I thought the group would find this story interesting....

From what I see on the freeway daily, most are not slowing down.

Slowing down...that brings back memories of the Carter conservation
days....


TMT


Truckers slowing down to save fuel By JAMES MacPHERSON, Associated
Press Writer

Coast-to-coast trucker Lorraine Dawson says fellow drivers used to
call her "Lead Foot Lorraine." But with diesel fuel around $4 a
gallon, she and other big-rig drivers have backed off their
accelerators to conserve fuel.

"I used to be a speed demon, but no more," said Dawson, based at
Tacoma, Wash. "Most drivers have cut their speed considerably."

Dawson said she's cut her speed by five to 10 miles per hour to save
money for her company. Many independent owner-operators have slowed
even more, she said.

"My fiance is an owner-operator and he's been crying a lot about the
price of fuel," Dawson said. "He's been slowing way down."

Truckers and industry officials say slowing a tractor-trailer rig from
75 mph to 65 mph increases fuel mileage by more than a mile a gallon,
a significant bump for machines that get less than 10 miles per gallon
hauling thousands of pounds of freight. Even sitting still with the
engine idling, a rig gulps about a gallon of diesel every hour.

"We just can't afford it," Dawson said of diesel as she was topping
off her fuel tanks at a Bismarck truck stop.

When she started driving trucks in 1997, diesel was about $1.97 a
gallon, $2 a gallon cheaper than what she paid Wednesday in Bismarck.
Rigs like hers have two fuel tanks, typically holding 300 gallons
each.

The nationwide average for a gallon of diesel on Thursday was $4.03,
up from $2.74 one year earlier, AAA North Dakota spokesman Gene
LaDoucer said. The average in North Dakota on Thursday was $3.98, up
from $2.82 a year ago, he said.

"Twenty-four states are paying $4 or higher," LaDoucer said Thursday.

The climb is blamed on record crude oil prices and global demand,
LaDoucer said.

"Diesel is the predominate fuel used in foreign countries, and there
is a lot more demand for it globally and that helps bid up the price
that we are paying here," LaDoucer said.

Fuel accounts for about a quarter of carriers' operating costs, and
now is surpassing labor as the biggest expense for some carriers, said
Tiffany Wlazlowski, a spokeswoman for the Arlington, Va.-based
American Trucking Associations.

"And rising fuel costs do increase the cost of consumer goods," she
said.

Trucks haul 70 percent of all freight tonnage in the U.S., according
to the American Trucking Associations.

State troopers have noticed the decline in truckers' speeds, said
North Dakota Highway Patrol Capt. Eric Pederson.

"We see it when we're out patrolling," Pederson said. "In talking to
the drivers, a lot of the large companies are setting policies that
give the drivers a little more leeway on the time on their loads --
just to save on the fuel."

Wlazlowski said the U.S trucking industry expects to spend $135
billion on diesel this year, up from $112 billion in 2007. There are
3.5 million truck drivers in this country, she said.

"For every one-penny increase in the price of diesel, it costs our
industry $391 million," she said. "In the last month, it's gone up 50
cents."

Wlazlowski said the trucking industry does "anything that will help
them save fuel." She said that includes outfitting trucks with
aerodynamic fairings and special tires to improve mileage. Drivers
also are using more efficient routes and reducing idling times.

Trucking company Con-way Inc. of Ann Arbor, Mich., announced this
month that it adjusted speed governors on the engines of the 8,400
semis in its less-than-truckload division, Con-way Freight.

Truckload carriers usually dedicate a shipment to a single customer,
and move freight directly from the shipper to the receiver. Less-than-
truckload carriers are filled with shipments from multiple customers,
and may redistribute it at terminals along routes.

Con-way spokesman Gary Frantz said the maximum speed of the trucks has
been cut from 65 mph to 62, a move that should cut fuel consumption by
3.2 million gallons a year.

"It's a significant savings," Frantz said.

The company said the move also would eliminate 72 million pounds of
carbon emissions annually, or the equivalent to removing nearly 7,300
automobiles from U.S. highways.

Frantz said the company should have the governors on the 3,000 rigs in
its truckload fleet adjusted next month.

There has got to be more going on here. When I bought my diesel F250
the cost of diesel was $.60 less then regular gas, now it is $.60 more
than regular gas. I thought it was cheaper to make diesel then gas??


Too_Many_Tools wrote:
I thought the group would find this story interesting....

From what I see on the freeway daily, most are not slowing down.

Slowing down...that brings back memories of the Carter conservation
days....


TMT


Truckers slowing down to save fuel By JAMES MacPHERSON, Associated
Press Writer

Coast-to-coast trucker Lorraine Dawson says fellow drivers used to
call her "Lead Foot Lorraine." But with diesel fuel around $4 a
gallon, she and other big-rig drivers have backed off their
accelerators to conserve fuel.

"I used to be a speed demon, but no more," said Dawson, based at
Tacoma, Wash. "Most drivers have cut their speed considerably."

Dawson said she's cut her speed by five to 10 miles per hour to save
money for her company. Many independent owner-operators have slowed
even more, she said.

"My fiance is an owner-operator and he's been crying a lot about the
price of fuel," Dawson said. "He's been slowing way down."

Truckers and industry officials say slowing a tractor-trailer rig from
75 mph to 65 mph increases fuel mileage by more than a mile a gallon,
a significant bump for machines that get less than 10 miles per gallon
hauling thousands of pounds of freight. Even sitting still with the
engine idling, a rig gulps about a gallon of diesel every hour.

"We just can't afford it," Dawson said of diesel as she was topping
off her fuel tanks at a Bismarck truck stop.

When she started driving trucks in 1997, diesel was about $1.97 a
gallon, $2 a gallon cheaper than what she paid Wednesday in Bismarck.
Rigs like hers have two fuel tanks, typically holding 300 gallons
each.

The nationwide average for a gallon of diesel on Thursday was $4.03,
up from $2.74 one year earlier, AAA North Dakota spokesman Gene
LaDoucer said. The average in North Dakota on Thursday was $3.98, up
from $2.82 a year ago, he said.

"Twenty-four states are paying $4 or higher," LaDoucer said Thursday.

The climb is blamed on record crude oil prices and global demand,
LaDoucer said.

"Diesel is the predominate fuel used in foreign countries, and there
is a lot more demand for it globally and that helps bid up the price
that we are paying here," LaDoucer said.

Fuel accounts for about a quarter of carriers' operating costs, and
now is surpassing labor as the biggest expense for some carriers, said
Tiffany Wlazlowski, a spokeswoman for the Arlington, Va.-based
American Trucking Associations.

"And rising fuel costs do increase the cost of consumer goods," she
said.

Trucks haul 70 percent of all freight tonnage in the U.S., according
to the American Trucking Associations.

State troopers have noticed the decline in truckers' speeds, said
North Dakota Highway Patrol Capt. Eric Pederson.

"We see it when we're out patrolling," Pederson said. "In talking to
the drivers, a lot of the large companies are setting policies that
give the drivers a little more leeway on the time on their loads --
just to save on the fuel."

Wlazlowski said the U.S trucking industry expects to spend $135
billion on diesel this year, up from $112 billion in 2007. There are
3.5 million truck drivers in this country, she said.

"For every one-penny increase in the price of diesel, it costs our
industry $391 million," she said. "In the last month, it's gone up 50
cents."

Wlazlowski said the trucking industry does "anything that will help
them save fuel." She said that includes outfitting trucks with
aerodynamic fairings and special tires to improve mileage. Drivers
also are using more efficient routes and reducing idling times.

Trucking company Con-way Inc. of Ann Arbor, Mich., announced this
month that it adjusted speed governors on the engines of the 8,400
semis in its less-than-truckload division, Con-way Freight.

Truckload carriers usually dedicate a shipment to a single customer,
and move freight directly from the shipper to the receiver. Less-than-
truckload carriers are filled with shipments from multiple customers,
and may redistribute it at terminals along routes.

Con-way spokesman Gary Frantz said the maximum speed of the trucks has
been cut from 65 mph to 62, a move that should cut fuel consumption by
3.2 million gallons a year.

