"RCE" wrote in message
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"Ignatius Thistlewhite" wrote in message
.9...
You wrote:

I started thinking about this, given that they average about 6 or 7
mpg. I don't know, but I suspect the amount of fuel used per day in
one of these rigs would probably fuel a family car for a month or
more.

We need a more efficient system for transporting goods, like railroads

The transportation system already uses railroads to transport goods.
Just
because you do not see them doesn't mean they aren't there. In fact
many
rail cars are designed to precisely fit the cargo holds of 18wheelers.
The train travels from the port to a distribution center and the truck
goes from distribution to the final destination.

The truck is a more recent invention than the train - I'm not sure how
regressing from a 20th century technology to a 19th century one could
be
called more efficient.

What is more efficient in terms of fuel usage; driving a loaded 18
wheeler
across country or putting the trailer on a railroad train along with 100
others and transporting them across country? I don't know and am
curious.

My guess is the railroad is far more efficient, fuel-wise. If it is, we
should be doing more of it. But then, we'll have a problem with
employment
in the trucking industry.

RCE

And when it is effiecient, rail is used. Rail is effiecient for high
volume bulk goods.....coal, lumber, cars, etc.
It is not effiecient for odd lot items, and produce that needs quick
shipment to market.

Lots of goods are shipped as odd lots, from truck terminal to truck
terminal. I bought a commercial grade stove a couple of years ago,
shipped by truck. The truck was filled with a wide assortment of
goods......furiture, car parts, etc. which would not make efficient rail
transport.