Speed Limiter Phone Calls

Doggie Daddy · May 21, 2009

Beaglemom wrote:

We have been with ES for just over a year now and couldn't be happier with them. Yes we have had breakdowns, who hasn't? What matters is how we get treated when there is a problem. Our truck was put in the shop for about a week last summer. We were offered several options. They would pay for a hotel or a rental car for the week or they would get us the rental car for us to take to Toledo and get into another truck that was ready to go instead of waiting for ours. I did see one thing here that I would like to correct, Bobby isn't the owner lol. He is a great guy and knows the business very well and is a great help though. They do not micro manage their drivers. They are there if you need them but if you know what you are doing they leave you alone and let you do your job. We have never had a problem getting paid on time or getting reimbursements and when we needed a new fuel card they over nighted it to us. I just can't say anything bad about them. It is nice to be able to pick up the phone and call and have a friendly, knowledgable, helpful voice on the other end.

So with one phone call,it sounds as if you are no longer happy with ES.

Humble2drive · May 21, 2009

BeagleMom said:
Got the word from our owner today. All of the trucks in the ES fleet will be nuetered, whether you plan to go into Canada or not. Whether you are WG or not. We are nothing but a D and will be nuetered by the 1st.

Yes, the largest and most successful fleet owner in the FedExCC fleet is complying with thier Carriers request. Are you actually surprised by this?

BeagleMom said:
Am I mad about this, heck yea.

I can understand being disappointed, but mad?? Mad because the owner of the truck you are driving is complying with company policy?

BeagleMom said:
We have done good for the company, been with them over a year and have gotten this trucks mpg up to a consistent 9.3. It was at 8 when we got the truck.

Good for you. It is commendable that you have put forth the effort to run thier truck in an efficient manner.

BeagleMom said:
IMO if a driver has no intention of going into Canada then their truck should be left alone. Apparently my opinion, and possibly the opinion of a lot of other ES drivers, doesn't matter.

Your opinion and our opinion has very little to do with FedExCCs decision to require the speed limiter and for ES to comply.

BeagleMom said:
I can't wait to see what happens when our mpg starts dropping.

Why are you anxious to see ES have to pay more in fuel. Would it make you feel better to see them suffer in some way because they didn't take your opinion and defy their Carrier's request.

BeagleMom said:
I have to admit, if it wasn't for the fact that there are no jobs to be found at home I seriously doubt if I would still be in this truck after the 1st I feel like I am being punished for doing a good job

Well, thank you for admitting that you have no other prospects for work so you are going to complain about the one company that has given you a chance to keep your head above water during this recession.

I certainly understand that it must be very difficult for you to drive a slower truck and suffer rolling road blocks. I would not blame you for quiting and applying for unemployment.

BeagleMom · May 21, 2009

Humble I just love the way that you took what I said out of context.

They are not complying with the carriers request. The carrier is only requiring WG trucks to nueter. They are not requiring the regular D units to nueter.

I am mad because everything we have done to make money with this truck was for nothing. We got the mpg up and now it will go back down because of this and that is not the only reason.

I am waiting to see what happens when the mpg goes back down because no doubt we, as the drivers, will get the blame. I can see the questions starting already. "What are you doing that caused it?" among others.

Well I would say no need to be rude and nasty but my efforts would most likely be wasted on you.

Doggie Daddy · May 21, 2009

BeagleMom please look up the definition of "taken out of context" and you will see that Humble2drive did no such thing.

Humble2drive · May 21, 2009

BeagleMom said:
Humble I just love the way that you took what I said out of context.

They are not complying with the carriers request. The carrier is only requiring WG trucks to nueter. They are not requiring the regular D units to nueter.

WG trucks are "required" to be limited. Surface trucks are being "requested" to comply as well. Nothing was taken out of context.

BeagleMom said:
I am mad because everything we have done to make money with this truck was for nothing. We got the mpg up and now it will go back down because of this and that is not the only reason.

Please educate me as to how this will effect your ability to make money when ES pays for all fuel. Are you on a different pay structure than all of the other trucks?

How did you determine a "sweet spot" at 67mph when the manufacturer recommends 60mph for the best fuel economy??

BeagleMom said:
I am waiting to see what happens when the mpg goes back down because no doubt we, as the drivers, will get the blame. I can see the questions starting already. "What are you doing that caused it?" among others..