"It's a significant savings," Frantz said.

The company said the move also would eliminate 72 million pounds of
carbon emissions annually, or the equivalent to removing nearly 7,300
automobiles from U.S. highways.

Frantz said the company should have the governors on the 3,000 rigs in
its truckload fleet adjusted next month.

Too_Many_Tools wrote in news:eb208a20-f81a-41a6-
:

"And rising fuel costs do increase the cost of consumer goods," she
said.


And lest we forget, the "Fuel Adjustment Charge" instituted by the Carter
Administration is still on the books. (If you don't believe me, look at
your latest Light Bill.) Those who fly on commercial aircraft (or their
employers) will soon be screaming about the massive increase in rates that
will result from the jump in fuel prices.

If the Politicians really wanted to do something to help The Consumer (they
don't) they could simply declare a "Tax Holiday" on Diesel fuel. This would
not only reduce the cost of transportation but, also, the price paid for
transported products of every kind. [Kerosine, JP1, #1 diesel, and heating
oil(?) are the same product IIRC and the other JP-series (except JP7) vary
only in the particle size of the Aluminum dust mixed into JP1.]

During the Oil Embargoes of the '70s there was a lot of yammering about
switching back to Rail for transport. Unfortunately, the last 30 years have
seen most of the RR tracks ripped up and sold for scrap.

There are a few bright spots: In Texas, for example, a nearly-abandoned
right-of-way that parallels US 59 from Laredo to Houston is, at last, being
rebuilt.

The project began about 5 years ago when the Tex-Mex Railroad purchased the
right-of-way. Shortly thereafter, the Tex-Mex changed hands several times
but, finally, the work is underway to rebuild the line from the dirt up
with new roadbed, new trestles/bridges, new (reinforced concrete) ties, and
new rails (metal content).

On Sat, 22 Mar 2008 16:19:07 -0700, with neither quill nor qualm,
Shabtai Evan quickly quoth:

There has got to be more going on here. When I bought my diesel F250
the cost of diesel was $.60 less then regular gas, now it is $.60 more
than regular gas. I thought it was cheaper to make diesel then gas??

I was until the extra processing was mandated last year. The
extra-processed, low-sulfur diesel is now used in all vehicles.
At least that's the story I've heard.

--
Try not to become a man of success but rather to become a man of value.
-- Albert Einstein

"Larry Jaques" wrote in message
...
On Sat, 22 Mar 2008 16:19:07 -0700, with neither quill nor qualm,
Shabtai Evan quickly quoth:

There has got to be more going on here. When I bought my diesel F250
the cost of diesel was $.60 less then regular gas, now it is $.60 more
than regular gas. I thought it was cheaper to make diesel then gas??

I was until the extra processing was mandated last year. The
extra-processed, low-sulfur diesel is now used in all vehicles.
At least that's the story I've heard.

--
Try not to become a man of success but rather to become a man of value.
-- Albert Einstein

Now if we could only get Larry to go "low-sulfur" and lay off those pickled eggs
and dark beer.

Diesel fuel has more energy per gallon than gasoline. You are now
buying it according to the energy you get. I think it's:
Gasoline: about 110,000 btu/gal
Diesel fuel: about 130,000 btu/gal
or something like that.

Pete Stanaitis
----------------

Shabtai Evan wrote:
There has got to be more going on here. When I bought my diesel F250
the cost of diesel was $.60 less then regular gas, now it is $.60 more
than regular gas. I thought it was cheaper to make diesel then gas??


Too_Many_Tools wrote:

I thought the group would find this story interesting....

From what I see on the freeway daily, most are not slowing down.

Slowing down...that brings back memories of the Carter conservation
days....


TMT


Truckers slowing down to save fuel By JAMES MacPHERSON, Associated
Press Writer

Coast-to-coast trucker Lorraine Dawson says fellow drivers used to
call her "Lead Foot Lorraine." But with diesel fuel around $4 a
gallon, she and other big-rig drivers have backed off their
accelerators to conserve fuel.

"I used to be a speed demon, but no more," said Dawson, based at
Tacoma, Wash. "Most drivers have cut their speed considerably."

Dawson said she's cut her speed by five to 10 miles per hour to save
money for her company. Many independent owner-operators have slowed
even more, she said.

"My fiance is an owner-operator and he's been crying a lot about the
price of fuel," Dawson said. "He's been slowing way down."

Truckers and industry officials say slowing a tractor-trailer rig from
75 mph to 65 mph increases fuel mileage by more than a mile a gallon,
a significant bump for machines that get less than 10 miles per gallon
hauling thousands of pounds of freight. Even sitting still with the
engine idling, a rig gulps about a gallon of diesel every hour.

"We just can't afford it," Dawson said of diesel as she was topping
off her fuel tanks at a Bismarck truck stop.

When she started driving trucks in 1997, diesel was about $1.97 a
gallon, $2 a gallon cheaper than what she paid Wednesday in Bismarck.
Rigs like hers have two fuel tanks, typically holding 300 gallons
each.

The nationwide average for a gallon of diesel on Thursday was $4.03,
up from $2.74 one year earlier, AAA North Dakota spokesman Gene
LaDoucer said. The average in North Dakota on Thursday was $3.98, up
from $2.82 a year ago, he said.

"Twenty-four states are paying $4 or higher," LaDoucer said Thursday.

The climb is blamed on record crude oil prices and global demand,
LaDoucer said.

"Diesel is the predominate fuel used in foreign countries, and there
is a lot more demand for it globally and that helps bid up the price
that we are paying here," LaDoucer said.

Fuel accounts for about a quarter of carriers' operating costs, and
now is surpassing labor as the biggest expense for some carriers, said
Tiffany Wlazlowski, a spokeswoman for the Arlington, Va.-based
American Trucking Associations.

"And rising fuel costs do increase the cost of consumer goods," she
said.

Trucks haul 70 percent of all freight tonnage in the U.S., according
to the American Trucking Associations.

State troopers have noticed the decline in truckers' speeds, said
North Dakota Highway Patrol Capt. Eric Pederson.

"We see it when we're out patrolling," Pederson said. "In talking to
the drivers, a lot of the large companies are setting policies that
give the drivers a little more leeway on the time on their loads --
just to save on the fuel."

Wlazlowski said the U.S trucking industry expects to spend $135
billion on diesel this year, up from $112 billion in 2007. There are
3.5 million truck drivers in this country, she said.

"For every one-penny increase in the price of diesel, it costs our
industry $391 million," she said. "In the last month, it's gone up 50
cents."

Wlazlowski said the trucking industry does "anything that will help
them save fuel." She said that includes outfitting trucks with
aerodynamic fairings and special tires to improve mileage. Drivers
also are using more efficient routes and reducing idling times.

Trucking company Con-way Inc. of Ann Arbor, Mich., announced this
month that it adjusted speed governors on the engines of the 8,400
semis in its less-than-truckload division, Con-way Freight.

Truckload carriers usually dedicate a shipment to a single customer,
and move freight directly from the shipper to the receiver. Less-than-
truckload carriers are filled with shipments from multiple customers,
and may redistribute it at terminals along routes.

Con-way spokesman Gary Frantz said the maximum speed of the trucks has
been cut from 65 mph to 62, a move that should cut fuel consumption by
3.2 million gallons a year.

"It's a significant savings," Frantz said.

The company said the move also would eliminate 72 million pounds of
carbon emissions annually, or the equivalent to removing nearly 7,300
automobiles from U.S. highways.

Frantz said the company should have the governors on the 3,000 rigs in
its truckload fleet adjusted next month.

"Michael A. Terrell" wrote in message
...

Tom Gardner wrote:

"Larry Jaques" wrote in message
...

I was until the extra processing was mandated last year. The
extra-processed, low-sulfur diesel is now used in all vehicles.
At least that's the story I've heard.

Now if we could only get Larry to go "low-sulfur" and lay off those
pickled eggs
and dark beer.


Don't you make a brush to remove the sulfer AFTER he eats them?
Maybe with a small afterburner that runs on metane? ;-)


Perhaps a set of shorts with platinum fibers woven in to burn off any
unburned hydrocarbons from the tail pipe.

