Dear Editor:

Don’t blame the speed limiters when it’s a driver attitude problem! First, I must say that I don’t agree with Ontario’s new speed limiter law. My speed limiter has always been my right foot so I will continue to run between 95-100 km/h. But all this constant whining about the doom and gloom this law is going to have is starting to get pretty old and tired.

There is no law saying that you have to drive the maximum posted speed limit, the law says not to exceed the posted limit. I have been driving at or around 100 km/h for over 35 years now, by choice, and have never had a problem in the 70-75 mph states. All this hype about slower trucks getting rear-ended is just hogwash, stay in the right lane and if you can’t pass someone quickly and safely then don’t even bother to get out in the left lane.

All this blah, blah, blah about taking a pay cut because of the slower speed is just BS. Most loads are now picked up and delivered by appointment, so getting there an hour early because you could run faster only to sit and wait (also unpaid) doesn’t make sense to me. Most loads are not scheduled that tight that you would miss out on a load just because you could only run 105 km/h.

As for all of the concern about these “rolling roadblocks,” I just don’t see it happening, if you run the posted limit of 100 km/h, stay in the right lane and don’t tailgate. You will still have extra speed to get around someone if you have to.

The biggest problem I can see is with the drivers’ attitudes. Too many guys will run right up against the governed speed all the time instead of backing off to the posted limit. All this will do is cause hatred and discontent because they don’t have enough common sense to know that a 105 km/h truck should not be out trying to pass a 104 km/h truck for 10 miles. That is a driver attitude problem, not a speed limiter problem!

I’ve also heard all the complaints about how the truck used to get 7 mpg and now only gets 5 mpg since it was cut back. No doubt this comes from company drivers because any smart owner/operator knows that by slowing down, a properly spec’d truck will not only save you money on fuel but greatly reduce many other costs as well.

Most large fleets have always had governed trucks so I don’t know what all the fuss is about.

Paul Bauman

Via e-mail