I-68 Going to 70 MPH in Maryland Beginning 10/1

Started by MASTERNC, September 30, 2015, 04:12:54 PM

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cpzilliacus

Quote from: SteveG1988 on October 06, 2015, 11:35:47 AM
As a truck driver i can tell you what they are there for.


They want to catch a semi doing just over the speed limit, coming down a hill, because that is a BIG ticket.

They will look for smoking brakes, since they know they can get a DOT inspection on that truck and fail it, which is another big ticket.

The 13 mile eastbound downhill stretch going into cumberland is a STRICT 45mph for trucks, 55mph for cars. Try keeping a truck with a gross weight of 78,000 lbs doing 45mph, and not overusing your jake brake due to the fact that a lot of places have laws against use of them. I had a hub seal blow out due to coming down that hill without using the jake brake enough. If a cop was at the bottom, he would have seen the smoke from the oil hitting the brake and caught me.

In short, Maryland cops are always out to get tickets on roads they view are easy pickins, people don't judge their speed, trucks have trouble keeping the lower speeds they set due to their weight and the noise laws.

Maryland does more commercial vehicle enforcement work than some other states in the East, but I am not sure if they are really out to "get" trucks, or to "get" those that are unsafe (I think it's the unsafe ones).

They do have the weigh/inspection station on the eastbound side of I-68 at the top of the descent, near the Garrett County/Allegany County border, probably for good reason.
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Bitmapped

Quote from: cpzilliacus on October 07, 2015, 12:55:03 PM
Quote from: SteveG1988 on October 06, 2015, 11:35:47 AM
As a truck driver i can tell you what they are there for.


They want to catch a semi doing just over the speed limit, coming down a hill, because that is a BIG ticket.

They will look for smoking brakes, since they know they can get a DOT inspection on that truck and fail it, which is another big ticket.

The 13 mile eastbound downhill stretch going into cumberland is a STRICT 45mph for trucks, 55mph for cars. Try keeping a truck with a gross weight of 78,000 lbs doing 45mph, and not overusing your jake brake due to the fact that a lot of places have laws against use of them. I had a hub seal blow out due to coming down that hill without using the jake brake enough. If a cop was at the bottom, he would have seen the smoke from the oil hitting the brake and caught me.

In short, Maryland cops are always out to get tickets on roads they view are easy pickins, people don't judge their speed, trucks have trouble keeping the lower speeds they set due to their weight and the noise laws.

Maryland does more commercial vehicle enforcement work than some other states in the East, but I am not sure if they are really out to "get" trucks, or to "get" those that are unsafe (I think it's the unsafe ones).

They do have the weigh/inspection station on the eastbound side of I-68 at the top of the descent, near the Garrett County/Allegany County border, probably for good reason.
I see Maryland State Police out a lot on I-68, but it's always with cars pulled over. Not trucks.

hbelkins

While we're on the subject of I-68, I noticed on my last trip across it last month that the signage for Negro Mountain has been removed. I know there was some discussion about renaming the mountain a couple of years ago.

How long before the signage for Polish Mountain gets the same treatment?


Government would be tolerable if not for politicians and bureaucrats.

mattpedersen


I drove I-68 from Hancock to US 219 South at Keysers Ridge last night. It is posted, at least westbound from I-70 to US 220 north, without a pre announced, drop to 65, with the previous drops at Hillcrest Drive and old 220 still in place.Past Cumberland the limit jumps just past the ramps from Alt 40 at La Vale, once you start the grade towards Frostburg. I only saw one traffic stop and that was just past the long decent down Martins Mountain, about 1 mile west of the exit for Rocky Gap, which is a common place to see traffic stops. Drivers tended to be unaffected by the change, out of state drivers were pushing it harder than people with Maryland plates, but I don't think any one I saw pushed it just past about 6-7 over. The 70 overlays are annoying at night. Sometimes they are brighter than the old sign, other times they are unreadable.

As far as I-70, nothing is different, as of yet.

mattpedersen

Quote from: hbelkins on October 07, 2015, 09:52:48 PM
While we're on the subject of I-68, I noticed on my last trip across it last month that the signage for Negro Mountain has been removed. I know there was some discussion about renaming the mountain a couple of years ago.

How long before the signage for Polish Mountain gets the same treatment?

The westbound sign was there last night.

hbelkins

Quote from: mattpedersen on October 08, 2015, 07:26:38 AM
Quote from: hbelkins on October 07, 2015, 09:52:48 PM
While we're on the subject of I-68, I noticed on my last trip across it last month that the signage for Negro Mountain has been removed. I know there was some discussion about renaming the mountain a couple of years ago.

How long before the signage for Polish Mountain gets the same treatment?

The westbound sign was there last night.

For Negro Mountain? Westbound was the direction I was traveling, and I was looking for it, and didn't see it.


Government would be tolerable if not for politicians and bureaucrats.

roadman65

I am polish and I have no quarrel about that mountain being called that.  However, there a are some out there who might not feel as I  (and many other polish people ) do.

Look at the Redskins, where it was all political as even many Indians were not at all offended, even some on this forum.
Every day is a winding road, you just got to get used to it.

Sheryl Crowe

mattpedersen

Quote from: hbelkins on October 08, 2015, 02:45:54 PM
Quote from: mattpedersen on October 08, 2015, 07:26:38 AM
Quote from: hbelkins on October 07, 2015, 09:52:48 PM
While we're on the subject of I-68, I noticed on my last trip across it last month that the signage for Negro Mountain has been removed. I know there was some discussion about renaming the mountain a couple of years ago.

How long before the signage for Polish Mountain gets the same treatment?

The westbound sign was there last night.

For Negro Mountain? Westbound was the direction I was traveling, and I was looking for it, and didn't see it.
Today I traveled eastbound and westbound over Negro Mountain on I-68, and both signs were present.

dave19

The westbound sign looks like a new one, slightly smaller with a smaller sized font.

SteveG1988

Quote from: dave19 on October 12, 2015, 10:29:09 PM
The westbound sign looks like a new one, slightly smaller with a smaller sized font.

Sounds.....


hep cat rigged.
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TravelingBethelite

On my recent trip to Missouri, I went on 68 westbound (at night) and noticed only one sign was there. This was a little more than a week ago as of the time of this post.
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Bitmapped

I've driven I-68 in both directions in the past week (eastbound Monday, westbound yesterday). Signs for Negro Mountain were present in both directions.



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