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Old 09-13-2010, 02:40 PM
 
782 posts, read 3,782,272 times
Reputation: 399

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Quote:
Originally Posted by HappyTexan View Post
Trucking is in trouble. They cut back big time and are now having problems delivering on time. Backlogs are starting to happen as there are not enough drivers.
Where are you guys getting your info from. If there's a shortage of driver is the employers fault. There are many drivers out their with Class A license. The problem is nobody wants to drive a truck for minimal wage. Pay OTR drivers .50 a mile, you will have drivers lining up. I have a couple of buddies whom park their truck, because of very little freight.
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Old 09-14-2010, 09:35 PM
 
Location: montana
247 posts, read 574,051 times
Reputation: 281
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dumbdowndemocrats View Post
I would disagree with taking too long on trains everything now is based on time needs to end warehousing,trailer trains from the east coast to Chicago will be better served when they finish the Heartland corridor for double stacks...i believe it takes 48 hours now.They have high tech equipment [AEI] to keep track of their trains and loads at all times and our more customer focused today.Yes at some point trucks will haul these loads but look at how many trucks that will been taken off our highways saving tax payer money on repairs? Railroads maintain their own right of way [ROW]...
A good friend of mine in livingston montana is a train engine operator... And I know another in columbus montana... I am told by them that once the train is loaded it dont take to long to get from point A to point B, even though A train only travels at just over 50 mph max..."Freight Trains" that is, however... the train dont move untill it has a load to move... with all the cars that a train pulls it takes a very long time to get a load for it!!! Time sensitive freight is never loaded on a train!! Food does not get hauled on a train... and the only thing that is not on a truck before it gets on a train, or on a truck when it gets off from a train Is Coal, and some grain... and a big majority of the cars on a train when its passing through are empty.. The mine I work in bought a huge amount of old used 90pound rail to use in our underground mine, they bought it in Kansas City..And entertained the idea of having a train bring it to Laurel Montana... with the trucks to get it to the rail Yard, and the time to get it on the train etc then have to have it trucked up to montana from denver... would take forever, and the rail dont run from Kansas City to Montana!! so could only haul it to denver then have to truck it up here...

Last edited by virgil tatro; 09-14-2010 at 09:45 PM..
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Old 09-14-2010, 10:34 PM
 
5,756 posts, read 3,983,124 times
Reputation: 2308
Quote:
Originally Posted by virgil tatro View Post
A good friend of mine in livingston montana is a train engine operator... And I know another in columbus montana... I am told by them that once the train is loaded it dont take to long to get from point A to point B, even though A train only travels at just over 50 mph max..."Freight Trains" that is, however... the train dont move untill it has a load to move... with all the cars that a train pulls it takes a very long time to get a load for it!!! Time sensitive freight is never loaded on a train!! Food does not get hauled on a train... and the only thing that is not on a truck before it gets on a train, or on a truck when it gets off from a train Is Coal, and some grain... and a big majority of the cars on a train when its passing through are empty.. The mine I work in bought a huge amount of old used 90pound rail to use in our underground mine, they bought it in Kansas City..And entertained the idea of having a train bring it to Laurel Montana... with the trucks to get it to the rail Yard, and the time to get it on the train etc then have to have it trucked up to montana from denver... would take forever, and the rail dont run from Kansas City to Montana!! so could only haul it to denver then have to truck it up here...
The Norfolk Southern Railroad hauls more than coal,coke and grain they also handle time sensitive items on their pig trains [trailers on flatcars]UPS & other trucking companies also container trains that have all the high tech t.v.s and other consumer goods,automobiles and parts [Ford is their biggest customer],chemicals,lumber,steel,petro-chemicals,radio active materials,refrigerated cars haul food products and things to big for trucks like power transformers for sub stations.As far as waiting a day for more cars to make a 120 car train to say Columbus Ohio they now go ahead and run a 60 car train to be more customer focused even if it isn't as profitable for them to do that. Empty trains are non-revenue but go back to get more goods and a trucker comes under Hours of Serivce Laws as do railroaders except they re-crew trains in short order where a trucker has to park his rig. NS Railroad is not some regional line it is high tech, innovative and very profitable i suggest you look them up on the net. tried loading link but it wont work? Go to Norfolk Southern HOME page and watch the Heartland Corridor video.