--
Roger Shoaf
If you are not part of the solution, you are not dissolved in the solvent.

Roger Shoaf wrote:

"Michael A. Terrell" wrote in message
...

Tom Gardner wrote:

"Larry Jaques" wrote in message
...

I was until the extra processing was mandated last year. The
extra-processed, low-sulfur diesel is now used in all vehicles.
At least that's the story I've heard.

Now if we could only get Larry to go "low-sulfur" and lay off those
pickled eggs
and dark beer.


Don't you make a brush to remove the sulfer AFTER he eats them?
Maybe with a small afterburner that runs on metane? ;-)


Perhaps a set of shorts with platinum fibers woven in to burn off any
unburned hydrocarbons from the tail pipe.


Either that, or a large stopper and contact cement, to prevent any
leaks. ;-)


--
aioe.org is home to cowards and terrorists

Add this line to your news proxy nfilter.dat file
* drop Path:*aioe.org!not-for-mail to drop all aioe.org traffic.

http://improve-usenet.org/index.html

"Larry Jaques" wrote in message
...


Now if we could only get Larry to go "low-sulfur" and lay off those pickled
eggs
and dark beer.

Those sulfured apricots and helpings of cabbage do me a world of hurt
in the methane department. I'll eat all that stuff when I come to
visit ya, Tawm. xox


Ever hear of "Blind Robins"?

On Mon, 24 Mar 2008 01:24:58 GMT, with neither quill nor qualm, "Tom
Gardner" quickly quoth:


"Larry Jaques" wrote in message
.. .


Now if we could only get Larry to go "low-sulfur" and lay off those pickled
eggs
and dark beer.

Those sulfured apricots and helpings of cabbage do me a world of hurt
in the methane department. I'll eat all that stuff when I come to
visit ya, Tawm. xox


Ever hear of "Blind Robins"?

No, but I've heard Blind Melon Chitlin. Great blues tunes!

--
Try not to become a man of success but rather to become a man of value.
-- Albert Einstein

Great. Now if we can just get the SOBs out of the left lane

Too_Many_Tools wrote:
I thought the group would find this story interesting....

From what I see on the freeway daily, most are not slowing down.

Slowing down...that brings back memories of the Carter conservation
days....


TMT


Truckers slowing down to save fuel By JAMES MacPHERSON, Associated
Press Writer

Coast-to-coast trucker Lorraine Dawson says fellow drivers used to
call her "Lead Foot Lorraine." But with diesel fuel around $4 a
gallon, she and other big-rig drivers have backed off their
accelerators to conserve fuel.

"I used to be a speed demon, but no more," said Dawson, based at
Tacoma, Wash. "Most drivers have cut their speed considerably."

Dawson said she's cut her speed by five to 10 miles per hour to save
money for her company. Many independent owner-operators have slowed
even more, she said.

"My fiance is an owner-operator and he's been crying a lot about the
price of fuel," Dawson said. "He's been slowing way down."

Truckers and industry officials say slowing a tractor-trailer rig from
75 mph to 65 mph increases fuel mileage by more than a mile a gallon,
a significant bump for machines that get less than 10 miles per gallon
hauling thousands of pounds of freight. Even sitting still with the
engine idling, a rig gulps about a gallon of diesel every hour.

"We just can't afford it," Dawson said of diesel as she was topping
off her fuel tanks at a Bismarck truck stop.

When she started driving trucks in 1997, diesel was about $1.97 a
gallon, $2 a gallon cheaper than what she paid Wednesday in Bismarck.
Rigs like hers have two fuel tanks, typically holding 300 gallons
each.

The nationwide average for a gallon of diesel on Thursday was $4.03,
up from $2.74 one year earlier, AAA North Dakota spokesman Gene
LaDoucer said. The average in North Dakota on Thursday was $3.98, up
from $2.82 a year ago, he said.

"Twenty-four states are paying $4 or higher," LaDoucer said Thursday.

The climb is blamed on record crude oil prices and global demand,
LaDoucer said.

"Diesel is the predominate fuel used in foreign countries, and there
is a lot more demand for it globally and that helps bid up the price
that we are paying here," LaDoucer said.

Fuel accounts for about a quarter of carriers' operating costs, and
now is surpassing labor as the biggest expense for some carriers, said
Tiffany Wlazlowski, a spokeswoman for the Arlington, Va.-based
American Trucking Associations.

"And rising fuel costs do increase the cost of consumer goods," she
said.

Trucks haul 70 percent of all freight tonnage in the U.S., according
to the American Trucking Associations.

State troopers have noticed the decline in truckers' speeds, said
North Dakota Highway Patrol Capt. Eric Pederson.

"We see it when we're out patrolling," Pederson said. "In talking to
the drivers, a lot of the large companies are setting policies that
give the drivers a little more leeway on the time on their loads --
just to save on the fuel."

Wlazlowski said the U.S trucking industry expects to spend $135
billion on diesel this year, up from $112 billion in 2007. There are
3.5 million truck drivers in this country, she said.

"For every one-penny increase in the price of diesel, it costs our
industry $391 million," she said. "In the last month, it's gone up 50
cents."

Wlazlowski said the trucking industry does "anything that will help
them save fuel." She said that includes outfitting trucks with
aerodynamic fairings and special tires to improve mileage. Drivers
also are using more efficient routes and reducing idling times.

Trucking company Con-way Inc. of Ann Arbor, Mich., announced this
month that it adjusted speed governors on the engines of the 8,400
semis in its less-than-truckload division, Con-way Freight.

Truckload carriers usually dedicate a shipment to a single customer,
and move freight directly from the shipper to the receiver. Less-than-
truckload carriers are filled with shipments from multiple customers,
and may redistribute it at terminals along routes.

Con-way spokesman Gary Frantz said the maximum speed of the trucks has
been cut from 65 mph to 62, a move that should cut fuel consumption by
3.2 million gallons a year.

"It's a significant savings," Frantz said.

The company said the move also would eliminate 72 million pounds of
carbon emissions annually, or the equivalent to removing nearly 7,300
automobiles from U.S. highways.

Frantz said the company should have the governors on the 3,000 rigs in
its truckload fleet adjusted next month.

On Mon, 24 Mar 2008 17:22:26 -0500, Rex wrote:

Great. Now if we can just get the SOBs out of the left lane

I've found truckers to be generally good here, mostly keeping to the
two right lanes except when some dork in an econobox decides he is
entitled to enforce the speed limit in the No. 2 lane. Out of 100 car
drivers and 100 truck drivers, 90 of the truck drivers are better than
50 of the car drivers.
Gerry :-)}
London, Canada

Rex wrote:
Great. Now if we can just get the SOBs out of the left lane

Too_Many_Tools wrote:
I thought the group would find this story interesting....

From what I see on the freeway daily, most are not slowing down.

Slowing down...that brings back memories of the Carter conservation
days....


TMT


Truckers slowing down to save fuel By JAMES MacPHERSON, Associated
Press Writer

Coast-to-coast trucker Lorraine Dawson says fellow drivers used to
call her "Lead Foot Lorraine." But with diesel fuel around $4 a
gallon, she and other big-rig drivers have backed off their
accelerators to conserve fuel.

"I used to be a speed demon, but no more," said Dawson, based at
Tacoma, Wash. "Most drivers have cut their speed considerably."

Dawson said she's cut her speed by five to 10 miles per hour to save
money for her company. Many independent owner-operators have slowed
even more, she said.

"My fiance is an owner-operator and he's been crying a lot about the
price of fuel," Dawson said. "He's been slowing way down."

Truckers and industry officials say slowing a tractor-trailer rig from
75 mph to 65 mph increases fuel mileage by more than a mile a gallon,
a significant bump for machines that get less than 10 miles per gallon
hauling thousands of pounds of freight. Even sitting still with the
engine idling, a rig gulps about a gallon of diesel every hour.

"We just can't afford it," Dawson said of diesel as she was topping
off her fuel tanks at a Bismarck truck stop.

When she started driving trucks in 1997, diesel was about $1.97 a
gallon, $2 a gallon cheaper than what she paid Wednesday in Bismarck.
Rigs like hers have two fuel tanks, typically holding 300 gallons
each.


