Profile For ravenswood_65

Oh, as for time-sensitive freight as perishables from California to New York with loads of fresh cherries and cheese?

There is the super fast jet-powered aviation industry with cargo planes that will get there in about 5 hours flat!

Remember inventors Orville and Wilbur Wright?

In a hurry to move it a LONG way? Call airline cargo and clipper service!

Ravenswood wrote:

My only DEMAND is a HUMAN lifestyle and perhaps the industry has not been yet tooled for that. I would hope that RAILROADS in America would basically obsolete OTR and even regional trucking altogether. Most freight on the concrete road would be the "last 50 miles" and regional trucking would be the norm and not the exception. Inter-modal , piggy-back and road-railers make the freight conversion from train to truck easy. Railroads, not OTR trucking, should move freight the longest distances over land.

First of all, your overall expectations and perceptions of this industry are way out in "left field"; unreasonable, anecdotal, and juvenile.

Your above paragraph exemplifies just how little you know about the current state of rail/trucking transportation. Especially the blanket statement on the "last 50 miles"; a pipe dream at best. The rail to road conversion isn't as easy as you think,...dwell times in yards and transfers from train to train are cause for constant delays. Time sensitive loads are often moved in blocks of high priority freight that get's green lighted most of the time. Even perishables under the correct circumstances can be effectively moved by rail utilizing satellite tracking and real-time temperature monitoring.

To your suggestion, the railroads are already moving a significant number of trailers and containers. Have you ever spent any time trackside watching what is running? On average 40% of the current railroad business is intermodal on trains in excess of 6000 feet. Moving a trailer by rail must be mutually beneficial; cost/time effective for the shipper and profitable for the railroad. There are corridors and freight types where it makes sense and others where it doesn't. At times the decision is influenced by external factors like fuel prices and traffic, thus can change on a daily basis. It takes a trailer or container move by rail from the left coast to the right coast far longer than a driver team can accomplish the same task. Short moves less than 500 miles for the railroads are rarely profitable unless there is a premium price attached to the move (like UPS or FedEx).

The balance between what is moved by rail and what isn't is complicated and the conditions influencing it can change very quickly. There will always be a need for ORT trucking even if the railroads doubled current capacity (which they will not do because of freight volatility).

My suggestion to you Ravenswood is to either get serious about a trucking career, or like others have suggested stop trolling this forum with your ridiculous demands and notions. We are not here to entertain you...so please "buck-up" or move on.

So, you have a college degree in industrial engineering?

I do know that a modern diesel freight train consumers only about 25% of the diesel fuel of an OTR truck comparing ton-mile of freight to ton mile of freight moved.

Large qualities of trucks on public highways are a safety menace to motor traffic and cause expensive damage to road asphalt which is footed by the American taxpayer.

I think freight should be transported in the most practical way possible.

One must consider:

1. public safety 2. environmental impact 3. costs to consumers and stakeholders 4. quality of life of those employed in transportation industries 5. potential for property damage: trucks are much more destructive than trains

You are married to your OTR truck as if she were your girlfriend and enjoy driving her to hell and gone until you die.

corrections: consumers should read consumes, qualities should read quantities

Ravenswood wrote:

My only DEMAND is a HUMAN lifestyle and perhaps the industry has not been yet tooled for that. I would hope that RAILROADS in America would basically obsolete OTR and even regional trucking altogether. Most freight on the concrete road would be the "last 50 miles" and regional trucking would be the norm and not the exception. Inter-modal , piggy-back and road-railers make the freight conversion from train to truck easy. Railroads, not OTR trucking, should move freight the longest distances over land.

First of all, your overall expectations and perceptions of this industry are way out in "left field"; unreasonable, anecdotal, and juvenile.

Your above paragraph exemplifies just how little you know about the current state of rail/trucking transportation. Especially the blanket statement on the "last 50 miles"; a pipe dream at best. The rail to road conversion isn't as easy as you think,...dwell times in yards and transfers from train to train are cause for constant delays. Time sensitive loads are often moved in blocks of high priority freight that get's green lighted most of the time. Even perishables under the correct circumstances can be effectively moved by rail utilizing satellite tracking and real-time temperature monitoring.

To your suggestion, the railroads are already moving a significant number of trailers and containers. Have you ever spent any time trackside watching what is running? On average 40% of the current railroad business is intermodal on trains in excess of 6000 feet. Moving a trailer by rail must be mutually beneficial; cost/time effective for the shipper and profitable for the railroad. There are corridors and freight types where it makes sense and others where it doesn't. At times the decision is influenced by external factors like fuel prices and traffic, thus can change on a daily basis. It takes a trailer or container move by rail from the left coast to the right coast far longer than a driver team can accomplish the same task. Short moves less than 500 miles for the railroads are rarely profitable unless there is a premium price attached to the move (like UPS or FedEx).

