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[quote]QUOTE: Originally posted by DSchmitt [quote]QUOTE: Originally posted by csxns Long before interstate trucking about every town had farms everybody almost everybody grew food and had chickens or about every kind of farm animal to eat.Even in the 1800's about everything that traveled had to get to the rail head by walking or wagon just like trailers and containers do today.The best way is for the two to work together. [/quote] Correct Before the 1920's long distance travel by road was very difficult. There was a network of roads but outside of town they were crudely constructed and not maintained. However even then most places could not be reached by train. Wagons made the "short haul" from the railroad to/from the railroad. Latter trucks replaced wagons. The first wide scale road building was after World War 1 pushed by the American Automobile Associan, bicyclists, as well as truck interests and the military. An even bigger boost to the road system came after World war 2 with the Interstate highway system. They were justified as military highways but all the American people, not just the truckers benefited through faster, easier, safer movement around the country. Many (probably most) shippers/recievers did not need carload shipments. (this is still true today) The railroads and independent freight companies built large terminals to consolidate LCL (less than carload) freight in car load lots. This is where trucks had their first success in competion with railroads. Door to door trucking were faster and less handling of the cargo was required. They were also often more reliable. Rail was usually less expensive but Shippers are often willing to pay more for speed and reliability. The railroads tried to compete (for instance SP OVERNIGHT service between San Francisco and Los Angeles) but necessity to run trains between fixed terminals doomed the busness. Today many shippers find the advantages of speed, reliability and door to door service that truckers provide worth while even for longer distances and larger loads and the railroads really do not want the small business that only occacinally ship a car load or two. Today there is cooperation between a segment of the trucking industry and the railroads as some companys have found it advantages to ship their trailers longer distances by train. More of this should be encouraged. By the way have you ever seen a huge oversized load on the Highway and wondered why it wasn't shipped by rail. One reason (other than that the railroad doesn't go there) is that the railroad can't handel it. Bridge and tunnel clearances or other restrictions may make it impossible on all rail routes. There is more flexibility in routing on the Highway system [/quote]History Convicts and Geography Rules
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