---A TYPICAL TRUCK would have 125-150 gal tanks for a Total of 300 Gal...



The nationwide average for a gallon of diesel on Thursday was $4.03,
up from $2.74 one year earlier, AAA North Dakota spokesman Gene
LaDoucer said. The average in North Dakota on Thursday was $3.98, up
from $2.82 a year ago, he said.

"Twenty-four states are paying $4 or higher," LaDoucer said Thursday.

The climb is blamed on record crude oil prices and global demand,
LaDoucer said.

"Diesel is the predominate fuel used in foreign countries, and there
is a lot more demand for it globally and that helps bid up the price
that we are paying here," LaDoucer said.

Fuel accounts for about a quarter of carriers' operating costs, and
now is surpassing labor as the biggest expense for some carriers, said
Tiffany Wlazlowski, a spokeswoman for the Arlington, Va.-based
American Trucking Associations.

"And rising fuel costs do increase the cost of consumer goods," she
said.

Trucks haul 70 percent of all freight tonnage in the U.S., according
to the American Trucking Associations.

State troopers have noticed the decline in truckers' speeds, said
North Dakota Highway Patrol Capt. Eric Pederson.

"We see it when we're out patrolling," Pederson said. "In talking to
the drivers, a lot of the large companies are setting policies that
give the drivers a little more leeway on the time on their loads --
just to save on the fuel."

Wlazlowski said the U.S trucking industry expects to spend $135
billion on diesel this year, up from $112 billion in 2007. There are
3.5 million truck drivers in this country, she said.

"For every one-penny increase in the price of diesel, it costs our
industry $391 million," she said. "In the last month, it's gone up 50
cents."

Wlazlowski said the trucking industry does "anything that will help
them save fuel." She said that includes outfitting trucks with
aerodynamic fairings and special tires to improve mileage. Drivers
also are using more efficient routes and reducing idling times.

Trucking company Con-way Inc. of Ann Arbor, Mich., announced this
month that it adjusted speed governors on the engines of the 8,400
semis in its less-than-truckload division, Con-way Freight.

Truckload carriers usually dedicate a shipment to a single customer,
and move freight directly from the shipper to the receiver. Less-than-
truckload carriers are filled with shipments from multiple customers,
and may redistribute it at terminals along routes.

Con-way spokesman Gary Frantz said the maximum speed of the trucks has
been cut from 65 mph to 62, a move that should cut fuel consumption by
3.2 million gallons a year.

"It's a significant savings," Frantz said.

The company said the move also would eliminate 72 million pounds of
carbon emissions annually, or the equivalent to removing nearly 7,300
automobiles from U.S. highways.

Frantz said the company should have the governors on the 3,000 rigs in
its truckload fleet adjusted next month.

On Mar 23, 3:09*am, cavelamb himself wrote:
Too_Many_Tools wrote:
On Mar 22, 5:35 pm, Eregon wrote:

Too_Many_Tools wrote in news:eb208a20-f81a-41a6-
:

"And rising fuel costs do increase the cost of consumer goods," she
said.

And lest we forget, the "Fuel Adjustment Charge" instituted by the Carter
Administration is still on the books. (If you don't believe me, look at
your latest Light Bill.) Those who fly on commercial aircraft (or their
employers) will soon be screaming about the massive increase in rates that
will result from the jump in fuel prices.

If the Politicians really wanted to do something to help The Consumer (they
don't) they could simply declare a "Tax Holiday" on Diesel fuel. This would
not only reduce the cost of transportation but, also, the price paid for
transported products of every kind. [Kerosine, JP1, #1 diesel, and heating
oil(?) are the same product IIRC and the other JP-series (except JP7) vary
only in the particle size of the Aluminum dust mixed into JP1.]

During the Oil Embargoes of the '70s there was a lot of yammering about
switching back to Rail for transport. Unfortunately, the last 30 years have
seen most of the RR tracks ripped up and sold for scrap.

There are a few bright spots: In Texas, for example, a nearly-abandoned
right-of-way that parallels US 59 from Laredo to Houston is, at last, being
rebuilt.

The project began about 5 years ago when the Tex-Mex Railroad purchased the
right-of-way. Shortly thereafter, the Tex-Mex changed hands several times
but, finally, the work is underway to rebuild the line from the dirt up
with new roadbed, new trestles/bridges, new (reinforced concrete) ties, and
new rails (metal content).

There will be no tax holiday.

The government needs the tax money.

As the economy tanks, they will need the money more than ever.

TMT

Like I said in the other thread, it sounds like you are hoping this will
happen.

What's with that?

Richard- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

I am just stating the facts.

Their revenues are WAY DOWN...and they can cut services just so far.

As their expenese go up...just like yours are doing...they will need
to up taxes to get more revenue.

It is not that I hope it will, it just will because that is the way it
works.

TMT

On Mar 24, 4:22*pm, Rex wrote:
Great. Now if we can just get the SOBs out of the left lane



Too_Many_Tools wrote:
I thought the group would find this story interesting....

From what I see on the freeway daily, most are not slowing down.

Slowing down...that brings back memories of the Carter conservation
days....

TMT

Truckers slowing down to save fuel By JAMES MacPHERSON, Associated
Press Writer

Coast-to-coast trucker Lorraine Dawson says fellow drivers used to
call her "Lead Foot Lorraine." But with diesel fuel around $4 a
gallon, she and other big-rig drivers have backed off their
accelerators to conserve fuel.

"I used to be a speed demon, but no more," said Dawson, based at
Tacoma, Wash. "Most drivers have cut their speed considerably."

Dawson said she's cut her speed by five to 10 miles per hour to save
money for her company. Many independent owner-operators have slowed
even more, she said.

"My fiance is an owner-operator and he's been crying a lot about the
price of fuel," Dawson said. "He's been slowing way down."

Truckers and industry officials say slowing a tractor-trailer rig from
75 mph to 65 mph increases fuel mileage by more than a mile a gallon,
a significant bump for machines that get less than 10 miles per gallon
hauling thousands of pounds of freight. Even sitting still with the
engine idling, a rig gulps about a gallon of diesel every hour.

"We just can't afford it," Dawson said of diesel as she was topping
off her fuel tanks at a Bismarck truck stop.

When she started driving trucks in 1997, diesel was about $1.97 a
gallon, $2 a gallon cheaper than what she paid Wednesday in Bismarck.
Rigs like hers have two fuel tanks, typically holding 300 gallons
each.

The nationwide average for a gallon of diesel on Thursday was $4.03,
up from $2.74 one year earlier, AAA North Dakota spokesman Gene
LaDoucer said. The average in North Dakota on Thursday was $3.98, up
from $2.82 a year ago, he said.

"Twenty-four states are paying $4 or higher," LaDoucer said Thursday.

The climb is blamed on record crude oil prices and global demand,
LaDoucer said.

"Diesel is the predominate fuel used in foreign countries, and there
is a lot more demand for it globally and that helps bid up the price
that we are paying here," LaDoucer said.

Fuel accounts for about a quarter of carriers' operating costs, and
now is surpassing labor as the biggest expense for some carriers, said
Tiffany Wlazlowski, a spokeswoman for the Arlington, Va.-based
American Trucking Associations.

"And rising fuel costs do increase the cost of consumer goods," she
said.

Trucks haul 70 percent of all freight tonnage in the U.S., according
to the American Trucking Associations.

State troopers have noticed the decline in truckers' speeds, said
North Dakota Highway Patrol Capt. Eric Pederson.

"We see it when we're out patrolling," Pederson said. "In talking to
the drivers, a lot of the large companies are setting policies that
give the drivers a little more leeway on the time on their loads --
just to save on the fuel."

Wlazlowski said the U.S trucking industry expects to spend $135
billion on diesel this year, up from $112 billion in 2007. There are
3.5 million truck drivers in this country, she said.

"For every one-penny increase in the price of diesel, it costs our
industry $391 million," she said. "In the last month, it's gone up 50
cents."