We have never been questioned or blamed for anything that is beyond our control. They have all the necessary information from the ECM to determine why the mpg changes.

BeagleMom said:
Well I would say no need to be rude and nasty but my efforts would most likely be wasted on you.

Your efforts are not wasted on me or any of the hundreds of expediters that may read these posts in the future.
If you are considering my questioning of your negative comments on here to be "rude and nasty" then I believe that may explain why you are having trouble communicating with the nice people at ES.

I will not bother trying to get you to explain your comments anymore because I do not want to be percieved as being nasty and rude to someones mother.

piper1 · May 22, 2009

I don't want to be accused of being nasty but, if your fuel mileage goes down because you limit speed either the truck has horrendously bad specs (which I doubt) or the mileage will go down because you drive it "mad".

The setting only affects rpm in the top gear, it is the same as you taking your foot out of it when you hit 65 or setting the cruise at 65. It changes nothing else.

BeagleMom · May 22, 2009

Please educate me as to how this will effect your ability to make money when ES pays for all fuel. Are you on a different pay structure than all of the other trucks?

Are you forgetting the profit sharing? When the mpg goes down the cost of fueling the truck goes up and the profit goes down need I say more?

How did you determine a "sweet spot" at 67mph when the manufacturer recommends 60mph for the best fuel economy??

It was very simple actually. We have been driving this truck for over a year and trial and error made it obvious at what speed the truck gets the best mileage. We have always fueled at the same truckstops and took into account the area that we were running in and the load that we were, or in a DH, were not hauling. Just because we have only been in this truck for a year does not mean that we are new to trucks, we are not greenhorns when it comes to trucks,

We have never been questioned or blamed for anything that is beyond our control. They have all the necessary information from the ECM to determine why the mpg changes.

Well, sorry but we can't say the same. Last summer we had a mechanic lie to our Fleet Manager about why our truck was towed. I got a voicemail that made it very clear that she believed what the mechanic said and thought that it was all our fault. Chris had to talk to her and explain that it was an on going problem that we were having with the truck and that it was not our fault. So yes, I can see us being questioned about why our mpg is dropping.

BeagleMom · May 22, 2009

Since this "Junior Member" doesn't like being jumped on by several "Senior members" for simply voicing her opinion she will not be reading or replying to this thread any further. I came here with the belief that I could voice my opinions and my concerns about this topic and I could find advice and guidance. What I found was sarcasm and rudeness. Sorry not interested.

BEARTRUCKER · May 22, 2009

Now look whay ya done did Humble! LOL.
I side with you in your responses.
I recall during Jason Lewis' conferenace call, I heard some grumbling in the response portion about a few drivers not wanting to get the limiter done. My (silent) response was "ITS NOT YOUR TRUCK!".
We are very grateful for this truck: the power it has, the sleeper set up, the APU, the toys (reefer, lift gate, pallet jack, etc. Compared to what we had with different owners this truck is sweet! Plus its pretty cool to get "looks" and thubms up when we show up. Comment such as "nice rig", or "Wow!" make us smile.
As far as the profit sharing goes...I don't consider it a "given". Yes, we try to maintain 10 mpg, but there are so many variables that affect it. We are happy to get between 9 and 10. Yes, occasionaly we have seen 11.4, but again that depends on the variables involved.
If drivers aren't happy with the trcuk owner's decision to make the carrier happy...then move on to another owner or buy your own truck.
We are very happy right where we are, with what we have.

Humble2drive · May 22, 2009

BeagleMom said:
Since this "Junior Member" doesn't like being jumped on by several "Senior members" for simply voicing her opinion she will not be reading or replying to this thread any further. I came here with the belief that I could voice my opinions and my concerns about this topic and I could find advice and guidance. What I found was sarcasm and rudeness. Sorry not interested.

I sincerely appologize. When I read your post I did not realize you were looking for advice and guidance.
My advice would be to not bite the hand that feeds you on a public forum and to appreciate the opportunity that you have been given.
The great thing about this forum is the ability to exchange ideas and voice opinions. If you make a negative post about a company then you may want to expect some differing opinions or some questions.
Keep posting away and just take the good with the bad. It keeps the forum interesting and informative.

Caught ya! I see you reading this.

