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It was suggested to me recently that the widespread push into trucking and away from rail for freight had something to do with busting strong railroad unions. I
by trotsky 15y ago
It was suggested to me recently that the widespread push into trucking and away from rail for freight had something to do with busting strong railroad unions. I didn't think much of the idea at the time because of historically how powerful the Teamsters were in trucking. However, reading this and considering how many owner operators there are that have apparently been subjected to declining wages and worsening working conditions, I wonder if there might be some truth to that suggestion about rail vs. trucks. Obviously there are other advantages to trucking, but does anyone think there is some validity there?
- Dysiode 15y agoSpeed and flexibility perhaps? There are significantly more trucks than there are trains, for one. I imagine there's an incentive to fill a train to capacity whereas you can contract as many trucks as you need for a particular load. Further, a bunch of trucks can go from one distribution point to many different unloading points a train may not be able to reach. I imagine the explosion in consumer shipping and expectations of two-day shipping from a number of companies has changed the dynamic. A hundred Ted's ordering iphone cases isn't the same as one Bob ordering a hundred head of sheep. Just some thoughts; I don't have any knowledge about the industry, or the state of the railways.