Posted on 08/20/2017 10:30:29 AM PDT by MeneMeneTekelUpharsin
Incredible number of big rigs on the highways. It is a sure sign of a booming economy. Where's the media?
We noticed that too when traveling on I-10 last week. I think Trump relaxed some regulations on trucking and this is the result.
Saw the same on I82 and I90, Friday morning and Afternoon.
Depends on which way they’re heading. Maybe they’re full of illegals self-deporting. Like the Mexican version of Uber.
I-44 between Joplin and StL is packed with semis. If there is a wreck? Hope you brought your lunch. Per MHP-For every 10 minutes of stopped traffic on I-44, it backs up one mile. Maybe you need to bring dinner as well?
I used to like the commercial, “You, too, can drive a big rig!” ;-)
Yes. We just completed a road trip from CA to MS and back. Huge number of trucks, and large number of advertisements seeking more drivers. Specifics regarding pay and benefits on some of the ads.
That being said, we saw places that were growing and places that were dumpy and languishing. Not sure what to do about the disparity. I would like to see a program of removing old rusted out/gutted buildings. They bring a neighborhood down even when there are still good, working families nearby.
Most manufacturing operation have gone to “Just In Time” inventory so trucks have become mobile warehouses.
Of course JIT comes with its own set of headaches. A major Winter storm can bring a factory to a standstill waiting for parts. Or a driver deciding to pay a visit to a lover 2 states away can throw a big kink in operations too.
There are benefits too. More space in the factory for manufacturing instead of parts storage. Truck availability for shipping product. Less inventory on hand to be taxed each year.
There is a massive shortage of drivers who can pass a drug test...
Trucks? Got lots as Foxconn, Amazon, Udine are all building million or 20 million sq ft. warehouses or manufacturing plants ... may have to expand freeway for just the trucks ...
Noticed that, too,but did not make the connection. Traffic has been. HEAVY around around Toledo/southern Michigan.
I work part time as a rural contract mail carrier in the Mountain West. There is a saying going around the PO, “Every day is Christmas now” As a contractor it sucks because we are paid x amount to deliver a route that once took 2 to 3 hours prior to the election now my route is running 4 to 5 hours due to packages. The actual letter mail and junk mail is down about half.
What I’m getting at is people are buying a lot more stuff since the election.
I have a family member who has to line up truckers to move limestone....having a heck of a time finding drivers available.
I live in a train town in NC, been here five years. Never saw coal run through town until last week. Trump’s doing his job.
They have their head up their...I mean, they are checking themselves for hemorrhoids.
For me a more local sign of a booming economy is the growing number of dump trucks on the roads. The three and four axle kind. Means lots of new construction, IMO.
All accurate points. Especially the just in time aspect, making trucks temporary warehouses more than ever before.
The cellphone has increased efficiency, as drivers can be dispatched on the go. No stopping at a truck stop and waiting for a pay phone to get dispatched. Even if you got an available pay phone quickly, the dispatcher might be busy with another driver.
More and more (union) manufacturing plants have priced themselves out of making parts for the in house assembly line, and have become mostly assembly plants. The parts come from other places.
The shipping container has become a big part of logistics, with trucks moving imports inland. Want to reduce some truck traffic? Stop buying products from overseas.
It is called “stimulating the economy”. The more people want, the more they buy and the more stuff that needs to be shipped. Oh, that also means more JOBS. Many truckers are people who can not find jobs closer to home and when they get those jobs, the more trucking jobs open up and the more they get paid.
And that Sir, is called a market-based economy!!!
Oh, I am buying more from Amazon and that means less driving for me but more for truckers.
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