[PLUG-TALK] Re: [PLUG] OT License plates and covers.

[Russ Johnson]

* Michael C. Robinson <michael at goose.robinson-west.com> [2003-12-12 15:47]:
> On Fri, 2003-12-12 at 13:26, Russ Johnson wrote:
> > Which was actually my point. The rails are run on a schedule, so if it
> > doesn't go from point A to point B at the same time, everytime, it costs
> > more. The rails rely on repeatability. Unfortunatley, this also works
> > against them. 
> 
> Truck trains, triple trailers, don't have this problem?

No, because most trucking companies have terminals in most major cities,
and the truck can be split and re-combined a lot faster than a single
car can be switched out of a train. 

> How many 
> trucks are driven 3000 miles on a single trip?

Quite a few, actually. My cousin drives truck for one of the major
carriers, and he can have a run from Portland to Eugene, or Portland to
New York. More often than not, he goes long haul, cross country, with a
single load.

> Better yet, 
> why not load the whole truck onto a train with the driver?

Why send the driver? He has to be paid, and they won't want to pay him
to sit on a train. Most truck drivers are paid by the mile. Are you
going to pay them milage where they sit and do nothing, or not pay them,
and have them go broke?

> I've
> seen truck trailers loaded onto trains without the wheels and 
> even with them still attached, this generally takes heavy 
> equipment though.

The cargo containers that can go on truck, train and ship (inter-modal)
are the best option here. Unfortunately, most cargo containers are
shorter than many trailers, and two of them are longer than a standard
box car. 

Most major terminals (Port of Portland included) have the equipment to
transfer cargo containers among the different modes, and do so every
day. 

Unfortunately, our cargo systems are not designed for efficiency. We
have labor unions and oil companies that virtually guarentee that most
of our freight will continue to move through our highway system. 

> Most rail systems are heavily computerized so that modifying 
> routes if you know enough ahead of time what the scheduling 
> looks like should be possible.

"Should" being the operative word here. 

> Trains are much cleaner 
> transports than trucks capable of hauling an amount of 
> tonnage that puts the trucking industry, as well as the 
> cost of road repairs and accidents caused directly by 
> big rig traffic, to shame.

Exactly my point. Thanks for making it for me.

> What does it cost to allow so many trucks on the road compared
> to what it would cost to only allow light trucks and move the
> heavy hauling over distances of 300 miles or more to trains?
> I've heard that there is a handling issue, even UPS moves 
> freight from one truck to another.

The oil companies have a huge stake in this (tires and asphalt just to
name two) and spend a ton of money lobbying to keep things the way they
are. 

At the same time, the teamsters lobby to keep the truckers working. 

> Jeme made the comment cars are lethal weapons, I'm more concerned
> about the overuse of SUV's and the fact that the fuels these
> vehicles got through DEQ with aren't available at the pump.

My "SUV" got 20 mpg today from Redding to Coos Bay. Not bad for a 10
year old rig with 211,000 miles. And YES, it passed DEQ this month,
needing a tune up and oil change at the time. 

> The
> underutilized rail system if it were brought up could be used for
> distribution of the alcohol based fuels most SUV's these days can
> operate on.  This has the benefit of avoiding costly and dangerous
> pipelines.

Many other folks, along with the oil companies, are lobbying against
that. Just as Hearst lobbied against hemp, the Oil companies lobby
against alcohol fuel. No to mention that there are real issues that can
be caused by running an engine designed for gasoline on pure alcohol.
Many of the rubber seals used break down when sujected to alcohol.
Alcohol can get through a smaller space than gas, so it contaminates
your oil faster, and it isn't traped by a filter. Most alcohol burning
engines add a water trap to the oil system. This is another maintenance
item that many folks won't be familiar with. Neglecting this one can
cause the engine to stop functioning with catastrophic results. 

So, you are looking at a complete refit of the vehicle with alcohol
compatible seals, from the fuel tank to the engine. In addition, you'll
need to fit a water trap on both the fuel and oil system. 

After those changes, then you can expect a similar life span from your
engine. 

-- 
Russ Johnson
Dimension 7/Stargate Online
http://www.dimstar.net

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