Edit post

Edit your reply below.

Post Body
Enter your post below.
[quote user="nanaimo73"][quote user="futuremodal"] Fuel efficiency of OTR trucks - 60 ton/miles per gallon.Fuel efficiency of carload rail - 200 ton/miles per gallon*Fuel efficiency of unit trains - up to 800 ton/miles per gallonIt is that carload vs OTR truckload where the efficiency arguement is pronounced.  It is true that OTR trucks are more efficient in the short haul than carload due to dock to dock flexibility.  It is also true that OTR trucks are more efficient than carload in the less than boxload catagory, regardless of length of haul.  Beyond that, rails beat highways hands down due to the efficiencies of bulk movements, aka aggregation.  And also note that normally OTR LTL trucks can and do move much more efficiently by rail where the service is provided.And unit train efficiency beats OTR truckload hands down, even in the shorthaul lanes. [/quote]Dave-What about interchange and differences in mileage ?If you were shipping lentils from Moscow to Pocatello, a truck could go straight south down to Boise, and the east on I84/I86. By train the PCC would have to go west to the UP interchange, then UP would classify the cars at Hinkle, before they headed east. Even with open access, could rail compete ?[/quote]You're not going to ship lentils to Pocatello from anywhere because no one there would know what a lentil is, but for the sake of discussion we'll let it pass.A cargo load of lentils from Moscow to Pocatello by road will go east to Missoula (either via US 12 or north on US95 then east on I-90), continue east on I-90 to Butte, then south on I-15.  Most truckers bound for SE Idaho from North Central Idaho tend to avoid US 95 through Riggins at all costs.A cargo load of lentils from Moscow to Pocatello by rail will go west via the PCC to Hooper Junction and the UP Washy line, then via UP to Hinkle, where the car is reclassified, then on down to Pokey via the OSL.  There are two lentil processors in Moscow, one on ex-UP and the other on ex-BNSF.  If the latter wanted that move, they'd truck the load a few blocks to the nearest reload onto UP bound hoppers.  BNSF would not provide a rate from Moscow to Silver Bow for interchange with UP.Whether the load would go by truck or rail depends on the willingness of the railroads to provide the service.  If they are of the affirmative, it'd go by rail.
Tags (Optional)
Tags are keywords that get attached to your post. They are used to categorize your submission and make it easier to search for. To add tags to your post type a tag into the box below and click the "Add Tag" button.
Add Tag