Last edited by Dumbdowndemocrats; 09-14-2010 at 11:00 PM..
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Old 09-14-2010, 11:19 PM
 
Location: Tyler, TX
23,612 posts, read 23,913,776 times
Reputation: 14925
Quote:
Originally Posted by virgil tatro View Post
Im wondering what the general public knows about the trucking industry? and what some of you think of truckers and what they do for our country... and how much people know about what they go through everyday to make a living for them selves and there families... without truckers america stops even the military, truckers keep them going also...
Well, since my business is in the trucking industry, I'd say that this member of the general public knows quite well what truckers do for us all.
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Old 09-15-2010, 10:02 AM
 
Location: montana
247 posts, read 574,051 times
Reputation: 281
Quote:
Originally Posted by swagger View Post
Well, since my business is in the trucking industry, I'd say that this member of the general public knows quite well what truckers do for us all.
Thank you...
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Old 12-31-2010, 08:03 AM
 
Location: Charles County, MD.
9 posts, read 16,667 times
Reputation: 32
Quote:
Originally Posted by Neuling View Post
Trains would be way better to transport large amounts of goods, simply more economical over long distances.
But it is a nice job for people who don't like the presence of other people like in an office.
Here's a prime example of one who has no clue as to how transportation works in this and other countries.
Most foods are perishable and need to be delivered within 24-48 hours. Trains cannot accomplish this task as #1 - a truck has to transport it from the place of origin to the rail yard.
#2 - Trains cannot depart the rail yard until they load anywhere from 20 - 40 plus rail boxes, which can take anywhere from 3 days to well over a week.
#3 - With multiple stops, a train can take well over a week to make a cross country trip where a tractor trailer can make the same trip in 3 1/2 days with a team driver or 4 1/2 with a solo driver.
#4 - When the train reaches it's final destination, the rail car has to be unloaded and reloaded onto a....Truck! This truck will make delivery of product to the customer, who was hoping to get said product within a few days of his order but ended up waiting for almost 2 full weeks for a product who's shelf life expired a week ago.
A lot of product is ordered at the last minute and demands delivery the next day. Trains cannot accomplish this task.
Trains are good for shipments that are to be put in inventory or not needed until weeks ahead of time. Remember, a truck is needed to get the product to and from the train. Without trucks, America stops.
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Old 12-31-2010, 08:13 AM
 
Location: The Republic of Texas
78,866 posts, read 46,420,298 times
Reputation: 18520
Quote:
Originally Posted by Neuling View Post
Trains would be way better to transport large amounts of goods, simply more economical over long distances.
But it is a nice job for people who don't like the presence of other people like in an office.

Ya, every business & home had a train doc. All roads would be train tracks and it would be fully automated.


Trains are great to get it to big hubs. Once there are you going to go get your stuff the minute it arrives? You going to put it in your car?
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Old 12-31-2010, 09:08 AM
 
Location: Indianapolis, IN
10 posts, read 87,463 times
Reputation: 30
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr. Whips View Post
Where are you guys getting your info from. If there's a shortage of driver is the employers fault. There are many drivers out their with Class A license. The problem is nobody wants to drive a truck for minimal wage. Pay OTR drivers .50 a mile, you will have drivers lining up. I have a couple of buddies whom park their truck, because of very little freight.
This is what I'm wondering.. I would like to try a hand at trucking, but everything points to the equivalent of $8 hour and even LESS than minimum wage. And the trucking recruiters lie and bend the truth more than my Marine recruiter

I guess the 'equivalent' of $10/$12 hour was too much to ask for.
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Old 12-31-2010, 09:14 AM
 
57,022 posts, read 35,059,249 times
Reputation: 18824
Quote:
Originally Posted by Aarmin View Post
This is what I'm wondering.. I would like to try a hand at trucking, but everything points to the equivalent of $8 hour and even LESS than minimum wage. And the trucking recruiters lie and bend the truth more than my Marine recruiter

I guess the 'equivalent' of $10/$12 hour was too much to ask for.
Trucking does pay quite poorly. And drivers are treated like dirt by everybody...shippers, recievers, dispatchers, brokers, and the trucking companies. Not to mention law enforcement, D.O.T. Officers, and truckstops.

The freight rates are in the toilet for general freight haulers, which is a big reason why pay is so low. You've really gotta love the game to stay in it as a career. I know lots of guys who love the job because of the autonomy, but they'll all admit that the stress shaves years off of your life.
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Old 12-31-2010, 04:32 PM
 
Location: The Republic of Texas
78,866 posts, read 46,420,298 times
Reputation: 18520
Quote:
Originally Posted by desertdetroiter View Post
Trucking does pay quite poorly. And drivers are treated like dirt by everybody...shippers, recievers, dispatchers, brokers, and the trucking companies. Not to mention law enforcement, D.O.T. Officers, and truckstops.

The freight rates are in the toilet for general freight haulers, which is a big reason why pay is so low. You've really gotta love the game to stay in it as a career. I know lots of guys who love the job because of the autonomy, but they'll all admit that the stress shaves years off of your life.


Like the old days before trucks. The mules were taken way better care of than the work labor.

They can replace the worker/driver, but the mule/truck will cost money to replace.
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