Why Are Fleet OTR Trucks Often Cramped For Living Space?

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.

The only thing I have to add now is that 1) the railroads are going to continue to require human intervention; and 2) if you think truckers have it rough, you need to go talk to a rookie railroader.

You're a funny guy, ravenswood. Is 65 your birth year? If so, you're only three years younger than me. I'm surprised you're such a tenderfoot at your age. You need to get out more.

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.

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

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:

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

I agree with that statement. However if you reread what I wrote it's not always practical or plausible or economical.

I'm am not married to my truck...if you spent any time reading my replies, and less time undermining the legitimacy of trucking, you'd know that.

Not interested in arguing with you or reading your snarky replies. Take what I wrote for what's it's worth, or leave it. I don't care...

Ravenswood wrote:

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!

Shipping perishables in that manner is cost prohibitive and not scalable to handle commodity level, bulk quantities.

Look...not sure if you get it. This forum will not tolerate your know-it-all attitude indefinitely.

Look...not sure if you get it. This forum will not tolerate your know-it-all attitude indefinitely.

Yeah, I think we've had about enough. We'll be approving his comments manually from now on.......or not. Depends.

The sticker shock is pretty surprising when you start looking at how much this stuff actually costs. Walk around a chrome shop at a big truck shop sometime. I mean just a pipe or a tail light assembly will be several hundred dollars. You might see some owner ops doing it out of pride but it doesn't make sense money wise.

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!

Just to let you know that you don't have a clue about the real world and cost, I recently took 2 pallets to the airport in IA going to PA and loaded them on a small twin prop plane, which is way more economical than your jet powered cargo plane. Cost to ship this time sensitive freight $36000 that's straight from the mouth of the salesman in charge of the customer that the freight was being air freighted to.