appropriate expressway speed?

The question of the OP was:

What is an appropriate speed to drive on the expressway while towing?

which is not that hard to answer. As long as you are above the minimum and below the maximum speed for that road in that state, and you feel comfortable with your rig, it is 'appropriate'. After these many pages, it may be time to bring this one to a close and move on. :)

I have two rules in my truck and they are the same when I am towing or not.
#1 - the truck NEVER goes over 65-70mph. I don't care what the speed limit is. It is my dollar paying for the fuel.
#2 - If traffic moving slower than my 65-70 limit I flow with traffic leaving enough forward cushion for geniuses that dive into my lane. As a general rule I leave enough space for a rig of my size to fit between me and the vehicle in front of me.

I basically disregard all speed limits and travel in what I feel is my safe zone.

Its4mykids wrote:

5thwheeleroldman wrote:
I try to go just a little slower than the normal 18 wheeler. That way, I don't have to worry about passing so many people; rather let them pass me.

Ditto. Makes the drive much less stressful.

A little slower than the 18 wheelers will make for some trucks tailgating or having to slowly pass you.

Passing too many other vehicles or having too many pass you is worse than just sailing along at an average traffic speed.

60 MPH.

5thwheeleroldman wrote:
I try to go just a little slower than the normal 18 wheeler. That way, I don't have to worry about passing so many people; rather let them pass me.

Ditto. Makes the drive much less stressful.

emonkemeier wrote:
Turtle and Peeps your a wild man and my hero.

LOL!!! X2

I run with traffic whether it be 65 or 80. I don't like to do a bunch of lane changes I just like to make ground up. I fish to calm my nerves and I camp to fish. I don't camp to see the scenery. If I wanted to see the scenery I would take the scenic route.

As far as stopping, I don't stop until I need fuel. I go to the bathroom then.

Nothing you say will change people's minds about towing speeds. Experience will be the only teacher. After logging well over a million miles and counting in a big truck (18 yrs) I can say that, personally, I make better time and arrive more relaxed driving around 60-65mph. Ran coast to coast with the "Billy Big Riggers" and their "triple digit trucks" and we would get there about the same time, actually beat a few to the customer. Tortoise and the Hair. They'd pass me several times over the course of a day. They would race truck stop to truck stop and always be yelling on the radio for bear report. Ran 156,000 paid miles in my best year and I took a couple of weeks off. When I was running hard I'd run 3,800 miles one week and 4,200 the next. Most I could log under HOS at the time.

Key to making good time: 1- keep the door shut so you keep rolling. A 5 minute stop is never 5 minutes. By the time you get off the highway, fuel, get a cup of coffee, whatever and back up to highway speed you're at 1/2 an hour or more. While trip planning I always figured a 50 mph average (45 mph on US roads) and 30 min rest breaks. Accidents, hills, jerks, it all adds up. 2- stress/fatigue is generated by trying to buck the system and move faster than the natural flow. 3- Know your limits. If people would acknowledge their limits we would not have so many stupid laws (HOS rules for an example). Every time I got in a hurry is when I made a mistake.

Safety bulletins state "lane changes" are the #1 cause of an accident while towing. Faster you go, the more lane changes you will have to make. Many accidents are caused by people trying to do too much in too little time and not paying attention to the road.

Many a time I've been passed, mentally thinking "I'll see you later", too find them later down the road with a blown tire (overloaded vehicle), flipped up side down, slide off into the median or receiving a driving award (ticket) from the nice officer.

Be safe....

atreis wrote:
We sometimes travel 600 miles in a day, and sometimes for a couple days back-to-back. That's about our limit though.

That's 12 hours at 60mph, with a couple longer stops to give the dogs and kids a chance to run and stretch. (We could go further without having to stop for them.)

We keep it at 60 because that's what Toyota recommends, and it's only 5 mph below the rated speed of the tires on the trailer. It doesn't prevent us from traveling far in a day.

Lat time I checked, Toyota manuals suggested maximum 45 mph when towing. That was in both my 2009, and 2010 Tacoma manual. Really goofy.

Turtle and Peeps your a wild man and my hero.

67 seems to be the speed my TV runs at best. Have done 72 from Denver East on the downhills.