Wlazlowski said the trucking industry does "anything that will help
them save fuel." She said that includes outfitting trucks with
aerodynamic fairings and special tires to improve mileage. Drivers
also are using more efficient routes and reducing idling times.

Trucking company Con-way Inc. of Ann Arbor, Mich., announced this
month that it adjusted speed governors on the engines of the 8,400
semis in its less-than-truckload division, Con-way Freight.

Truckload carriers usually dedicate a shipment to a single customer,
and move freight directly from the shipper to the receiver. Less-than-
truckload carriers are filled with shipments from multiple customers,
and may redistribute it at terminals along routes.

Con-way spokesman Gary Frantz said the maximum speed of the trucks has
been cut from 65 mph to 62, a move that should cut fuel consumption by
3.2 million gallons a year.

"It's a significant savings," Frantz said.

The company said the move also would eliminate 72 million pounds of
carbon emissions annually, or the equivalent to removing nearly 7,300
automobiles from U.S. highways.

Frantz said the company should have the governors on the 3,000 rigs in
its truckload fleet adjusted next month.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

yeah..I thought of that too.

I have been behind trucks that sit in the left lane for hours...SOBs.

TMT

On Mar 24, 5:36*pm, Gerald Miller wrote:
On Mon, 24 Mar 2008 17:22:26 -0500, Rex wrote:
Great. Now if we can just get the SOBs out of the left lane

I've found truckers to be generally good here, mostly keeping to the
two right lanes except when some dork in an econobox decides he is
entitled to enforce the speed limit in the No. 2 lane. Out of 100 car
drivers and 100 truck drivers, 90 of the truck drivers are better than
50 of the car drivers.
Gerry :-)}
London, Canada

LOL...a few years ago I saw a econobox flip off a trucker as they
passed (likely due to some previous history that I didn't see happen).
Any way I then followed this pair of idiots for the next 30 minutes
where the trucker did everything he could to run the econobox off the
road. It continued until the econobox faked him and finally got off an
exit...where the truck then locked all the wheels, skidded to a stop
and then proceeded to backup on the freeway to make the exit. This is
about the time the cops finally showed up. Whatever freight was
inside that trailer, it was certainly damaged considering the
gyrations that truck underwent trying to kill the econobox.

TMT

On Mon, 24 Mar 2008 22:14:07 -0700 (PDT), Too_Many_Tools
wrote:

On Mar 23, 3:09*am, cavelamb himself wrote:
Too_Many_Tools wrote:
On Mar 22, 5:35 pm, Eregon wrote:

Too_Many_Tools wrote in news:eb208a20-f81a-41a6-
:

"And rising fuel costs do increase the cost of consumer goods," she
said.

And lest we forget, the "Fuel Adjustment Charge" instituted by the Carter
Administration is still on the books. (If you don't believe me, look at
your latest Light Bill.) Those who fly on commercial aircraft (or their
employers) will soon be screaming about the massive increase in rates that
will result from the jump in fuel prices.

If the Politicians really wanted to do something to help The Consumer (they
don't) they could simply declare a "Tax Holiday" on Diesel fuel. This would
not only reduce the cost of transportation but, also, the price paid for
transported products of every kind. [Kerosine, JP1, #1 diesel, and heating
oil(?) are the same product IIRC and the other JP-series (except JP7) vary
only in the particle size of the Aluminum dust mixed into JP1.]

During the Oil Embargoes of the '70s there was a lot of yammering about
switching back to Rail for transport. Unfortunately, the last 30 years have
seen most of the RR tracks ripped up and sold for scrap.

There are a few bright spots: In Texas, for example, a nearly-abandoned
right-of-way that parallels US 59 from Laredo to Houston is, at last, being
rebuilt.

The project began about 5 years ago when the Tex-Mex Railroad purchased the
right-of-way. Shortly thereafter, the Tex-Mex changed hands several times
but, finally, the work is underway to rebuild the line from the dirt up
with new roadbed, new trestles/bridges, new (reinforced concrete) ties, and
new rails (metal content).

There will be no tax holiday.

The government needs the tax money.

As the economy tanks, they will need the money more than ever.

TMT

Like I said in the other thread, it sounds like you are hoping this will
happen.

What's with that?

Richard- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

I am just stating the facts.

Their revenues are WAY DOWN...and they can cut services just so far.

As their expenese go up...just like yours are doing...they will need
to up taxes to get more revenue.

It is not that I hope it will, it just will because that is the way it
works.

TMT

We have a LOT of services to cut.

National Endowment for the Arts
Health and Human Services
Public Television
The War on (some) Drugs
Department of Education
Fema

and so forth and so on.

But noooo. The leftards want to **** money away on their own personal
boondoggles.


We saw how well that worked when Clinton killed funding for HUMINT in
the middle east, and a few years later..the WTC went down

Gunner

On Mar 25, 12:11*am, Gunner wrote:
On Mon, 24 Mar 2008 22:14:07 -0700 (PDT), Too_Many_Tools





wrote:
On Mar 23, 3:09*am, cavelamb himself wrote:
Too_Many_Tools wrote:
On Mar 22, 5:35 pm, Eregon wrote:

Too_Many_Tools wrote in news:eb208a20-f81a-41a6-
:

"And rising fuel costs do increase the cost of consumer goods," she
said.

And lest we forget, the "Fuel Adjustment Charge" instituted by the Carter
Administration is still on the books. (If you don't believe me, look at
your latest Light Bill.) Those who fly on commercial aircraft (or their
employers) will soon be screaming about the massive increase in rates that
will result from the jump in fuel prices.

If the Politicians really wanted to do something to help The Consumer (they
don't) they could simply declare a "Tax Holiday" on Diesel fuel. This would
not only reduce the cost of transportation but, also, the price paid for
transported products of every kind. [Kerosine, JP1, #1 diesel, and heating
oil(?) are the same product IIRC and the other JP-series (except JP7) vary
only in the particle size of the Aluminum dust mixed into JP1.]

During the Oil Embargoes of the '70s there was a lot of yammering about
switching back to Rail for transport. Unfortunately, the last 30 years have
seen most of the RR tracks ripped up and sold for scrap.

There are a few bright spots: In Texas, for example, a nearly-abandoned
right-of-way that parallels US 59 from Laredo to Houston is, at last, being
rebuilt.

The project began about 5 years ago when the Tex-Mex Railroad purchased the
right-of-way. Shortly thereafter, the Tex-Mex changed hands several times
but, finally, the work is underway to rebuild the line from the dirt up
with new roadbed, new trestles/bridges, new (reinforced concrete) ties, and
new rails (metal content).

There will be no tax holiday.

The government needs the tax money.

As the economy tanks, they will need the money more than ever.

TMT

Like I said in the other thread, it sounds like you are hoping this will
happen.

What's with that?

Richard- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

I am just stating the facts.

Their revenues are WAY DOWN...and they can cut services just so far.

As their expenese go up...just like yours are doing...they will need
to up taxes to get more revenue.

It is not that I hope it will, it just will because that is the way it
works.

TMT

We have a LOT of services to cut.

National Endowment for the Arts
Health and Human Services
Public Television
The War on (some) Drugs
Department of Education
Fema

*and so forth and so on.

But noooo. The leftards want to **** money away on their own personal
boondoggles.

We saw how well that worked when Clinton killed funding for HUMINT in
the middle east, and a few years later..the WTC went down

Gunner- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Trying to still change the subject Gunner? ;)

How do you like those Bush fuel prices you are paying to the Arabs?

They appreciate your contributions to Al-Qaeda.

TMT

On Mar 25, 8:00*am, "Stormin Mormon"
wrote:
Since truckers get paid by the mile, a speed cut is a pay cut. That can
really hurt a professional driver.

--
Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
*www.lds.org
.

That is why the independent truckers are getting creamed.

TMT

Too_Many_Tools wrote:
On Mar 25, 8:00 am, "Stormin Mormon"
wrote:

Since truckers get paid by the mile, a speed cut is a pay cut. That can
really hurt a professional driver.

--
Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
.


That is why the independent truckers are getting creamed.

