It looks to me like the future for trucking will be:
Driver drives from one terminal to the next. Drops his trailer at that terminal, hooks to another trailer and pulls it back to the original terminal. Driver in that town hooks to the original trailer and takes it to the next terminal.
That way he is home every night. UPS works that way and I think Southeastern does.
I see quite a few container trucks at a truck stop I visit, same trucks every morning at exactly the same time.
Obviously that will not be the case for loads that are destined for cities far away from the ports, but still a relay system would be a way to keep drivers.
Of course riggers, specialty truck services will never be able to operate that way and will be paid big bucks for doing their specialty.
What you are describing are "turnaround" runs, also know as "meets", and all the big carriers use them. I did it for a while for Estes. It's good money, but you work at night.
10.4
That is called a transfer company and it is a very efficient way. Why? Because the drivers are familiar with their area and roads so they can deliver better.
The regional drivers get their dedicated runs so that they know the roads and the conditions of those roads.
Like you said, the terminals should be every 800 to 1000 miles apart and the distribution should happen from there to that area. That would make the dedicated run two days to, and two days from, that terminal for the transfer drivers. So..a company would have six or seven, or more, terminals across the country. They can then, bid on the fuel and have the fueling docks AT those terminals. Mechanics, etc.
ABF and a few others do that and I have never heard a ABF driver bitch, and matter of fact, I know a couple who have retired from there...they stayed with them that long.