Doggie Daddy · May 22, 2009

You have to be very careful here on EO, people can get there widdle feewings hurt.

nobb4u · May 22, 2009

And Doggie we all know where you end up if you hurt the wrong feelings. LOL

ATeam · May 29, 2009

ATeam said:
I'm not convinced the Ontario and Quebec speed-limiter rules are here to stay. We have yet to see the effects and, as we all know, laws have unintended consequences. It remains to be seen if the rolling road blocks develop that truckers have warned about. It remains to be seen what impact, if any, the speed-limiter rules will have on the willingness of non-provincial and non-Canadian trucks to service the provinces in question.

If the effects are negative, the laws may be changed. I believe provincial leaders would react quickly if outraged four-wheeler motorists called in by the thousands to complain about trucks that cannot pass each other and take forever to clear out of the hammer lane.

Truck speed limiters have now surfaced as an election issue in Ontario and hard enforcement has not yet begun. I remain unconvinced that the provincial speed-limiter rules are here to stay. See this.

Out of curiosity, Diane (an attorney) did a fair amount of research into the rules and laws on this. One of the things she found was that certain agencies are directed by the law to develop specific rules on speed limiters. To date, the agencies have not produced a complete set of rules to enforce. With the law having been on the books since January 1, and the so-called hard enforcement date said to be approaching, this creates an interesting situation, since an agency cannot enforce rules that do not exist. Note that some rules have been written but all of the required rules have not.

Also of interest is this piece:

Trade and Competitiveness Assessment of Mandated Speed Limiters for Heavy Trucks Operating in Canada

layoutshooter · May 29, 2009

Very interesting stuff Phil. Be sure to thank Diane for doing that research. I wonder about something, they keep talking about equipment that drivers can use to change the limits. They keep talking about a $1000-2000 price tag. One, that is a LOT of money and two, I have NOT been able to find such equipment as yet. I have talked with 3 Freightliners (I know they might not be the best source) and have recieved the same answer from all 3. There is NO equipment availble that they are aware of. IF I could buy a copy of the software for my engine they tell me it would cost somewhere in the range of TEN GRAND!! All three also told me that the software is NOT available to the general public, only certified repair places. Anyone learn any thing different on this?

ATeam · May 29, 2009

layoutshooter said:
Very interesting stuff Phil. Be sure to thank Diane for doing that research. I wonder about something, they keep talking about equipment that drivers can use to change the limits. They keep talking about a $1000-2000 price tag. One, that is a LOT of money and two, I have NOT been able to find such equipment as yet.

I know of no such equipment. If it is out there, I have yet to see or hear about it.

piper1 · May 29, 2009

www.nexiq.com

Prices vary widely depending on what you get and how well the local dealer of these products gives deals.

For older trucks, an older Pro-Link or older software package can be used and there are usually some products on E-bay. There is a listing on there today for older software and it includes a laptop to boot!

For engines from the big 3 (CAT, Cummins, Detroit/MBE) the stuff is out there used. For Volvo, Hino, Internation and other not so prominent engines, it is a wee bit scarce.

You can always get stuff from the OEM, but they will want a LOT of money as you are reducing the need for their "expertise".

I quit talking about these things a while back because I am unsure of the risk of having one of these units in your possession even if you are set at 65 and the unit is not connected to the truck. I do not want to advocate anything that may result in a further fine or seizure.

ATeam · May 30, 2009

With the new laws potentially creating new demand for such devices, it may well be that enterprising geeks or mechanics set up mobile services such that for a fee, a car can come to your truck to set and reset speed limiters for U.S. trucks crossing into the two provinces.

layoutshooter · May 30, 2009

Hey Phil!! If we end up losing everything and going out of business due to that mess with our box and Gustav that is what I plan on doing!! Don't give others the idea!!! LOL!!

ATeam · May 30, 2009

layoutshooter said:
Hey Phil!! If we end up losing everything and going out of business due to that mess with our box and Gustav that is what I plan on doing!! Don't give others the idea!!! LOL!!

And while you are sitting near the border in your gleaming, tricked-out, super Sprinter van with your speed-limiter equipment ready, waiting for your next call, you can work the load boards finding backhaul freight for expediters that pay you a small fee for doing so. Rent a parking space and daily shower use from a nearby hotel and you will be good to go! If you also clean rooms, they may let you stay for free.