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.