How fast can your rig go?
Posted by FatsMasterson@reddit | Truckers | View on Reddit | 46 comments
Hi all,
I'm not a trucker and have only vague notions of trucking gleaned from years of interacting with truckers in the warehouse...
So I'm currently on a road trip and while heading north on 75 in the Dalton/Resaca area of Georgia this afternoon I was doing 80 in the far left lane when I was passed on the right by what to me is a "full-size" rig: sleeper cab (I think Kenworth), 53' box trailer, eighteen wheels, essentially the biggest vehicle that is normally found on the roads.
That area is basically flat with a very slight incline as you're going north, so he wouldn't have had any downhill momentum, and of course I have no knowledge of his load weight or distribution within the trailer, but regardless he passed me with authority; I'd guess he was in the neighborhood of 90mph.
Which brings me to my question: I had always thought that trucks simply aren't capable of those kids of speeds, 75 sure, but not 90. Obviously his is, but would he have had some sort of special gearing, or are all your trucks able to go that fast?
I learned to drive circa 2000; have trucks gotten faster since then, or were they always that fast?
Finally, doing 80 in a 70 in a Rav 4 will almost certainly not be noticed by highway patrol, but wouldn't 90 in a truck be a massive, juicy target for them?
Anyways, thank you all for humoring me, you have my unyielding respect; I can't back a boat down a launch, much less do what you do.
Auquaholic@reddit
What a lot of the asshaulers don't know, it's that most semi truck tires are only rated for 75mph. Mine was set at 119mph, unsure why, but I never went over 75. Now, I'm governed at 68mph, but go slower when loaded because I haul wierd / od stuff.
acs0311@reddit
I’ve been in trucks that would roll easily past 90 MPH and I’ve been in trucks like my current one that 70 MPH is about it due to my steer tires being rated at 65 MPH and my RPMs being at 1900 at 73 MPH.
Possumjones@reddit
Last truck I had would go 85, fastest I’ve ever been in a truck is 98.
roytwo@reddit
I didn't drive a truck that could go over 70 in a couple decades, BUT My best speeding ticket was in 1983 on HW 95 between Reno and LV. A 1976 KW Cabover. The cop asked if I knew how fast I was going, I answered no, the speedometer stopped at 90, he wrote me for 96MPH in a 60. I think I was doing better than that. I had slowed a bit as I saw him coming toward me and while he flipped a U'ey. Told me to roll into Beatty NV, just up the road ,and visit the court house, I paid my ticket there , $35, and it never showed up on my record.
I kind of miss the old days of outlaw driving, and really miss driving through NV back then.
Cultural_Finger5316@reddit
55
Parking_Exit2297@reddit
Found the red raider express driver, welcome!!😂
Numerobofis@reddit
They fuck up traffic on a two lane so bad
TruckerSob@reddit
big companies monst likely gov around 65-70, small or owner ops can go whatever speed they feel like.
Princetrix@reddit
74 in my current company truck.
My personal truck I owned prior to this could allegedly hit 95 before it ran out of gear. Had a 605/2050 X15 in it w/ 3.55 rear ends.
Great_Bambi@reddit
Whatever the speed limit is posted, officer.
Laffenor@reddit
90km/h. Or 56mph. Like every single other truck in Europe (except those who have elected to given their trucks at lower speed voluntarily or for haz-mat reasons).
Asphalt_outlaw@reddit
One of my rigs is governed at 80. The other one tops out at 114 according to my GPS.
IllustriousLeek39@reddit
My truck will go as fast as my wallet allows.
L0quence@reddit
B trains (2 trailers/tankers 1 tractor) and heavy haul (96 wheelers I believe they can go up to) are the biggest vehicles you find on roads
ntech620@reddit
I got to drive a 99 Peterbuilt and it just didn't seem to have a top end. Took it up to 85 mph on a flat stretch of I80 and it still had more to give.
