Questions for truckers...

[grumpy52]

Some retarders /exhaust brakes do put the brake lights on .
The 7.5 tonners I drive can have the exhaust brake on auto for downhill sections so you don't overspeed which activates warning lights on the tacho and speedo head , and if you overspeed for too long it registers an infringement .

[McWigglebum4th]

Pah trucks

Containership

12,000 tons of fuel
250 ton of fuel a day
30 knots flat out light cargo

[chilistrucker]

McWigglebum4th said:

Pah trucks

Containership

12,000 tons of fuel
250 ton of fuel a day
30 knots flat out light cargo

Bloody hell, 12,000 tonnes of fuel
I saw one of those new container megaship things earlier in year, think it was CGM line, and has the capacity for approx 16,000 boxes, thats bonkers.
Have to admit though, being in the wagon at a docks parked very close to one of the big container ships really shows you just how huge they are.

[s p a c e m a n]

I like to stand on the edge of the quay when the massive slab sided ones come in, sends my brain off balance because it looks like a wall moving really slowly

[Squiggs]

McWigglebum4th said:

Pah trucks

Containership

12,000 tons of fuel
250 ton of fuel a day
30 knots flat out light cargo

If only we could do the man maths .....
1 ton of fuel = ???? gallons?
250 tones of fuel per day = ????? miles?
30 knots = ???? mph?

[Nickyboy]

Squiggs said:

If only we could do the man maths .....
1 ton of fuel = ???? gallons?
250 tones of fuel per day = ????? miles?
30 knots = ???? mph?

1 ton of diesel is approx 270 gallons
250 x 270 = 69925 gallons a day
30 knots = 34mph


Approx 85 gallons per mile?

[Squiggs]

Nickyboy said:

Squiggs said:

If only we could do the man maths .....
1 ton of fuel = ???? gallons?
250 tones of fuel per day = ????? miles?
30 knots = ???? mph?

1 ton of diesel is approx 270 gallons
250 x 270 = 69925 gallons a day
30 knots = 34mph


Approx 85 gallons per mile?

85 gallons per mile!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Impressive - and it's commercial (so still in the right topic, though slightly off thread )

[Raize]

Nickyboy said:

Squiggs said:

If only we could do the man maths .....
1 ton of fuel = ???? gallons?
250 tones of fuel per day = ????? miles?
30 knots = ???? mph?

1 ton of diesel is approx 270 gallons
250 x 270 = 69925 gallons a day
30 knots = 34mph


Approx 85 gallons per mile?

And weighs 100,000 tons, so achieving just over 1,000 miles per gallon per ton.

Very fuel efficient these container ships. Everyone should drive one.

[Squiggs]

Raize said:

Nickyboy said:

Squiggs said:

If only we could do the man maths .....
1 ton of fuel = ???? gallons?
250 tones of fuel per day = ????? miles?
30 knots = ???? mph?

1 ton of diesel is approx 270 gallons
250 x 270 = 69925 gallons a day
30 knots = 34mph


Approx 85 gallons per mile?

And weighs 100,000 tons, so achieving just over 1,000 miles per gallon per ton.

Very fuel efficient these container ships. Everyone should drive one.

Again - impressive figures, but are they - into the wind or with a following wind - with the tide or against the tide - uphill or downhill?

[grumpy52]

0 to 60 time oh !
Stopping distance from 30 ? ? Miles !

[mp3manager]

With a box van and grossing about 30t.

[StuntmanMike]

That's very good.

[bigfatnick]

AB said:

So... What's the max these artics can generally fit in? How many miles to a tank? What's the MPG?

I'm sure it's a varied answer but I'm intrigued.

Also, given they must have massive engines to pull the trailers, how fast are they without a trailer?

i've got two 300litre tanks, but my record fill is only 540litres, i'm always too scared to go beyond the bottom of the red. I think it gets me around 900km, never paid too much attention, but i usually go about a day and a half between refuels. My boss reckons i get 8mpg, thats driving fully loaded, (44t all in) one way then returning with usually 6 or 7 tonnes on (so like 23t).


mine flickers between 57 and 58mph on the gps, but my limiter was calibrated on old, mostly worn out tyres. It's doing about 1490rpm at that speed, i think if it didn't have a limiter, it'd run out of revs at about 75mph, and would be using a LOT of fuel one of our units has the same engine as mine but only does 1200revs at the same speed as mine - i think he could probably crack 85mph without a limiter. Mine is a 16 litre V8 with 500bhp, which i think was probably very swanky in 2005 when my truck was built. Now there are trucks available with 730bhp (scania) and 750bhp (volvo) both with 16 litre engines. Most trucks run with 420 to 550bhp nowadays from a 12 to 14 litre engine.

226bhp said:

Why do trucks use the brakes when going down clear motorway gradients? I'm guessing it's because the speed limiter is so harsh that you brake so you aren't riding on it, or does it actually put the brakes on for you?
Something I've always wondered, also, how exactly does the limiter work?

some companies (not mine) will give their drivers written warnings for speeding. (baring in mind it comes up on your tachograph and a lot of companies have trackers - if you see a lot of lorries from one company doing 40mph on single lane roads - thats probably them)

I try keep it under 65 going downhill, as a licence preservation thing more than anything.

