I am not a smart man. But I know who stole my house and destroyed my business...
The Great American Bubble Machine - Rolling Stone
Jack
-
Want to remove ads? Register an account and login to see fewer ads, and become a Supporting Member to remove almost all ads.
Tesla semi is ill conceived...
- Thread starter jr4488
- Start date
-
- Tags
- Future Tesla
I am not a smart man. But I know who stole my house and destroyed my business...
The Great American Bubble Machine - Rolling Stone
Jack
There definitely needs to be penalties for being an idiot driver.
Actually, trucks doing 55mph in the right lane is not a good idea, you constantly have 70+mph vehicles veering around you as they enter and exit freeways, sometimes this can be a nightmare. Having driven some huge trucks I've seen a couple cars disappear completely in front of the hood only to reappear safely out the other side (that was a wakeup call
). Having trucks favor the left lane would make more sense, (all the traffic is on your right at least) or at least have everyone travel the same speed. Everybody doing 75mph is safer than a truck surrounded in the free for all some California roads have some days...If a truck passes you and then hits the brakes you have lots of time to react (if your paying attention) plus he's just done at least a few hundred dollars wear and tear to his truck, (you can use that as a consolation if you like) it would be a very stupid thing to do.
One thing some people need to learn is relax while driving, this should be taught in driving school. Pay attention, go with the flow. If you are uptight and white knuckling it every time you drive it may be time to sell your vehicle and take public transportation. This goes for everyone, motorcyclists all the way to commercial truck drivers.
It’s a metal barrier between the cab of the tractor and the trailer. It helps prevent the cargo from breaching the cab in an accident.
They use to be required. However, the mega carriers lobbied and got the regulation changed. They didn’t like them because they cost money and add weigh to the truck...
Jack
Lots of old, wrong information in your post.
Average truck driver pay at the mega carriers is $56k annually.
Private fleets like Walmart average $90k annually.
Owner operators average $141k annually.
https://www.truckdriverssalary.com/owner-operator-salary/
Wages are rising because of a severe driver shortage.
If Tesla can get to level 4 in trucks, there is some serious money to be made...
Jack
Zaphod
Galaxy President (former)
Typically aluminum structure that is behind the cab/sleeper for stowing tie-down chains, binders, wheel chocks, etc...
T34ME
Active Member
Why would a truck driver have to slow down for me if I am driving 65 mph speed limit in the right lane and he is driving 55 mph speed limit in the right lane?
But let's get this back on topic. Tesla has been the leader in vehicular safety and I don't see why that will change with the Semi. Jack has made a lot of assumptions in the OP. I suggest he contact Tesla and address his concerns with them. The Tesla Semi will definitely be safer than any truck on the highway now with radar, sonar, EAB, EAP, several cameras, faster acceleration, less brake wear, better visibility, safety glass, etc.
Truck drivers can be part of the revolution for a cleaner and safer way to deliver goods and services. It is going to happen, it is inevitable. Better to get in at the beginning rather than trying to catch up later, like the legacy automakers are trying to do right now.
Brando
Active Member
Well, all data is "old" as it was collected in the past, evaluation up to the reader..
Anyway let us look to Walmart for their numbers
Walmart Truck Driver Salaries in the United States | Indeed.com
Not sure why Walmart would mislead on average pay. You?
Owner operators will understand Gross vs Net - anyone running their own business quickly figures out advantages of expense write-offs. Yeah, I know it is a little complex. Perhaps you were able to make $140,000 net.
PS- your link didn't (to me at least) seem to contradict what I had found - other can read and decide for themselves.
Walmart doesn’t “lie” about their numbers, indeed.com does it for them.
Walmart is currently recruiting new drivers on the radio offering first year starting pay over $80k plus full benifits including medical from day one. The commercials direct listeners to
Www.drive4walmart.com
I drove 131,911 miles last year, averaged $2.67 per mile and after fuel, taxes, depreciation, truck payment, depreciation and everything else, I netted $172k.
It was a little complex ...
Jack
I feel that no one here seems to be asking the most important and vital trucking question of all:
Is the front trunk sufficiently large enough to store a prostitute?