TMT


Truckers get paid by the MILE, not MILE PER HOUR. Slowing down does not
cut what they are paid. They can only drive so many hours in a day,
regardless of the speed and a five or ten mile per hour reduction will
not make that big of a difference. Twelve hours at a five mph reduction
is only 60 miles. 120 for a 10 mph reduction. The same load will still
go the same number of miles, it'll just get there a little later. As
for the "Bush gas prices", if he is screwing us so badly, why then are
the folks in England, Europe, Australia, etc., paying $6-$7 per gallon?
Can you explain that? Didn't think so.

Jim

On Tue, 25 Mar 2008 18:01:48 -0700 (PDT), Too_Many_Tools
wrote:


We saw how well that worked when Clinton killed funding for HUMINT in
the middle east, and a few years later..the WTC went down

Gunner- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Trying to still change the subject Gunner? ;)

Still waiting for your cites to all the claims you have made, and as
yet, still not supplied any


How do you like those Bush fuel prices you are paying to the Arabs?

They appreciate your contributions to Al-Qaeda.

TMT

Tell you what. Since you are simply a vicious little rapid ****, all
bluster and no backup, I think Im gonna simply put you in the kill
file, with no expiration date.
If you had simply provided a few legitimate cites to back up your
spew, Id have let you live, but no...bluster and bull**** is your one
trick pony.

Bye ****tard, dont call us, we will call you.

plink

Gunner

On Wed, 26 Mar 2008 03:26:52 GMT, Jim Chandler wrote:
Too_Many_Tools wrote:
On Mar 25, 8:00 am, "Stormin Mormon"
wrote:

Since truckers get paid by the mile, a speed cut is a pay cut. That can
really hurt a professional driver.

That is why the independent truckers are getting creamed.

Truckers get paid by the MILE, not MILE PER HOUR. Slowing down does not
cut what they are paid. They can only drive so many hours in a day,
regardless of the speed and a five or ten mile per hour reduction will
not make that big of a difference. Twelve hours at a five mph reduction
is only 60 miles. 120 for a 10 mph reduction. The same load will still
go the same number of miles, it'll just get there a little later. As
for the "Bush gas prices", if he is screwing us so badly, why then are
the folks in England, Europe, Australia, etc., paying $6-$7 per gallon?
Can you explain that? Didn't think so.

Truckers are getting paid by the mile, and in the USA there are
strict duty limits on drivers that dictate how many hours per day they
can drive - they can't just 'drive an extra hour a day' to make up for
it... Even with Team Driving, where two drivers can swap off and move
24/7, they can only move as fast as the speed limits allow. So any
speed limit cut WILL have an effect on their bottom line, period.

Whether the extra income from driving faster offsets the extra fuel
they have to burn to get there is a mathematical exercise for the
driver if he is an independent contractor, or their employer if the
freight company he works for is footing the fuel bills.

-- Bruce --

"Too_Many_Tools" wrote in message
...
I thought the group would find this story interesting....

From what I see on the freeway daily, most are not slowing down.

Slowing down...that brings back memories of the Carter conservation
days....


TMT


Truckers slowing down to save fuel By JAMES MacPHERSON, Associated
Press Writer

-snip-

Frantz said the company should have the governors on the 3,000 rigs in
its truckload fleet adjusted next month.




i'm glad to hear they're slowing down.
one thing i've wondered for quite a while, how come they can't manufacture
and use some sort of trailing edge fairing for the rear of a semi-truck's
cargo box? if streamlining can make it so this 18 hp airplane can fly 155
mph i'm sure ANY sort of streamlining would reduce a trucker's mpg.
http://www.aircraft-spruce.com/da11.html i bet SUBSTANTIALLY. the only
reasons i can think of is, tradition, and the fear of ridicule from his
fellows. "breaker breaker good buddy, looks like you got a "load on"! har,
har!" (reply) "i'm saving 10% a year in fuel costs. it paid for itself in
a year" silence .... (long pause) sheepishly where'd ya get one
of those things and how much does it cost?" oh, maybe another reason would
be overall length, but i'd imagine they could write some sort of amendment
to allow fuel saving streamlining devices. it would be such a simple
modification. could be very lightweight. i guess another problem would be
the fairing flying off in traffic because some dickhead didn't attach it
properly, or truckers backing into stuff and crushing/damaging them.
why don't they do that?!

b.w.

(they should make a "streamliner" truck. totally asinine looking but huge
savings in fuel)

William Wixon wrote:

"Too_Many_Tools" wrote in message
...

I thought the group would find this story interesting....

From what I see on the freeway daily, most are not slowing down.

Slowing down...that brings back memories of the Carter conservation
days....


TMT


Truckers slowing down to save fuel By JAMES MacPHERSON, Associated
Press Writer


-snip-

Frantz said the company should have the governors on the 3,000 rigs in
its truckload fleet adjusted next month.





i'm glad to hear they're slowing down.
one thing i've wondered for quite a while, how come they can't manufacture
and use some sort of trailing edge fairing for the rear of a semi-truck's
cargo box? if streamlining can make it so this 18 hp airplane can fly 155
mph i'm sure ANY sort of streamlining would reduce a trucker's mpg.
http://www.aircraft-spruce.com/da11.html i bet SUBSTANTIALLY. the only
reasons i can think of is, tradition, and the fear of ridicule from his
fellows. "breaker breaker good buddy, looks like you got a "load on"! har,
har!" (reply) "i'm saving 10% a year in fuel costs. it paid for itself in
a year" silence .... (long pause) sheepishly where'd ya get one
of those things and how much does it cost?" oh, maybe another reason would
be overall length, but i'd imagine they could write some sort of amendment
to allow fuel saving streamlining devices. it would be such a simple
modification. could be very lightweight. i guess another problem would be
the fairing flying off in traffic because some dickhead didn't attach it
properly, or truckers backing into stuff and crushing/damaging them.
why don't they do that?!

b.w.

(they should make a "streamliner" truck. totally asinine looking but huge
savings in fuel)



Actually, a "streamlined tail" for a box isn't the optimal solution.
What is needed is something to trip the boundry layer into the
turbulence behind the box.


http://www.princeton.edu/~asmits/Bicycle_web/blunt.html

Richard
--
(remove the X to email)

It's never too late to be the person you might have been.
George Elliot

"cavelamb himself" wrote in message
...
William Wixon wrote:
..

(they should make a "streamliner" truck. totally asinine looking but
huge savings in fuel)

Actually, a "streamlined tail" for a box isn't the optimal solution.
What is needed is something to trip the boundry layer into the turbulence
behind the box.


http://www.princeton.edu/~asmits/Bicycle_web/blunt.html

Richard


even cheaper. why don't they do THAT?
(a "streamliner" wouldn't be an even better solution?)
(it's hard to believe after seeing many many airplanes that a streamlined
tail isn't better than a boundary layer tripper.) (only one illustration in
the article you quoted and not a very good photo at that.)
(how can i make a boundary layer tripper for my pick up truck cap?!
diagrams?)

b.w.

"cavelamb himself" wrote in message
...


Well, get a great big wind tunnel? :^)

Or

Look at the inverted spoilers on the backs of SUVs and old station wagons.




that's funny because i'm right in the middle of putting ladder racks on my
pick up truck cap. i have an piece of streamlined aluminum airplane strut
that i'm going to use for the horizontal. i was wondering if that might
kinda break the boundary layer. doubt it. hafta check with a wind tunnel,
which i have none.

b.w.

William Wixon wrote:
"cavelamb himself" wrote in message
...

William Wixon wrote:

.

(they should make a "streamliner" truck. totally asinine looking but
huge savings in fuel)

Actually, a "streamlined tail" for a box isn't the optimal solution.
What is needed is something to trip the boundry layer into the turbulence
behind the box.


http://www.princeton.edu/~asmits/Bicycle_web/blunt.html

Richard



even cheaper. why don't they do THAT?
(a "streamliner" wouldn't be an even better solution?)
(it's hard to believe after seeing many many airplanes that a streamlined
tail isn't better than a boundary layer tripper.) (only one illustration in
the article you quoted and not a very good photo at that.)
(how can i make a boundary layer tripper for my pick up truck cap?!
diagrams?)

b.w.



