Shakey is 110% correct. I will (and do) pay my drivers extra for the fuel they save, and at they end of the day they are not all beat up and whipped because they were travelling at (what I consider) excessive speeds. That kind of concentration, for hours on end, takes its toll on a driver. If you are a driver, you know that is true.
I'm well aware of what other provinces and states do. Eighty percent of my business is beyond Ontario's borders. I used Ontario as an example. Traffic always travels above the speed limit ... always. So now you have a more difficult problem. In states where the speed limit is 70 mph, one can safely assume that traffic will flow at 80 mph without consequence. The problem is, trucks were never designed to go 80 mph. Numerous speed studies have been done by truck makers, their parts suppliers, insurance companies, and regulators. Do a Google search and check them out. One of the more disturbing studies indicates that at 80 mph, in a panic stop situation, brakes (drum & shoe type) actually begin to fade before the truck is stopped. Add to that your tires are actually out of round at 80 mph, and you have the makings of a disaster.
Even if none of that convinces you that higher speeds are not a good idea, at least consider this ... should a catastrophic event occur at 80 mph, your driver will surely die. Do you really want to call his wife and kids and tell them that their husband and father isn't coming home anymore?
Since I wrote most of this before your last post, I'll answer your last question here ... The EOBR, what I firmly believe to be the great equalizer, will drive driver wages up one way or another. Because that driver is out there on their own and real-time productivity cannot be adequately monitored (at this time), hourly wages are not likely to happen, but increased wages, in one form or another, is a surety.