Test driver said:

Do truckers have championships for elephant racing?

I think its more of an internal "i'm a bigger dhead than any other driver" thing. When they are being passed, they should lift, most dont. The "stop them from overtaking" argument is pretty daft though, because there can be an 8mph difference between me (my boss sends trucks in for the limiter calibrating on bald tyres) and one of the supermarkets doing 49/50mph. 8mph over a 45hr driving week (if it was all spent on quiet motorways) could potentially mean 360 miles lost following the slowest drivers!

grumpy52 said:

Some retarders /exhaust brakes do put the brake lights on .

Sometimes my old volvo did, sometimes it didn't. I've never quite worked out how or why.

[GC8]

iva cosworth said:

I drive a rather smaller HGV than those ^^^ guys.

Can barely fit £100 of diesel in it....LOL

Is it a puddle jumper chassis plated to 10 tonnes? I cant think of anything else with such a small tank - even an 18 tonne FL6 tipper with a day tank takes double that.

[McWigglebum4th]

Raize said:

Nickyboy said:

Squiggs said:

If only we could do the man maths .....
1 ton of fuel = ???? gallons?
250 tones of fuel per day = ????? miles?
30 knots = ???? mph?

1 ton of diesel is approx 270 gallons
250 x 270 = 69925 gallons a day
30 knots = 34mph


Approx 85 gallons per mile?

And weighs 100,000 tons, so achieving just over 1,000 miles per gallon per ton.

Very fuel efficient these container ships. Everyone should drive one.

Well it wasn't a silly big one so it could only carry 9000 Teu where as a lorry is 2 tue

You are looking at 4500 lorries


Though container ships are meant for speed not efficiency

modern ULCC

70tons a day
13knots
350,000 tons of cargo

[McWigglebum4th]

chilistrucker said:

Bloody hell, 12,000 tonnes of fuel
I saw one of those new container megaship things earlier in year, think it was CGM line, and has the capacity for approx 16,000 boxes, thats bonkers.
Have to admit though, being in the wagon at a docks parked very close to one of the big container ships really shows you just how huge they are.

Seen canary wharf?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_Canada_Square

imagine that lying on its side

Driving past you at 34mph

[GC8]

iva cosworth said:

donaircooleone said:

226bhp said:

Why do trucks use the brakes when going down clear motorway gradients? I'm guessing it's because the speed limiter is so harsh that you brake so you aren't riding on it, or does it actually put the brakes on for you?
Something I've always wondered, also, how exactly does the limiter work?

Using the engine (exhaust brake?) would activate the lights and act as a nice controlled braking method.

.
Not sure I get that answer but a truck will brake on a downhill to prevent exceeding the speed limit and getting a discrepancy on his tacho.

Also not sure using the retarder puts the brake lights on.

I am confident that even a Volvo FM12 exhaustobrake doesn't activate the brake lamps. As stated above, a laden vehicle will easily exceed the 60mph speed limit on a gradient, so it is common to use an effective (if you have one) retarder, or light applications of the brakes if not.

[iva cosworth]

GC8 said:

iva cosworth said:

I drive a rather smaller HGV than those ^^^ guys.

Can barely fit £100 of diesel in it....LOL

Is it a puddle jumper chassis plated to 10 tonnes? I cant think of anything else with such a small tank - even an 18 tonne FL6 tipper with a day tank takes double that.

I was exaggerating a little,I think it's a 100 litre tank,but rarely do I get more than 85 litres in as I don't like

playing fuel light roulette.

It is a 12 ton but is the same size as our 7.5s but with bigger hubs ,wider wheels n tyres.

[s p a c e m a n]

GC8 said:

iva cosworth said:

donaircooleone said:

226bhp said:

Why do trucks use the brakes when going down clear motorway gradients? I'm guessing it's because the speed limiter is so harsh that you brake so you aren't riding on it, or does it actually put the brakes on for you?
Something I've always wondered, also, how exactly does the limiter work?

Using the engine (exhaust brake?) would activate the lights and act as a nice controlled braking method.

.
Not sure I get that answer but a truck will brake on a downhill to prevent exceeding the speed limit and getting a discrepancy on his tacho.

Also not sure using the retarder puts the brake lights on.

I am confident that even a Volvo FM12 exhaustobrake doesn't activate the brake lamps. As stated above, a laden vehicle will easily exceed the 60mph speed limit on a gradient, so it is common to use an effective (if you have one) retarder, or light applications of the brakes if not.

Renault Premiums do when stage 2 kicks in. I used to use the exhaust brake to scrub some speed of if I stumbled across vosa/bib until I realised that it was activating the brake lights anyway

[GC8]

Every day is a schoolday. in my defence though: Renaults are quite separate from normal lorries...