Is the front trunk sufficiently large enough to store a prostitute?
They are still required on trucks pulling flat decks hauling loads that can pierce the cab (flat plate, pipe, rebar etc.) in most jurisdictions. You can also use bulkheads as a substitute.
@jr4488, if Tesla were able to offer independent drivers like yourself a truck that does what it said at the reveal — safest truck on the road, saves $0.25/mile TCO, offers a charging network as advertised on the routes they drive (500 mile battery/400 miles with a 30 minute recharge), and less maintenance — do you think independent drivers would go for it? Assume they build a sleeper cab version with comparable specs.
scottf200
Well-Known Member
Can anyone explain the Air Pressure gauge. I was guessing tire pressure. Red sensor tire in top left as an aside
- 80 ... 100 ... white_dot ... 150
- Primary vs secondary?
- Trailer Air Supply (looked this up here: Trailer Air Supply Valve Supplies air to the trailer reservoirs, and by doing so controls the application and release of the trailer's spring brakes. )
Screen shot via:
Tesla Semi Truck Detailed Interior and Exterior Walk Around
- 80 ... 100 ... white_dot ... 150
- Primary vs secondary?
- Trailer Air Supply (looked this up here: Trailer Air Supply Valve Supplies air to the trailer reservoirs, and by doing so controls the application and release of the trailer's spring brakes. )
Screen shot via:
Tesla Semi Truck Detailed Interior and Exterior Walk Around
Last edited:
Air pressure gauges are for primary and secondary air systems, it's kind of a goofy system but the theory is if you get a big leak in one system you still have the other for braking to park the unit. Reality is both systems feed into the same circuits for brakes on truck and trailer.
Good video, it looks like visibility would be poor from the inside yet it appears quite low on the outside, shouldn't be too bad. The screens should be lower maybe built into the dash more.
Jump seat reminds me of much of our farm equipment. Good for taking the wife for a ride, uncomfortable enough it'll be a fairly short ride
That one has super singles, makes more sense.
Would love to try one out...
Good video, it looks like visibility would be poor from the inside yet it appears quite low on the outside, shouldn't be too bad. The screens should be lower maybe built into the dash more.
Jump seat reminds me of much of our farm equipment. Good for taking the wife for a ride, uncomfortable enough it'll be a fairly short ride
That one has super singles, makes more sense.
Would love to try one out...
Last edited:
scottf200
Well-Known Member
Thanks. Found a diagram with the primary and secondary in it.Air pressure gauges are for primary and secondary air systems, it's kind of a goofy system but the theory is if you get a big leak in one system you still have the other for braking to park the unit. Reality is both systems feed into the same circuits for brakes on truck and trailer.
Good video, it looks like visibility would be poor from the inside yet it appears quite low on the outside, shouldn't be too bad. The screens should be lower maybe built into the dash more.
Jump seat reminds me of much of our farm equipment. Good for taking the wife for a ride, uncomfortable enough it'll be a fairly short ride
That one has super singles, makes more sense.
You're misinterpreting what Sage is trying to convey.
At 60 mph, you're traveling at 88 feet per second.
At 70 mph, it's 102.67 feet per second.
I quickly found https://nacto.org/docs/usdg/vehicle_stopping_distance_and_time_upenn.pdf which seems to use 1.5 seconds for reaction time in the table. Braking Factors uses 2.3 seconds.
Anyhow, if you use 1.5 sec reaction time, at 60 mph, you've traveled 132 feet during that time vs. 154 at the higher speed. For some situations, for a given reaction time, 60 mph might allow for sufficient reaction time while will not.
Also add the greater braking distance...
And, if everyone else around you is traveling at a higher speed due to a higher speed limit, the same issue applies, the cars will have moved a greater distance in a given time vs if they went slower.
Last edited:
To those who have never driven or even been in the cab of a truck before. How can you judge those that drive truck for a living?
To me driving a class 8 truck in heavy traffic is akin to being an adult surrounded by a group of six year old kids. You have individuals darting in and out, some running ahead, others walking with you, yet others blocking your way and some trying to trip you. Sometimes they are calm and behave pretty well, sometimes they are tired, a bit irritated and try to get on your nerves, sometimes they are excited and in a hurry. Moving the same speed as a majority of the kids is allot easier than moving slower, I know, I've done it.
