Schneider to slow trucks to 60 mph

By Rick Romell
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

The trucking industry’s largest lobbying group today called for a nationwide 65 mph speed limit, longer trailers and other steps in an effort to cut greenhouse-gas emissions and save billions of gallons of fuel.

Meanwhile, Green Bay-based Schneider National Inc., one of the country’s biggest trucking firms, went still further: The company will voluntarily cut the top cruising speed on its 10,600 tractors to 60 mph, President and Chief Executive Officer Chris Lofgren said during a press conference announcing the industry initiative.

Schneider's slowdown — the firm currently caps cruising speeds at 63 mph — will be equivalent to taking more than 7,200 cars off the highways, Lofgren said, and will save 3.75 million gallons of fuel a year.

“We encourage others in the industry to make this commitment with us,” Lofgren said.

Limiting cars and trucks to 65 mph could conserve more than 11 billion gallons of diesel and gasoline over 10 years, the American Trucking Associations said in announcing its sustainability proposals.

That would reduce emissions of carbon dioxide by 116 million tons, the organization said. Carbon dioxide is the chief source of the so-called greenhouse effect and, many scientists say, of global warming.

The trucking group also called for longer combination trailers or higher weight allowances — a proposal likely to draw fire from highway safety advocates — elimination of nearly 500 traffic bottlenecks and government incentives for trucking companies to install devices that reduce idling.