucker when not traveling at similar rates of speed. As a trucker, I see fast moving vehicles merging all the time onto freeways where 55mph trucks are “married” to the right lane (usually by law as well) and end up getting hit because they are moving too slow for the automobile when they attain highway speeds.
Taking both safety and law into consideration, it is a delicate balance of needing to be somewhere on-time and wanting to save fuel that should be the deciding factor in how fast you need to go. Of course I insist on staying within your state(s) maximum set truck speed to conduct your business, as doing otherwise will ultimately cost you in fines and harm to your CSA score. Being in a strict 55mph state, it’s not as if I have any other choice but to hum along doing the old “Double Nickel” dance! For those of you in a state with higher limits, remember that it has been proven that you are not going to increase MPG by trying to outrun the wind. Be “Fuel Smart” and if you have the time to get there at a lower rate of speed, do so! It will only benefit you in the long run and help to increase the money going right back into your pocket. If you make so much money that you don’t care about the fuel savings, let me know and I’ll be more than happy to take a little off your hands!