Well, get a great big wind tunnel? :^)

Or

Look at the inverted spoilers on the backs of SUVs and old station wagons.


--
(remove the X to email)

It's never too late to be the person you might have been.
George Elliot

On Thu, 27 Mar 2008 00:56:00 GMT, "William Wixon"
wrote:


"Too_Many_Tools" wrote in message
...
I thought the group would find this story interesting....

From what I see on the freeway daily, most are not slowing down.

Slowing down...that brings back memories of the Carter conservation
days....


TMT


Truckers slowing down to save fuel By JAMES MacPHERSON, Associated
Press Writer

-snip-

Frantz said the company should have the governors on the 3,000 rigs in
its truckload fleet adjusted next month.




i'm glad to hear they're slowing down.
one thing i've wondered for quite a while, how come they can't manufacture
and use some sort of trailing edge fairing for the rear of a semi-truck's
cargo box? if streamlining can make it so this 18 hp airplane can fly 155
mph i'm sure ANY sort of streamlining would reduce a trucker's mpg.
http://www.aircraft-spruce.com/da11.html i bet SUBSTANTIALLY. the only
reasons i can think of is, tradition, and the fear of ridicule from his
fellows. "breaker breaker good buddy, looks like you got a "load on"! har,
har!" (reply) "i'm saving 10% a year in fuel costs. it paid for itself in
a year" silence .... (long pause) sheepishly where'd ya get one
of those things and how much does it cost?" oh, maybe another reason would
be overall length, but i'd imagine they could write some sort of amendment
to allow fuel saving streamlining devices. it would be such a simple
modification. could be very lightweight. i guess another problem would be
the fairing flying off in traffic because some dickhead didn't attach it
properly, or truckers backing into stuff and crushing/damaging them.
why don't they do that?!

b.w.

(they should make a "streamliner" truck. totally asinine looking but huge
savings in fuel)

Labatt Brewery did that 72 years ago - see:
http://www.labatt.com/english/lbc_co...treamliner.htm
Gerry :-)}
London, Canada

"cavelamb himself" wrote in message
...
William Wixon wrote:

"cavelamb himself" wrote in message
...


Well, get a great big wind tunnel? :^)

Or

Look at the inverted spoilers on the backs of SUVs and old station
wagons.





that's funny because i'm right in the middle of putting ladder racks on
my pick up truck cap. i have an piece of streamlined aluminum airplane
strut that i'm going to use for the horizontal. i was wondering if that
might kinda break the boundary layer. doubt it. hafta check with a wind
tunnel, which i have none.

b.w.

Yarn, about 6 inches long, taped all over teh surface can show what the
local boundry layer is doing.

Now, OBSERVING that effect might be a trick.

Need another truck and video camera to make it work,

Richard

This isn't very hard to do, once you get some practice. I taped yarn tufts
all over my racing ITC Fiesta (yeah, I know -- it wasn't much) in the
mid-80s and videotaped it from another car driving on an Interstate. I was
checking the effects of propping up the rear of the hood, which was legal in
SCCA's ITC class.

--
Ed Huntress

William Wixon wrote:

"cavelamb himself" wrote in message
...


Well, get a great big wind tunnel? :^)

Or

Look at the inverted spoilers on the backs of SUVs and old station wagons.





that's funny because i'm right in the middle of putting ladder racks on my
pick up truck cap. i have an piece of streamlined aluminum airplane strut
that i'm going to use for the horizontal. i was wondering if that might
kinda break the boundary layer. doubt it. hafta check with a wind tunnel,
which i have none.

b.w.



Yarn, about 6 inches long, taped all over teh surface can show what the
local boundry layer is doing.

Now, OBSERVING that effect might be a trick.

Need another truck and video camera to make it work,

Richard

--
(remove the X to email)

It's never too late to be the person you might have been.
George Elliot

Ed Huntress wrote:
"cavelamb himself" wrote in message
...

William Wixon wrote:


"cavelamb himself" wrote in message
...



Well, get a great big wind tunnel? :^)

Or

Look at the inverted spoilers on the backs of SUVs and old station
wagons.





that's funny because i'm right in the middle of putting ladder racks on
my pick up truck cap. i have an piece of streamlined aluminum airplane
strut that i'm going to use for the horizontal. i was wondering if that
might kinda break the boundary layer. doubt it. hafta check with a wind
tunnel, which i have none.

b.w.

Yarn, about 6 inches long, taped all over teh surface can show what the
local boundry layer is doing.

Now, OBSERVING that effect might be a trick.

Need another truck and video camera to make it work,

Richard


This isn't very hard to do, once you get some practice. I taped yarn tufts
all over my racing ITC Fiesta (yeah, I know -- it wasn't much) in the
mid-80s and videotaped it from another car driving on an Interstate. I was
checking the effects of propping up the rear of the hood, which was legal in
SCCA's ITC class.

--
Ed Huntress



Yeahbut...

Watching the top of a semi trailer????

I'll pass...

Richard
--
(remove the X to email)

It's never too late to be the person you might have been.
George Elliot

Ed Huntress wrote:
"cavelamb himself" wrote in message
...
William Wixon wrote:

"cavelamb himself" wrote in message
...


Well, get a great big wind tunnel? :^)

Or

Look at the inverted spoilers on the backs of SUVs and old station
wagons.




that's funny because i'm right in the middle of putting ladder racks on
my pick up truck cap. i have an piece of streamlined aluminum airplane
strut that i'm going to use for the horizontal. i was wondering if that
might kinda break the boundary layer. doubt it. hafta check with a wind
tunnel, which i have none.

b.w.
Yarn, about 6 inches long, taped all over teh surface can show what the
local boundry layer is doing.

Now, OBSERVING that effect might be a trick.

Need another truck and video camera to make it work,

Richard

This isn't very hard to do, once you get some practice. I taped yarn tufts
all over my racing ITC Fiesta (yeah, I know -- it wasn't much) in the
mid-80s and videotaped it from another car driving on an Interstate. I was
checking the effects of propping up the rear of the hood, which was legal in
SCCA's ITC class.

Fiestas were neat cars. I raced a ITB Pinto for several years.

"cavelamb himself" wrote in message
...
Ed Huntress wrote:
"cavelamb himself" wrote in message
...

William Wixon wrote:


"cavelamb himself" wrote in message
...



Well, get a great big wind tunnel? :^)

Or

Look at the inverted spoilers on the backs of SUVs and old station
wagons.





that's funny because i'm right in the middle of putting ladder racks on
my pick up truck cap. i have an piece of streamlined aluminum airplane
strut that i'm going to use for the horizontal. i was wondering if that
might kinda break the boundary layer. doubt it. hafta check with a
wind tunnel, which i have none.

b.w.

Yarn, about 6 inches long, taped all over teh surface can show what the
local boundry layer is doing.

Now, OBSERVING that effect might be a trick.

Need another truck and video camera to make it work,

Richard


This isn't very hard to do, once you get some practice. I taped yarn
tufts all over my racing ITC Fiesta (yeah, I know -- it wasn't much) in
the mid-80s and videotaped it from another car driving on an Interstate.
I was checking the effects of propping up the rear of the hood, which was
legal in SCCA's ITC class.

--
Ed Huntress

Yeahbut...

Watching the top of a semi trailer????

I'll pass...

Richard

Oh, yeah. That's a problem...d8-

--
Ed Huntress

"Rex" wrote in message
...
Ed Huntress wrote:
"cavelamb himself" wrote in message
...
William Wixon wrote:

"cavelamb himself" wrote in message
...


Well, get a great big wind tunnel? :^)

Or

Look at the inverted spoilers on the backs of SUVs and old station
wagons.




that's funny because i'm right in the middle of putting ladder racks on
my pick up truck cap. i have an piece of streamlined aluminum airplane
strut that i'm going to use for the horizontal. i was wondering if
that might kinda break the boundary layer. doubt it. hafta check with
a wind tunnel, which i have none.

b.w.
Yarn, about 6 inches long, taped all over teh surface can show what the
local boundry layer is doing.

Now, OBSERVING that effect might be a trick.

