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Are the semis being subsidized, or the consumption habits of end consumers? Wear on the road network is just one of the externalities of trucking that is incomp

• tikhonj 9y ago
  The way a company like a retailer delivers goods is an implementation detail under their control, not dictated purely by consumer habits. If the cost structure of shipping by truck changed, retailers would do a better job of traffic optimization or would even work out new operational processes that used fewer trucks. I know first-have that the current system has some real slack even at large retail chains. Example: a lot of companies are not doing a great job of planning multi-hop truck routes and instead send a less full truck to every location. Similarly, the trucks are only full in one direction because that's easier to manage than planning routes that, for example, drop off at a store then visit a vendor before returning to a distribution center. If trucking costs increased in proportion to road wear, you can bet improving these operational processes will be a higher priority!
  • jessaustin 9y ago
    ...less full truck... Every time we've gotten a truck-shipped freight delivery in the last decade, the trailer has been mostly empty. Our business is not at the end of the road, either.