Rather than completely going the way of the dinosaur, I see the trucking industry refocusing on short haul. The government has to re-invest in the rail infrastructure. It makes no sense for one guy pulling one trailer going cross country when you can just stack a crapload of trailers on a train. Truckers should be local, going from train depot to end point.
American Driving Declines By Steepest Amount In 100 Years
- Thread starter Bob Hubbard
- Start date
Nolerama
Master Black Belt
That's a really good point. I hope that the US rail infrastructure gets revamped in the coming years. I mean, for something as superficial as tourism goes, people WANT to take the train all over Europe. They shell out big bucks for that sort of thing. Why can't we gain that perception of our rail systems. Americans can do better.
North America is an incredible contonent. It should be viwed from the ground.
I travel a fair bit on business. Usually, I fly. One time I had to go to Calgary and Vancouver, same trip. Flew to Calgary, took the train to Vancouver. Worth the extra time. It's breathtaking. We need to seriously beef up our rail system. Set up a lot of fast trains. There are a lot of shuttle type flights that can be better served by a good train. Toronto-Montreal is a 1 hour flight. I have to get to the airport 1 hour before. Normal delays will add 1/2 hour. Waiting for luggage (I usually travel with tools) is another 1/2 hour. Getting from the airport to downtown, 45 minutes. That 1 hour flight now takes nearly 4 hours of my time. The regular train service takes about 5 hours. A bullet-train type corridor could feasibly cut this to less than 4. How manuy plane loads does it take to move the same number of people as a train?
Skip Cooper
Purple Belt
I don't think the trucker will be replaced. Goods are still shipped on rail, but usually the warehouses are not where the consumer can access it. The trucker is still needed to transport these goods from the warehouse to market. I see where the shorter haul scenario can come into play here. Distribution companies should to build more warehouses to store the goods. This will bring jobs to economically depressed areas of our country and also reduce the demand on the diesel fuel.
I come from a family of truckers. My grandfather hauled cars, two of my uncles are truckers (one drives with his wife as a team), and my brother spent several years behind the wheel. Me...I don't like my 20 minute commute to work, so I know I wouldn't have made the cut for such a career. What I would like to see for these men and women is better compensation for their services. They should be paid by the hour instead of by the mile, that way they won't have to risk their lives on long hauls and they can be at home with their families more often.
I come from a family of truckers. My grandfather hauled cars, two of my uncles are truckers (one drives with his wife as a team), and my brother spent several years behind the wheel. Me...I don't like my 20 minute commute to work, so I know I wouldn't have made the cut for such a career. What I would like to see for these men and women is better compensation for their services. They should be paid by the hour instead of by the mile, that way they won't have to risk their lives on long hauls and they can be at home with their families more often.
Archangel M
Senior Master
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Riding by train is crazy expensive and crazy long these days I looked at a train ride to the in-laws house once ( a 6hr drive) and it was way cheaper to fly and cheaper still to drive.
Economic circumstances change, Angel. There is a principle called "Economies of scale" which essentially means that anything there is more of, in the end, is cheaper per unit to make and provide consumables for.
That's the way things have been with regard to the car for some decades but peoples memories are short and they forget that it was not always so. Once the train dominated mass travel and materials transport. Before that, in Britain, it was the canals.
As prices rise for petrochemicals, those methods will come back. Just pray that those running things can lift their heads enough to see that we need to encourage alternatives before we end up back at the horse and cart.
That's the way things have been with regard to the car for some decades but peoples memories are short and they forget that it was not always so. Once the train dominated mass travel and materials transport. Before that, in Britain, it was the canals.
As prices rise for petrochemicals, those methods will come back. Just pray that those running things can lift their heads enough to see that we need to encourage alternatives before we end up back at the horse and cart.
It does depend on the trip. The Toronto-Montreal trip is aboout the same price. And roughlt the same time. But that time is uninterrupted. There is WiFi access all throughout the corridor. The food is a lot better. The seats are more comfortable.
The beer is cheaper and the bathrooms are bigger.
