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<p>About the time electronic engines promised fuel savings back in the early 90's</p><p>I think in those days we ran 300 or 350 big cam IV's and 370 detroits, 425 cats. All naturally air breathing desiels with hardly anything fancy tied to them electronically.</p><p>Suddenly Management found that they can push buttons and communicate, follow trucks and turn them off and on via satellite with the new Qualcomm. It spread like wildfire.</p><p>We are still getting around 6 miles to the gallon, rolling throwaway lease trucks, mileage each week is not much better and delivery success is worse off than we were back in the days of regulation.</p><p>For me the Mid 90's with a Freightliner COE with the 470 detroit gave me a 108 mph top speed and the harder you pull on those detroits the more it refuses to give up power until you lug it below 1100 rpm.</p><p>Then the engines were cut down from 2300 rpm down to 2100 and eventually to just over 1600 on the govenor. </p><p>At first we would find a Owner operator with a diagnoistic unit and a few dollars later had a unrestricted engine or slightly adjusted governer sorta bumped to the top of the RPM range and it would not be discovered until 6 months later at the company shop. "What? Speed changed? Huh. I dont know nothing about those fancy computer stuff."</p><p>Now companies demonstrate total control or nearly so over properly equipped trucks. They can download real-time information as you drive and order replacement parts to catch the one that is showing indications of breaking or failing.</p><p>I remember another one that used a onboard computer called Trip Master. If you did not run the engine at stop lights (Shutting it off and restarting it again) you stood to make an extra 130 dollars or more on top of your already fat paycheck. I have always wondered how many starter motor replacements it took for them to stop that little practice.</p><p>Today you can consist the trailer to the tractor. Back with McKesson as soon as you put it on the 5th wheel and enter the data to activate the trailer youre in business. From that moment on anything happens with that million dollar load inside they know about it with or without the tractor.</p><p>Some reefers can make a automatic call over satellite to Transicold or Carrier to have a service truck meet the unit that is experiencing problems somewhere convient. The driver does not have to know anything about the problem. It will be taken care of before the cargo is lost.</p><p>One other thing. That fancy computer does not know the difference between one gallon of coolant on it's metal sensor or a paper clip. When you are just a little low and get shut down without your say-so 300 miles out of nowhere it can be inconvient and in some situations life-threatening depending on weather.</p>
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