Question

Mr. Big, the Pres asks you, "As a graduate of a TM (Transportation Management) class with an "A", what do you think about setting the speed for our tractors?" Give a written answer. Speed dlerences mean more interacuions hat could cause accidents,researcher says By LYNDON FINNEY Citing primarily safety issues, the American Trucking Associations last month petitioned the National Highway Traffic Safety Admin- istration to limit the maximum speed of large trucks at the time of manufacture to no more than 68 mph. THE TRUCKER STAFF FAYETTEVILLE, Ark.-Jot this down. Interactions. One word, but a powerful word that could play a significant role in the speed limiter de- bate that's prevalent in the trucking industryIn a complementary move, the ATA also today So says Dr. Steve Johnson, a professor in the Department of Industrial Engineering at the University of Arkansas who recently published a study on the "Cost/Benefit Analysis of Speed petitioned the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) to prohibit the tam- pering or adjustment of the speed limit devices to greater than 68 mph. Nine trucking companies and safety advo- Differentials Between Heavy Trucks and Auto- See SPEED Page 8 mobiles. cacy groups petitioned the FMCSA to limit all trucks built after 1990 to 68 mph datory, those opposed, including many drivers who responded to a request by The Trucker for comments and those contacted by Johnson, are The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers citing increased speed differentials between So are many truck drivers (see comments accidents Speed limiters on trucks are actually noth In fact, 90 percent of all company drivers Association (OOIDA) is opposing the idea.cars and big rigs as an increased risk factor for beginning on Page 8) ing new have speed limiters, Johnson said. That is a fact of vehicular science, Johnson said, citing information in his study that show the higher the difference in the speed, the high er the probability of an accident "These are data that go way back, he noted The bottom line is that 75 percent of fall] It says the higher the difference between your trucks are limited and the public doesnt know that," he said. "The public thinks these trucks See SPEED Page 37 December 1-14, 2006 THE N ing slower than traffic speed, so they will tend to lag back and it really causes confusion. So they will tend to go behind the truck, when it would be much better accelerating and getting in front of the truck because the truck is actu- Speed continued from page 8 vehicle speed and the traffic speed, the more ally going slower? interactions you're going to have among ve-J hicles. In other words, if I can drive 400 miles nd never pass or be passed, that would be my Johnson's research in three states with ars/65 trucks), Missouri (70/70) and Illinois (65/55)- revealed a significant mean speed differential regardless of the posted speed limit. (See chart varying speed limits -Arkansas (70 c t situation. So what that shows is, t dents, whether you're on the down side or the up side [of the speed differential], the number on Page 39) of accidents go up as you go Johnson an traffic speeds. he acci to different truck Johnson and his researchers developed em pirical data from two states to show how many interactions there would be in a 1,000-mile trip based on the speed of the vehicles (see chart on Basically, what it amounts to is the more interactions you have with other vehicles, the more chances you have for collisions, just as much when you are going slower as when you are going faster. To some extent, it's a little bit worse if you are a commercial truck driver, be e going faster, frankly, you're in this page). In Missouri, where the speed limit is 70 for both cars and trucks, the average traffic speed was 71.5 mph (72.6 for cars and 68.6 for trucks) The data showed that a vehicle, whether a car or control. If you're going slower, the other person truck, going 65 mph would be passed 710 times by a car an the higher skilled driver, assuming the truck driver is the higher d driver, not in control if they are going LI imes by a truc ing 68 mph would be passed by a car 443 times and by a truck 76 times and a vehicle going traf fic speed (71.5 mph) would be passed by a car slower "Another thing that is really frustrating to 188 times and by a truck 22 times the truck drivers who have limiters is when entrance ramp and they can't they are on an get to traff a problem. The other thing that happens t In Illinois, where the speed limit is 65 for cars and 55 for trucks, the average vehicle speed was71.2 mph (73.2 for cars and 64.2 for trucks) ic speed. That is inherently causing oday The data showed that a vehicle, whether a car is that when automobiles are coming up on an truck, going 65 mph would be passed 793 times entrance ramp, their assumption is the truck is by a car and 41 times by a truck, a vehicle going really going faster than it is. They think trucks go fast. So they really don't think trucks are go- See SPEED Page 39 ATION The Trucker 37 Vehicle Interactions Over 1,000-mile Trip Missouri 70/70 Speed Limit Average Car/Truck Speed: 72.6/68.6 Average Traffic Speed: 71.5 29 percent of traffic were trucks Traffic Speed (71.5) If vehicle speed (car or truck) is # of times vehicle passed a car # of times vehicle passed a truck # of times being passed by car # of times being passed by truck # of times being passed total # of interactions with car* # of interactions with truck" 6568 40 54 443 76 519 729483 130 19 12 710 155 865 109 283 188 210 357 179 167 Illinois 65/55Speed Limit Average Car/Truck Speed: 73.2/64.2 Average Traffic Speed: 71.2 23 percent of traffic were trucks Traffic If vehicle speed (car or truck) is # of times vehicle passed a car # of times vehicle passed a truck # of times being passed by car # of times being passed by truck # of times being passed total # of interactions with car # of interactions with truck" Passed or being passed 65 68 Speed (71.2) 32 165 511 17 528 543 182 109 283 231 793 834 804 41 4 235 340 287 Dr Steve ohnso Chart shows number of interactions based on speed of vehicles

Answer 1

From the research published it is clearly understood that reducing speed of truck will be not a solution and more the speed difference between the car and truck will increase the probability of accident. So the speed of truck should be near to car or speed difference should be low and to increase the speed of truck too. The speed of tractor in 2015 is raises from 5 to 25 mph and generally tractor top speed is less than 80 mph. So according to the above research speed of tractor should be 65-68 mph, so the speed difference will be less and chances of accident should be less.