In The News

Trucking exec pushes 65 mph national speed limit

Tommy Hodges, chairman of Shelbyville-based Titan Transfer Inc., testified last week before a congressional subcommittee in Washington about the trucking industry's efforts to reduce energy consumption, calling on Congress to enact a 65 mph nationwide speed limit.

Hodges, who is first vice chairman of the American Trucking Association, spoke Jan. 27 to the Subcommittee on Highways and Transit of the U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.

Hodges called trucking "the driving force behind the nation's economy," and said trucks "haul nearly every consumer good at some point in the supply chain."

Long-haul trucks, noted Hodges, run on diesel.

"Diesel fuel provides greater fuel economy and has the higher energy content necessary to transport widely-diversified loads under extreme operating conditions," said Hodges in the written version of his testimony. "We use a tremendous amount of diesel fuel every year to keep our economy moving. Therefore, it is in our best business interest to reduce our energy consumption, improve our profitability, and reduce our levels of emissions and greenhouse gases."

Hodges said reducing the speed limit to 65, and partnering with states to ensure strict enforcement, would reduce fuel consumption.

"In fact," he said, "for each mile per hour that a truck travels in excess of 65 mph, its fuel economy decreases by 1/10 of a mile per gallon. Thus, a truck traveling at

65 mph that is capable of achieving 6 miles per gallon, will achieve only 5 miles per gallon when traveling at 75 mph."

He called for a 65 mph speed limit for all vehicles and for rules requiring trucks manufactured after 1992 to have mechanical governing devices which would prohibit them from going faster than 65.

"In addition to the fuel conservation benefits from reducing truck speeds, we are confident that this measure will further reduce the number of truck-related fatalities that occur on our nation's roadways," said Hodges.

He also called for other changes related to fuel economy:

* Greater funding for the Environmental Protection Agency's SmartWay program, which is a voluntary program for reducing greenhouse gases;

* National fuel economy standards for medium and heavy-duty trucks;

* Financial incentives for idling reduction equipment. Truck drivers often idle their engines for hours at a time, either to power equipment in the cab or to keep the engine block warm in extreme cold. Auxiliary power sources would help avoid this practice, he said.

* Infrastructure improvements to alleviate highway bottlenecks, which he said would save 32 billion gallons of fuel over a 10-year period.

* Funding of research and development for technologies which will improve fuel efficiency.

* Promotion of what Hodges called "more productive" truck combinations, including increasing the allowed gross vehicle weight. Hodges said this would be more efficient and reduce overall energy consumption.

Hodges is also chairman of Goggin Warehousing LLC; chairman of HEC Leasing Inc.; and chairman of IWLAIC Insurance Company.

The American Trucking Association is based in Arlington, Va., and represents more than 37,000 trucking companies throughout the U.S.