First I think it will be bad but face it. Trains can't pull in everywhere, plus its only a matter ok time for the environmentalist to start complaining about trains polluting the air. They think trucks use fuel look at trains. What really gets me is the fact diesel is a bi product of gas but its higher in cost. Its really a bad deal. Specifically since i want to do this for a living.Why couldn't my dad be a lawyer or something big.Oh well I am happy with not being rich.

Of course we are going to see changes in the industry. Shoot, it is constantly changing and has always done so. But in the end, the world is still going to need to have goods transported, and trucks are still going to be the best (cheapest & fastest) way in most cases.

Until such a time as freight can be "beamed" (Beam me up Scotty) it is going to have to be transported via common carrier.

So what we have to do, as individual drivers and especially as o/o is to keep an open mind, open eyes, and be willing to change along with the industry.

There will always be challenges, but there will also be folks who are willing and able to meet those challenges. It is the folks with a completely negative attitude that are really going to have a problem.

It is so easy to say that "things will never be the same!" Of course they won't. That is just the way life is, change is the only constant, other than death.

Just my .02 cent, My company, fairly big, I haul local, home everynight and weekends, I have seen them slowly get rig of there OTR drivers, and sleeper trucks, and bringing them onto the local side, I also do some line haul driving for them (relay) I run from cleveland down to columbus and back, then another driver will take it from there, so I see big changes in the next 10 years, just not sure where it's going, I have been a driver for 22 years now, But I can tell you this, this local stuff is not paying the bills, my head is above water, but I'm getting tierd of swimming, Let me put it to you this way, you can only work what 70 hours, 11 driving a day, and lets say they pay you 39cents a mile, or $15 a hour, do the math, All I can make is $1150 a week gross. We will all make the same wage soon, just like the person cleanning the hotel rooms, or flipping burgers, or wprking the gas station.

I may be wrong and talking out ##### but tell me what you think.

My local burger flipping joint cut out one flipper per shift(due2 min.wage increse).I have noticed a four-fold increse in daycab traffic.The cost of a bougus Medina county speedin ticket will make a driver #?#$?#.I have never underestimated how an savage will react when cornerd.Big rail don't consern me cuz we got (3 withen 3Miles of where im sittin) more abandoned railways to plow-under and make bike paths outa...But were talkin bout Truckin in 10 so,lets also not underestimate Big Air.Thats by far fastest,cheapest,ect.The refining capacity is balls-2-the walls Jet-A. We (USA) have ben going 24/7/365 over who knows where,and are lost,and ina hurry 2Get there.So I have high fuel (#2D)relief on my wish list.In the past (70-86) i have lived (worked) to see ,I'll say 6 Rear loader(Ford Louisville/LeLands) get replaced by One Mack/Galbreth rear packer.Will also reiterate.The biggest technolical breakthrough in the last 25Yrs.in Truckin is the Automatic Slack.And..Computers make life easier,but the things they do,Dont't need 2Be Done..CU in 10..

Sadly, our future depends on choices made by public officials, elected
politicians and other lawmakers. If you ask anyone "Why is Mexico and
other countries so far behind the US in the standard of living?" MANY
will answer "It's because in those countries the politicians and public
officials are corrupt and their system of bribery doesn't allow
capitalism and free enterprise to thrive."

That should be a clue as to what is the CAUSE of most of America's
current problems. We have allowed the development the same corrupt
system in our government that has created poverty, starvation and war in
many many third world countries. When our elected officials are allowed
to accept billions of dollars under the guise of campaign
contributions... from lobbyist representing the OIL, Insurance, and
Pharmaceutical industries... it should be NO mystery and NO surprise
that these basic commodities are becoming overpriced for the average
citizen. We KNOW that gas can be produced and sold for 12 cents per
gallon. That's the current price in Venezuelan. Even Egypt has gas for
about 35 cents per gallon. Why is the most innovative nation in the
world paying nearly $4? Do the math... oil companies pay elected
officials (indirectly) to do nothing (substantially) to promote the
development of alternative fuels... or to keep the prices down. In
addition to enabling price fixing and price gouging, the government
hasn't allowed any new refineries to be built in the last 32 years. YOU
KNOW that if the oil companies wanted to build new refineries they have
the influence to get it done. (The last refinery built in the US was in
Garyville, Louisiana, and it started up in 1976)
The combined 2005 profits for the country's three largest integrated oil
companies to more than $63 billion. Very few countries in the WORLD have
larger economies. This is insane that our elected officials sit quietly
and allow blatant violations of The Sherman Antitrust Act ..which also
states: "Every person who shall monopolize, or attempt to monopolize,
or combine or conspire with any other person or persons, to monopolize
any part of the trade or commerce among the several States, or with
foreign nations, shall be deemed guilty of a felony."
Shall we look at drug profits? Here are some examples of their
profits... and the reason you see 3 or 4 drugstores at ever major
intersection:
Xanax 1 mg
Consumer price (100 tablets) : $136.79
Cost of general active ingredients: $0.024
Percent markup: 569,958%
Prozac 20 mg
Consumer price (100 tablets) : $247.47
Cost of general active ingredients: $0.11
Percent markup: 224,973%
Even if we ignore the price fixing and price gouging of citizens... our
elected officials don't even care if they rip off the government...
"Pharmaceutical companies are making billions in excess profits under
the new Medicare drug benefit, according to a report by the Center for
Economic and Policy Research. In the first year of the Medicare Part D
program, Pfizer will make $1.2 billion in excess profits on Lipitor and
$585 million on Zoloft; Wyeth will make nearly $1 billion on Protonix;
and Merck will make $1.6 billion on Zocor. "
Still wondering what the future will be like if we continue to allow
this system of bribery and kickbacks? It doesn't look good... even
yesterday the guy who claims to be the champion of honesty in government
(John McCain) was presented with evidence in the N.Y. Times ... of doing
"favors" for his friends. These "favors" are killing us. We are being
sold out. And they know that we know it and that we aren't going to do
anything about it.
Anyone have a solution?
"I love to see honest and honorable men at the helm, men who will
not bend their politics to their purses nor pursue measures by
which they may profit and then profit by their measures." --Thomas
Jefferson to Edward Rutledge, 1796.

Great POST!!! Tblount I agree with you 110%