YELLOW CORP. CALLS FOR 65 MPH CAP FOR TRUCKS

YELLOW CORP. CALLS FOR 65 MPH CAP FOR TRUCKS    Long-haul trucking company Yellow Corp. has launched a national marketing campaign to reduce speed of trucks on the highways.
   “The general perception among the public is that trucks drive too fast, and I happen to agree with that,” said William D. Zollars, chairman, president and chief executive officer for Yellow Corp., at a press conference in Washington Monday.
   “You don’t need to go fast to have a just-in-time (freight transportation and distribution) process,” he said. “You just need a well-engineered process.”
   Yellow has physically capped the speed of its trucks at 62 mph Besides improvements to driver safety, the speed cap reduces abuse to equipment and improves fuel efficiency, Zollars said.
   Truck speeds around the country range from 50 mph to 75 mph. Yellow executives believe the nationwide speed cap should be 65 mph. “We’re not trying to mandate a national 65 mph speed limit, but ask states with higher speed limits to take a close look at it,” Zollars said.
   Yellow outlined a four-point plan to deal with truck speed and safety
issues:
   * Build a consensus among industry and government leaders to push for 65 mph speed cap.
   * Increase enforcement on speed laws.
   * Improved background checks, including working with the U.S. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and state governments to end the practice of “masking” driver violations.
   * Increase outreach to general public about aggressive driving and compliance with seat belt laws.
   Yellow will also asked the American Trucking Associations and other operators to join in the truck safety program.
   In addition, the Overland Park, Kan.-based company will market its truck safety program via advertisements on billboards, radio and its own trailers. “There’s not much incremental cost here, just a different approach for the company,” Zollars said.