Need another truck and video camera to make it work,

Richard

This isn't very hard to do, once you get some practice. I taped yarn
tufts all over my racing ITC Fiesta (yeah, I know -- it wasn't much) in
the mid-80s and videotaped it from another car driving on an Interstate.
I was checking the effects of propping up the rear of the hood, which was
legal in SCCA's ITC class.

Fiestas were neat cars. I raced a ITB Pinto for several years.

Yeah, Fiestas were fun. They would have been neater if they had brakes. d8-)

--
Ed Huntress

Ed Huntress wrote:
"Rex" wrote in message
...
Ed Huntress wrote:
"cavelamb himself" wrote in message
...
William Wixon wrote:

"cavelamb himself" wrote in message
...


Well, get a great big wind tunnel? :^)

Or

Look at the inverted spoilers on the backs of SUVs and old station
wagons.



that's funny because i'm right in the middle of putting ladder racks on
my pick up truck cap. i have an piece of streamlined aluminum airplane
strut that i'm going to use for the horizontal. i was wondering if
that might kinda break the boundary layer. doubt it. hafta check with
a wind tunnel, which i have none.

b.w.
Yarn, about 6 inches long, taped all over teh surface can show what the
local boundry layer is doing.

Now, OBSERVING that effect might be a trick.

Need another truck and video camera to make it work,

Richard
This isn't very hard to do, once you get some practice. I taped yarn
tufts all over my racing ITC Fiesta (yeah, I know -- it wasn't much) in
the mid-80s and videotaped it from another car driving on an Interstate.
I was checking the effects of propping up the rear of the hood, which was
legal in SCCA's ITC class.
Fiestas were neat cars. I raced a ITB Pinto for several years.

Yeah, Fiestas were fun. They would have been neater if they had brakes. d8-)

Hell, I always thought the Fiesta guys were testerone-laden late-brakers
from hell! I didn't realize they just had no brakes

"Rex" wrote in message
...
Ed Huntress wrote:
"Rex" wrote in message
...
Ed Huntress wrote:
"cavelamb himself" wrote in message
...
William Wixon wrote:

"cavelamb himself" wrote in message
...


Well, get a great big wind tunnel? :^)

Or

Look at the inverted spoilers on the backs of SUVs and old station
wagons.



that's funny because i'm right in the middle of putting ladder racks
on my pick up truck cap. i have an piece of streamlined aluminum
airplane strut that i'm going to use for the horizontal. i was
wondering if that might kinda break the boundary layer. doubt it.
hafta check with a wind tunnel, which i have none.

b.w.
Yarn, about 6 inches long, taped all over teh surface can show what
the local boundry layer is doing.

Now, OBSERVING that effect might be a trick.

Need another truck and video camera to make it work,

Richard
This isn't very hard to do, once you get some practice. I taped yarn
tufts all over my racing ITC Fiesta (yeah, I know -- it wasn't much) in
the mid-80s and videotaped it from another car driving on an
Interstate. I was checking the effects of propping up the rear of the
hood, which was legal in SCCA's ITC class.
Fiestas were neat cars. I raced a ITB Pinto for several years.

Yeah, Fiestas were fun. They would have been neater if they had brakes.
d8-)

Hell, I always thought the Fiesta guys were testerone-laden late-brakers
from hell! I didn't realize they just had no brakes

The car as it was sold in the US (which was a strict econobox) had 13"
wheels and 8" disc brakes. That's how you had to race it in the Production
class. Those were the only brakes I've ever had that I could mount on my 10"
South Bend for re-facing.

For ITC class you were allowed 14" wheels and bigger brakes -- I forget if
they were 9" or 10" -- and they made a huge difference. But I didn't have
them on my car when I was in driver's school. That's a long and boring
story.

--
Ed Huntress

On Thu, 27 Mar 2008 00:57:43 -0600, cavelamb himself
wrote:

Ed Huntress wrote:
"cavelamb himself" wrote in message
...

William Wixon wrote:


"cavelamb himself" wrote in message
...



Well, get a great big wind tunnel? :^)

Or

Look at the inverted spoilers on the backs of SUVs and old station
wagons.





that's funny because i'm right in the middle of putting ladder racks on
my pick up truck cap. i have an piece of streamlined aluminum airplane
strut that i'm going to use for the horizontal. i was wondering if that
might kinda break the boundary layer. doubt it. hafta check with a wind
tunnel, which i have none.

b.w.

Yarn, about 6 inches long, taped all over teh surface can show what the
local boundry layer is doing.

Now, OBSERVING that effect might be a trick.

Need another truck and video camera to make it work,

Richard


This isn't very hard to do, once you get some practice. I taped yarn tufts
all over my racing ITC Fiesta (yeah, I know -- it wasn't much) in the
mid-80s and videotaped it from another car driving on an Interstate. I was
checking the effects of propping up the rear of the hood, which was legal in
SCCA's ITC class.

--
Ed Huntress



Yeahbut...

Watching the top of a semi trailer????

I'll pass...

Richard


In the US...there are many overpasses that clear trucks by less than
6"

And some that dont even do that....

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/...commute600.jpg


Gunner

On Thu, 27 Mar 2008 10:15:55 -0400, with neither quill nor qualm, "Ed
Huntress" quickly quoth:


"Rex" wrote in message

Fiestas were neat cars. I raced a ITB Pinto for several years.

Yeah, Fiestas were fun. They would have been neater if they had brakes. d8-)

Or if they were easier to work on. They were one of the earlier
metricated Fords, IIRC, with a Pintoesque reputation in our Ford
dealership at the time.

I cut my teeth on Dad's Austin Healey 100-4. He raced gymkhanas and
autocrosses in the Little Rock, AR area when I was growing up. That's
a good portion of why I went to UTI (automotive tech school) right out
of high school.

I'll never forget how much fun I had truing and tuning those bright
and shiny chrome wire wheels. There's a lost art for ya...

--
Books are the compasses and telescopes and sextants and charts which other
men have prepared to help us navigate the dangerous seas of human life.
--Jesse Lee Bennett

"Larry Jaques" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 27 Mar 2008 10:15:55 -0400, with neither quill nor qualm, "Ed
Huntress" quickly quoth:


"Rex" wrote in message

Fiestas were neat cars. I raced a ITB Pinto for several years.

Yeah, Fiestas were fun. They would have been neater if they had brakes.
d8-)

Or if they were easier to work on. They were one of the earlier
metricated Fords, IIRC, with a Pintoesque reputation in our Ford
dealership at the time.

Yeah, it helped to have very skinny fingers and a few custom-forged tools.

The guys who raced them came up with a number of tricks to make it easier.
My contribution was a small body alteration. With the engine removed (quite
easy to do), you take a 3-lb. maul and whack a big dent into the inside of
the right front wheel well. Then you could get the serpentine belt off
without removing the engine. g


I cut my teeth on Dad's Austin Healey 100-4. He raced gymkhanas and
autocrosses in the Little Rock, AR area when I was growing up. That's
a good portion of why I went to UTI (automotive tech school) right out
of high school.

I loved the 100-4. Slow as molasses (85 mph top speed, stock) but it felt
like an old-time race car. That is to say, you'd pitch it into a corner like
a dirt-tracker and pray everything didn't get too loose. It was a bit...er,
flexible.

When I first started racing there was a 100-4 at Lime Rock, H production,
that didn't do too badly.


I'll never forget how much fun I had truing and tuning those bright
and shiny chrome wire wheels. There's a lost art for ya...

I'll leave it to you. I had wire wheels on my Mk III Midget. They were the
wrong wheels for racing, Immatellayou.

--
Ed Huntress

Larry Jaques wrote:
On Thu, 27 Mar 2008 10:15:55 -0400, with neither quill nor qualm, "Ed
Huntress" quickly quoth:

"Rex" wrote in message

Fiestas were neat cars. I raced a ITB Pinto for several years.
Yeah, Fiestas were fun. They would have been neater if they had brakes. d8-)

Or if they were easier to work on. They were one of the earlier
metricated Fords, IIRC, with a Pintoesque reputation in our Ford
dealership at the time.

Fiestas had the heart of a Formula Ford.
For a couple of years they were the hot setup for stock class autocross.