The balance between what is moved by rail and what isn't is complicated and the conditions influencing it can change very quickly. There will always be a need for ORT trucking even if the railroads doubled current capacity (which they will not do because of freight volatility).

My suggestion to you Ravenswood is to either get serious about a trucking career, or like others have suggested stop trolling this forum with your ridiculous demands and notions. We are not here to entertain you...so please "buck-up" or move on.

So, you have a college degree in industrial engineering?

I do know that a modern diesel freight train consumes only about 25% of the diesel fuel of an OTR truck comparing ton-mile of freight to ton mile of freight moved.

Large quantities of trucks on public highways are a safety menace to motor traffic and cause expensive damage to road asphalt which is footed by the American taxpayer.

I think freight should be transported in the most practical way possible.

One must consider:

1. public safety 2. environmental impact 3. costs to consumers and stakeholders 4. quality of life of those employed in transportation industries 5. potential for property damage: trucks are much more destructive than trains

You are married to your OTR truck as if she were your girlfriend and enjoy driving her to hell and gone until you die.

Correction: LOCAL trucking, not REGIONAL trucking, would be the norm if rail freight were maximized, as much current truck freight, ton-miles, diverted to rail as practically possible

Which would create a HUGE demand for LOCAL drivers to my own rejoice.

Correction: LOCAL trucking, not REGIONAL trucking, would be the norm if rail freight were maximized, as much current truck freight, ton-miles, diverted to rail as practically possible

Ravenswood....most of your posts are about what drivers want and whether we should be concerned about self driving trucks. Did you ever wonder WHY the companies want self driven trucks?

Maybe because some drivers have ridiculous demands. These trucks are our jobs...not our residence. Yes I live on my truck, but it is not mine. It is a company vehicle in which I have been given really good amenities to make my life easier. You seem to think it is a living space first, and a corporate asset last.

I keep wondering why you are some spending so much time constantly criticizing an industry which many of us love. Why are you here if you are so critical of trucking?

My only DEMAND is a HUMAN lifestyle and perhaps the industry has not been yet tooled for that. I would hope that RAILROADS in America would basically obsolete OTR and even regional trucking altogether. Most freight on the concrete road would be the "last 50 miles" and regional trucking would be the norm and not the exception. Inter-modal , piggy-back and road-railers make the freight conversion from train to truck easy. Railroads, not OTR trucking, should move freight the longest distances over land.

Railroads can easily be made to run autonomously because the train vehicles are rail-guided and switches can be machine-operated remotely.

I have a tremendous idea.....all companies should just use daycabs but provide rooms at the nearest Hilton every day for drivers to take our 10hr breaks. We should also be provided dining at a 5 star restaurant at least twice a day. For 34hr resets we should be provided accommodations to a luxury all-inclusive resort, if not near one, airfare should also be provided, 1st class of course.

Get a grip Ravenswood. You start a company and provide your drivers with such trucks. Best of luck with that.

So, companies have to balance between costs and somehow making trucking ATTRACTIVE enough to LURE new drivers. Apparently, there are enough "tough nuts" who demand little in terms of creature comforts in this trade to fill needed driver positions. Companies have not YET become DESPERATE enough to be compelled to give drivers first class Hilton treatment over the road, I gather. Or, trucking UNIONS have not done collective bargaining hard enough maybe.

Why don't companies have dorms at all their nationwide terminals for drivers to camp out at while off the clock? The dorms could be like a small studio apartment complete with bed, kitchen, toilet, sink and shower.

If companies need drivers so badly, one might think the LARGEST on-board living spaces, cab/sleeper configurations, in terms of SHEER volume, available on the market would be offered to drivers. I know there are much larger sleeper units available than what is seen on many fleet tractors.

I have browsed the Kenworth website before and know what the market offers.

Now, here is more of an OTR CAMPER than a "sleeper berth".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJOFVJgtPDI

Does your company offer on-board living this spacious?

I have tried several dog ramps. I would recommend the one from petsmart. It's a little on the expensive side ~$120 if i remember, but the quality is excellent.

Don't these ramps take up precious space inside the trucks since there seems to be precious little personal space?

I have now realized that company trucks don't have the most generous amount of living space for vehicles in the world. Perhaps, truck manufacturers haven't yet caught up with the fact that canine companionship is common and designed their trucks accordingly.

Remember, a police working dog has to work in adverse weather conditions too.

A trucker probably needs a serious top-of-the-line law-enforcement-quality dog.

Totally depends on the dog and owner. Small enough lift them in. Big and young enough get in themselves. Some have custom ramps made.

I was hoping to hear from a driver who has a dog. Preferably a German Shepherd. My requirements would be a professionally-trained security dog that is highly agile, at least as agile as any good police dog. I would prefer a dog that can clamber in and out of any rig using only the standard steps with nothing custom made. Lifting a dog as heavy as the typical Shepherd in and out is not only embarrassing but hard on the human spine.