Zealousideal_Wave760@reddit
85 storm truck
1Stack_Mack@reddit
Company driver here. Goverened at 65, right lane..... All day long
seneeb@reddit
And a lot less stress. People bitch about 65 but I've had a 70mph truck and still only do about 550 miles per day. I found less stress at 65 because I just slow down and let the stupidity go on by.
Although having to pass 4 wheelers in 70+ mph speed limits (here's looking at you Texas) really fucking pisses me off
Longway23544@reddit
68 mph
Ticallion339@reddit
Governed at 75 but I keep it at 70 unless I’m passing. Tires are only rated for 75 max anyway.
Cow-puncher77@reddit
My ‘82 Peterbilt and ‘90 Kw will hit 90mph pretty easy if they’re not loaded. But it’s been a long time since they’ve gone that fast. I hit 85 a year ago or so headed back from Big Bend country, Texas, with a big tailwind. I’ll get to 80 from time to time, passing governed trucks on a two lane, if there’s room. But loaded with a bullwagon (cow trailer) it takes awhile to get up over 75. And with fuel prices today, you probably won’t see me over 70 much.
Now, my old man’s ’01 Peterbilt with the 6NZ Caterpillar…oof… it will flat out scare you. It pulls well up to 100mph, and the one time I did that, I let out of it pretty quick. It’s a beast, and I know other guys that do that pretty regularly. I’m out on that. You just become a ballistic missile at those speeds. Steering becomes a suggestion if anything goes wrong.
icy_penguins@reddit
Trucks can only go as fast as its mechanical ability will let it. Your general run of the mill fleet truck doesn't have enough horse ponies to get much past 80 or 90 and maintain it. Torque is what gets you up to speed, horsepower is what maintains it. I run over 800hp in my 379 but do to my gears, it tops out at around 95 and its screaming at 2200rpm at that speed. I usually run 5 over wherever I go cause those high rpm's are hard on equipment.
SaltAndBitter@reddit
Can't speak for the company guys, especially the ones at the megacarriers, but I'm ungoverned. My truck can and will make a buck and some change if I ask it to... I just choose not to. Forget the potential ticket, my fuel bill is already killing me cruising at either 68 or 73.
FatsMasterson@reddit (OP)
That's wild! I had no idea they could go that fast. I hadn't even thought of the fuel aspect either... pushing $6 per gallon is brutal.
Thanks for answering!
25_Unknown_Devices@reddit
Ive heard some legends from the east coast from back in the day, the produce haulers would run kerosene and be flying in the triple digits. Exhaust would get so hot it would glow red.
Don’t know how true these stories are, before my time.
SaltAndBitter@reddit
Personally, I file them alongside the toothpicks and multiple logbooks. "Things that probably did happen, but not nearly as commonly as the old hands would have us believe"
red_dirt_ranger@reddit
There's been triple digit trucks for decades. Just gotta gear them big. Also the same guys that only get 4mpg.
There's a saying that's been around just as long
"it'll pass everything but a truck stop"
AgapeAnus@reddit
I mean it really depends on what they're geared out at and how much power they have and what they're hauling. Theoretically you can do 150mph in a semi pulling max gross if all those factors line up right and you don't care about your life or the lives of others let alone the fuel bill. Typically an ungoverned truck is geared out to do about 93mph to 118mph depending on the transmission and gearing, but it's incredibly unwise to run those sorts of speeds for very long because I believe the fastest load rated semi tires you can get top out at N rating which is 87mph if I recall correctly or thereabouts.
And like yeah there's a safety factor built in, it's not like the tire instantly flies apart if you exceed the speed rating one time, but now you're getting into factors like how hot is it outside and how hot is the pavement and how much weight is on that tire and how old is it and what's the exact psi and how long are you running that fast. I could see a bullhauler hitting triple digits at night when loaded but they're likely not holding that speed, they're probably cruising at about 90ish for extended periods of time and slowing down periodically before they get to curves or turns which will let the tires cool off a bit.
