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RR's are full - then let truckers pull doubles!

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So far this year, the RR's have enjoyed tremendous volumes to the point of service drastically suffering on several of the class 1's, which the RR openly attributes to being "full." As a result of being full, the RR's have puffed up and have been very open in the trade press about taking rates up since they can be selective about the freight they move from this wealth of available freight. In some cases the RR has walked away from significant business (ie. Union Pacific - UPS freight) because some trains no longer fit their network... again, because they're full. RR's are hoping that this surge of freight will boost their fortunes to the point that they are the darlings of Wall Street. They're intentionally delaying capacity additions (ie. building more track) to capitalize on the traffic boom. Union Pacific was recently cited in the Wall St. Journal as a deterent to economic growth because they aren't able to deliver freight at the rate that the shipping market demands. We've also read a great deal about the truck driver shortage in the U.S. and how the RR's also attribute their intermodal volume increase, in part to that situation. There is a solution and railroaders big and small will gasp and blanch at the thought of it, but if the RR's can't handle the volume that is there and if there aren't enough drivers to handle the freight pulling single trailers, then why not let truckers pull double trailers (ie. double 48's or double 53's?) I'm as "pro-railroad" as anyone that you will find, but there is an economic and logistical reality of getting this freight moved. I know that there is a whole bleeding heart contingent that will cry that its unsafe to pull these longer combination vehicles, which is why you would restrict them to intercity moves on the interstate system with very specific restrictions to keep them off of local streets and state highways. (ie. they can operate on interstate highways but must be connected and disconnected within 1 mile of the interstate highway. Some Western states allow double 45's and 48's and I've driven among them many times with no concern whatsoever. Again, there would be a cry and hue over "its too dangerous" but that's protectionism under a veiled wrapper. If the RR's can't do it... and they've publicly said that they can't, let someone else who can.
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