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Brazil's current trucker strike brought to light how things could go if there were a similar strike in the States. The BBC article below doesn't say much about

Brazil's current trucker strike brought to light how things could go if there were a similar strike in the States. The BBC article below doesn't say much about the lack of products available for the average person living in a major city, but friends in Brazil said the repercussions to their day-to-day life have been large. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-44275782 http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-44275782

cesarb 8y ago
> but friends in Brazil said the repercussions to their day-to-day life have been large. Yes, they have. First, the fuel situation: trucks carrying fuel to gas stations were blocked by strikers, so they quickly ran out of fuel. Buses need diesel fuel to run, so people can't get to work. Cars also need fuel (gasoline or ethanol) to run, so even people who have cars can't get to work. Those with gas-powered cars (mostly taxis) could still get fuel (it goes to the gas station through pipes), but even these need a small amount of gasoline to start the motor. Then, the food situation: almost all the fresh food is gone from the markets, and what little there is got really expensive (like 4 or 5 times more expensive). Longer-lived but basic food (like rice and beans) flew from the shelves, since people still have memories from the hyperinflation days last century. Huge amounts of food had to be thrown away in the farms. Hospitals had to cancel all non-emergency surgery, since stocks are running really low. Industries have stopped, since they can't get their inputs or don't have space to store their outputs. There was a risk of water rationing in some places, since stocks of water treatment chemicals ran low. We're lucky that our country's power supply is mostly hydro, and most of the thermal generators either get their fuel through pipes, or had enough fuel stored locally. Only a few distant cities (probably without interconnection to the national system) lost power. Things are getting better. Many of the blockades have now been cleared, and fuel trucks escorted by the police or the army are getting fuel to essential services and to the gas stations. Hopefully trucks will soon be able to get food from the farms to the markets.
- jacquesm 8y ago
  > Those with gas-powered cars (mostly taxis) could still get fuel (it goes to the gas station through pipes That's interesting. So the gas stations have compressors?
  - wavefunction 8y ago
    I think they mean compressed natural-gas rather than petrol. Many fleet vehicles run off of CNG in the Americas and elsewhere.
    - jacquesm 8y ago
      Yes, I understood that. But those stations are pretty rare and typically need a (quite expensive) compressor to turn the gas in the pipes into CNG if it isn't delivered by truck. (Former gas station owner here...) The other option would be LPG (Liquified Petroleum Gas), that too is usually delivered by truck.
      - cesarb 8y ago
        > But those stations are pretty rare In my experience, not all stations have natural gas, but it's not exactly rare. I found a list which matched my intuition: http://www.gasnet.com.br/postos_gnv_lista.asp?nomestado=Rio%20de%20Janeiro http://www.gasnet.com.br/postos_gnv_lista.asp?nomestado=Rio%... shows 531 stations on my state, several cities have 10 or more, the state capital has over 200.

cesarb 8y ago

> but friends in Brazil said the repercussions to their day-to-day life have been large. Yes, they have. First, the fuel situation: trucks carrying fuel to gas stations were blocked by strikers, so they quickly ran out of fuel. Buses need diesel fuel to run, so people can't get to work. Cars also need fuel (gasoline or ethanol) to run, so even people who have cars can't get to work. Those with gas-powered cars (mostly taxis) could still get fuel (it goes to the gas station through pipes), but even these need a small amount of gasoline to start the motor. Then, the food situation: almost all the fresh food is gone from the markets, and what little there is got really expensive (like 4 or 5 times more expensive). Longer-lived but basic food (like rice and beans) flew from the shelves, since people still have memories from the hyperinflation days last century. Huge amounts of food had to be thrown away in the farms. Hospitals had to cancel all non-emergency surgery, since stocks are running really low. Industries have stopped, since they can't get their inputs or don't have space to store their outputs. There was a risk of water rationing in some places, since stocks of water treatment chemicals ran low. We're lucky that our country's power supply is mostly hydro, and most of the thermal generators either get their fuel through pipes, or had enough fuel stored locally. Only a few distant cities (probably without interconnection to the national system) lost power. Things are getting better. Many of the blockades have now been cleared, and fuel trucks escorted by the police or the army are getting fuel to essential services and to the gas stations. Hopefully trucks will soon be able to get food from the farms to the markets.

jacquesm 8y ago
> Those with gas-powered cars (mostly taxis) could still get fuel (it goes to the gas station through pipes That's interesting. So the gas stations have compressors?
- wavefunction 8y ago
  I think they mean compressed natural-gas rather than petrol. Many fleet vehicles run off of CNG in the Americas and elsewhere.
  - jacquesm 8y ago
    Yes, I understood that. But those stations are pretty rare and typically need a (quite expensive) compressor to turn the gas in the pipes into CNG if it isn't delivered by truck. (Former gas station owner here...) The other option would be LPG (Liquified Petroleum Gas), that too is usually delivered by truck.
    - cesarb 8y ago
      > But those stations are pretty rare In my experience, not all stations have natural gas, but it's not exactly rare. I found a list which matched my intuition: http://www.gasnet.com.br/postos_gnv_lista.asp?nomestado=Rio%20de%20Janeiro http://www.gasnet.com.br/postos_gnv_lista.asp?nomestado=Rio%... shows 531 stations on my state, several cities have 10 or more, the state capital has over 200.