They can also get ticketed for going that fast despite what everyone says. Even if they are loaded, but they had better have been remaking Smokey and the Bandit and going full dumbass for that to happen. More likely the cops just wait until they're not loaded or send their company the footage and the ticket(s) as a warning to chill out.
Realistically speaking though - if you know what you're doing and have a lot of experience and you're in really well maintained equipment on fast stretches of highway, you can safely do 90mph for extended stretches of time even in a loaded semi. At night. In clear weather, and light or no traffic. Which is the actual reason they don't instantly get a shitload of tickets while beeves are falling over dead in the trailer stopped on the side of the highway.
NFLTG_71@reddit
68 miles an hour that’s it unless I’m going downhill in Wyoming around the twins
25_Unknown_Devices@reddit
Just depends. Your typical “mega” is going to be mid 60’s with a plus 5 pass option.
Cattle haulers tend to be some of the faster trucks on the road.
I’m in the towing industry as a trucker, so we’ve got a pretty mixed bag of equipment. Most of which is governed 75- 85 mph. My main rig is 78, back rig up is 77. Rollback wreckers are all 80-85 depending on whose truck I hopped in, except the newest truck and that’s at 75.
WMDZipperbag@reddit
Trucks back in 2000 (before that) were much more common to be capable of “triple digits”. They would be “spec’d” for such. Tires / Gearing. Focus now is mostly efficiency Still quite a few hobby truckers tho. Listen for keywords. Marine camshaft Things like that. Maximum RPM is kinda the real tell I think. Cats can make some
Careful running so slow in the hammer lane. Especially if no traffic beside you )BEARS(
Damn-MissedMy-Turn91@reddit
When i owned my own truck i got her up to 115 a few times running out west but now that I am a company driver my truck is governed at 75
Busy-Purple-3779@reddit
I bought a Freightliner from Schneider. They reprogrammed the computer to allow it to go faster. The mechanic told me it’s set to go 93mph now.
When I drove it home I only go a chance to get it up to about 74mph. It definitely could go faster. So I believe it does 93
rilloroc@reddit
Pete 379. Cat. 18 speed. Real low geared axles. Bull hauler. I can run 90 at 1600rpm and I can get out there if I wanna rev it out
ACTRANSPORTLLC@reddit
My truck will go over 100, but I have no reason to exceed the speed limit. My father's truck did over 100 as well, my stepmother told me about the multiple times my father had his rig well beyond the limit in the 90s. Just depends on tires, gearing and power, same as a car.
CakewalkNOLA@reddit
The last truck I owned would get into the triple digits 20 years ago. Now, I'm quite content setting my cruise on 68 and bumping the governor at 71 if I get in a snail race.
Whitehoneybun666@reddit
I had a truck that did 80-85 I miss it
0100100012635@reddit
Dash says 70, truck only does 68.
Cascadia 😏
R-e-s-t@reddit
73 mph
homucifer666@reddit
I think my truck, under it's own power, can go up to 90. Obviously, gravity can push you faster. I don't go over 75 though because my tires are rated for that speed and upgrading to go any faster (assuming they make higher speed rated truck tires) isn't worth it to me.
HowlingWolven@reddit
nice try occifer
_Cpoc_@reddit
There’s a bell curve associated with this which inverts from miles per gallon to gallons per mile
Also a lot of trucks are governed at the company level tied to insurance rates
FatsMasterson@reddit (OP)
That makes complete sense, I hadn't considered at all the price difference between gas and diesel, which certainly governs in its own way.
Thank you!
nosjitbro@reddit
Im governed at 70. Dont want it much higher because I know Ill do it and wind up with a ticket. I like it being governed at 70 because I can pass most company trucks and the random Amazon driver that sets up camp in front of me at 64.
RedlineM5@reddit
93 no governor
Puzzleheaded-Hat5803@reddit
Cattle haulers regularly go 80+. For most of us we are either governed by our companies, or the speed limit. (Cattle haulers can speed without recourse bc their load will die if they dont) in theory.