Extensive thoughts on speed governors in trucks. This kind of thing would drive me nuts if I were a truck driver.
4 thoughts on “Unintended Consequences”
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Extensive thoughts on speed governors in trucks. This kind of thing would drive me nuts if I were a truck driver.
Comments are closed.
That tech already exists in my Toyota Rav 4. Has been in Toyotas for awhile now I’ve been told. I’ve been meaning to reduce the controlled gap from three car lengths to one (or off if I can) but haven’t yet consulted the owner’s manual to figure out how to do that. Eventually if you leave it on cruise, rather than coming up cleanly to a slower vehicle (clearly telling the driver you need to slow or pass) instead it gradually, almost imperceptibly, slows to match speed and distance to the vehicle in front. As set up it isn’t cruise, it’s match speed to slowest vehicle on road.
It’s my one big beef about Toyotas. Yeah super reliable as long as you let IT* drive the car.
*Pun intended!
Yes, we rented a VW Tiguan that did that recently. It took me a while to figure out what it was doing on cruise.
I find the radar cruise control (with lane-centering) on my new corolla hatch generally useful, especially on long drives, but also in stop and go traffic.
However, it is yet another example of the netherworld we currently exist in with sophisticated technologies where they are “smart” enough to create very high expectations, but simultaneously so astoundingly stupid they can make a four year look like an Einstein. (Siri also comes to mind).
Although the functionality is useful the limitations mean that it needs a fairly high level of attention still (as a driver should anyway) in order to avoid difficulties. For instance it preferentially focuses on vehicles directly ahead and to the right which can create problems when the car in front of you pulls onto an off-ramp.
Another drawback is it clearly gets confused when road-markings have been replaced in a new alignment.
But by far my greatest complaint with all of these systems, be they Ford, Mazda, Toyota, Chevy, etc., is that they freak out and go and hide in a corner when there is really heavy rain. This is the exact time lane-keeping assistance and the like is most needed, but Corolla brain needs to have a little lie-down instead.
At the same time, I really do wish more people would actually use their cruise control on the highway as opposed to randomly speeding up, slowing down, etc. for absolutely no reason.
One thing going on in the article that most people wouldn’t pick up on is that 65MPH governors are usually part of the “encouragement” to get drivers to buy there own truck and lease on instead of driving a company truck. The $2,500 a month payment makes them a lot more willing to put up with the sort of crap that keep all those XYZ is hiring drivers signs on trailers. If you buy your own truck, you can spec it for 90 if you want.
It would make me nervous to try to drive under those conditions, especially on snow. Way to much at the mercy of every idiot on the road. In Texas, 65MPH puts you 15-20 MPH below the actual traffic speed on the interstates and most limited access highways and even worse on the toll roads.