Freight Haulers Push to Supersize

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Nice article in today's paper about how the carriers are bulking up the size of trucks and lengths of trains to save on fuel costs. I read an article, I think it was at a Google group, on how the marine carriers were running their ships at exceptionally low speeds for the same reason.

Freight Haulers Push to Supersize

LAW
AUGUST 15, 2010
Supersizing Hits Freight World

BY JENNIFER LEVITZ
When Kraft Foods Inc. packs trucks with weighty items such as jars of Miracle Whip and pouches of Capri Sun juice, 40% of the rigs must leave the loading dock partly empty to avoid exceeding federal truck weight limits. Kraft says those rules force it and others to make extra trips and spend more on fuel.
....

[Ezlivin]

1. You know what could come in handy?

A really good national rail system.

This sort of freight hauling will mean extreme road wear and our infrastructure is already in decline.

[eleny]

2. I'd rather they outlaw the mayo and Capri juices

Mayo is probably killing me so it's for my own good. :D

[TygrBright]

3. Weight limits keep road upkeep tax burdens low.

Granted, truckers pay the bulk of those taxes already. But that's TRUCKERS paying-- and many of them are small business people or independent owner-operators who can barely scrape by as it is, even trying to pass as much of the burden up to the Krafts and the other shippers as they can. But if they pass too much up, they can't compete and so they eat the difference, tighten their belts, stay on the road longer, and live shittier lives.

This is yet another attempt by big corporate shippers to shove cost burdens downward. Weight limits go up, and truckers take on bigger, heavier loads. That makes for fewer trips, which cuts their margins. Then the road start to deteriorate even faster than they do already, adding to the OTR taxes paid by truckers, which will cut their margins again.

Kraft and other corporate shippers can blink innocently and say "It's all in the name of efficiency and cutting costs so we can pass the lower cost of our sugar-water juice boxes on to the consumers!"

Feh.

Shitheads.

AND I have no doubt whatsoever they'll pressure truckers to go along with this and support higher weight limits even though it's contrary to their best interests, because, after all, it's "less interference by the eeeeeeebil gummint in the Sacred Rites of the Holy Free Market."

Double feh.

disgustedly,
Bright

[mike r]

4. And Union Pacific tried to roll out their 3.4-mile train in California

and pissed off the public by blocking rail crossings, especially when emergency vehicles needed to cross tracks...

[elleng]

5. This a recent story?

RR Xings ALWAYS a public safety issue.