Autoblog

The trucking industry spend $113 billion on diesel fuel last year, and the way prices are going up, the industry will shell out $135 billion this year. To help restrain that kind of runaway profit-loss, the American Trucking Associations has released a list of ideas on how the federal government can lower fuel prices.

In addition to asking the government to release oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, open up currently prohibited areas for drilling, and fund the EPA's SmartWay program, the ATA wants two intriguing things: speed limiters set at 68 mph on all new trucks, and a national speed limit of 65 mph.

While many states limit trucks and autos with trailers to 55 mph in any conditions, there are states that allow truckers to drive faster, and we find it interesting that the trucking industry wants the federal government to police its drivers with a 68-mph limit in order to save fuel. As for the 65-mph national limit -- the press release doesn't make a distinction, so it looks like the industry is proposing that measure for all vehicles on the roads. If that's the case, not only do we not know how that would bring fuel prices down at all, we don't know why they think slowing cars down in the states that have 65+ speed limits would help the price of diesel fuel. Thanks for the tip, Dan!

[Source: Truckline]

Growing up in the Midwest with sprint cars and other forms of dirt track racing, I have to admit that the current variety of drift racing hasn't really done much for me. (As opposed to car chases and The Fast and the Furious, which is illegal in real life and I would never recommend it, but I can't get enough of films with cars racing through the streets.) However, I have always had a thing for heavy machinery, and when you combine the two -- drifting and trucks -- well, all of a sudden it's tres cool. On the same note, somehow, using heavy machinery like a loader to do stunts normally associated with cars and bikes, like wheelies, is the perfect kind of absurdity for a Saturday afternoon. It's like elephants balancing on beach balls. Irresistible. Follow the jump to see 'em both. Now if we could just get some of those gigantic mining dump trucks in a three-up drift race in a quarry track...

[Source: Streetfire]