Some days I enjoy it, relax and go with the flow, other days it can be a bit irritating, occasionally it can be downright irritating. The experience has never been scary for me although I have had concern for some four wheelers as usually they lose in the event of a collision with a much larger vehicle.
Telling me (someone who's spent allot of time in trucks as well as four wheeled vehicles and motorbikes in all traffic conditions through all sorts of environmental conditions) how fast trucks should travel in relation to other traffic is like me telling a woman how to breastfeed a baby. You really don't have a clue.
I actually enjoy driving, I believe I'm a good driver, I'm courteous, I respect others on the road and I expect respect from them. I can sense nervous drivers for the most part I believe and try to give them space as they require. I never use the horn unless absolutely necessary. For maneuvers such as lane changes some days I need to be a little more assertive, I usually touch my brakes to give drivers a heads up I'm working on slowing down, usually it's five flashes of the signal lights and I'll start moving over, I won't push someone out of the way but my intentions will be clear, they are free to accelerate, decelerate or move over as they see fit, it doesn't bother me. This is me, I'm sure most others that drive truck are similar but I can't speak for everyone of course.
A truck that assists in enhancing my driving by constantly monitoring lane position, fore and aft traffic flow and positioning, obstacles, maintain speed, etc. can only make the experience better but we are still only human.
To me driving a class 8 truck in heavy traffic is akin to being an adult surrounded by a group of six year old kids. You have individuals darting in and out, some running ahead, others walking with you, yet others blocking your way and some trying to trip you. Sometimes they are calm and behave pretty well, sometimes they are tired, a bit irritated and try to get on your nerves, sometimes they are excited and in a hurry. Moving the same speed as a majority of the kids is allot easier than moving slower, I know, I've done it.
Some days I enjoy it, relax and go with the flow, other days it can be a bit irritating, occasionally it can be downright irritating. The experience has never been scary for me although I have had concern for some four wheelers as usually they lose in the event of a collision with a much larger vehicle.
Telling me (someone who's spent allot of time in trucks as well as four wheeled vehicles and motorbikes in all traffic conditions through all sorts of environmental conditions) how fast trucks should travel in relation to other traffic is like me telling a woman how to breastfeed a baby. You really don't have a clue.
I actually enjoy driving, I believe I'm a good driver, I'm courteous, I respect others on the road and I expect respect from them. I can sense nervous drivers for the most part I believe and try to give them space as they require. I never use the horn unless absolutely necessary. For maneuvers such as lane changes some days I need to be a little more assertive, I usually touch my brakes to give drivers a heads up I'm working on slowing down, usually it's five flashes of the signal lights and I'll start moving over, I won't push someone out of the way but my intentions will be clear, they are free to accelerate, decelerate or move over as they see fit, it doesn't bother me. This is me, I'm sure most others that drive truck are similar but I can't speak for everyone of course.
A truck that assists in enhancing my driving by constantly monitoring lane position, fore and aft traffic flow and positioning, obstacles, maintain speed, etc. can only make the experience better but we are still only human.
Because you are unpredictable. You jump in front of a truck right before an offramp or split. Are you going to suddenly hit your brakes because you are confused? Nobody allows trucks to have a safe following distance. You will pull in from them right into their 'kill zone'.
You will never know how bad/stupid/thoughtless today's drivers really are until you drive a truck or tow a trailer. You only get a 1% dose when you drive a car. 50% dose when you're on 2 wheels, 75% when towing private, and the Full Monty when driving a semi.
This is where Autopilot and automatic emergency braking can save lives, if the software gets to be smart enough.
Radar updates every 50 milliseconds, cameras more often than that, and the iBooster can deliver locked brakes in 125 milliseconds from the decision point.
brucet999
Active Member
When I see a truck signaling for a lane change into my lane, I usually slow a little or hold speed and then flash my high beams to let him know that I see him and the way is clear. I flash once short and once long (Morse letter A), but I have often wondered if there is a recognized cadence among truck drivers for such signaling.
