Railroad Train Carrying Only Truck Trailers?

Discussion in 'Questions From New Drivers' started by daviddincau, Sep 13, 2009.

  1. GasHauler

    GasHauler Master FMCSA Interpreter

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    I can remember my father talking about this back in the 60's so it's not a new concept. You guys say 2 weeks coast to coast, I never saw less that a month for a tank car full of ethanol from the midwest to Las Vegas. A driver has to bring the trailer there and a driver has to take the trailer away. So I don't know how it would affect the overall picture if the companies didn't have a cheap way of shipping. You all know they just pass the cost along.

    I don't believe it will take over just because they've done it before and it didn't work. It was on a smaller scale and it was with gasoline. The stations were called Spur Gasoline and behind the big sign was a tanker car. That was way back in the 40's and 50's so they learned fast that they need truck drivers. And there's no tractor trailers on the trains only trailers. So I think you can relax.

    The real problem is the false advertisements of these trucking companies telling the public a driver can make 50K a year right off the start. Plus the CDL schools that are only there to make sure the student gets his or hers CDL. It all creates a flood of drivers that only drive for a year or two and then they get replaced by the new batch.
     
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  3. striker

    striker Road Train Member

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    it really depends on the frieght as to the timeline. Back in '94/95 I worked for a book wholesaler, we used to ship or warehouse returns to the main DC outside Philly. When we would load a boxcar to ship out, we would normally figure 21 business days from Denver to Philly. Today, it's more like 13 to 15 business days.
     
  4. Pete_379X

    Pete_379X Super Chrome

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    Right now would be the ideal time to ship a lot of bulk by rail since the traffic is down so much. Seems like the trains get shorter everyday. Shorter trains means less time in yards being switched and sorted and forgotten about.

    Unit trains are what are the most effective really if competing with trucks. Like the rock haulers... we ship out 100 car rock trains like no tomorrow. It has slowed down, but still. It takes 4 truckloads to fill one rock railcar (if the truck can haul 25 tons)... thats 400 truckloads per train. Ship them from here to Shreveport, Bodie, Longview, Baton Rouge, and all over the rest of the south. Usually get the empty back in 1 to 2 days depending on delays. Shove it back into the plant and its loaded within a day and then its off again.
     
  5. ironpony

    ironpony Road Train Member

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    So, them rocks just git off the train, and walk over to where they're goin' then?

    :biggrin_25522:
     
  6. GasHauler

    GasHauler Master FMCSA Interpreter

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    I think it depends more on where it's going than anything else. If you stick to big cities your timeline would most likely be right on. But go to an out of the way city and your car can get stuck on a spur line waiting for a train to go that way.
     
  7. Big Duker

    Big Duker "Don Cheto"

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    It depends as much on who you are as any thing else. The RRs will expedite the freight they want to. Friend of mine is conductor on BNSF. If he gets local or normal freight he will spend hours on siding as unit trains of coal and containers race by. Will sometimes expend his 12 hours going from Temple TX to Gainsville TX and not get past FTW. That's about 130 miles. Gets picked up by van and driven to Gainsville. Next day may catch coal train and make trip back in 6 hours. Pays the same, but shows they take care of their cash cows.
     
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  8. Pete_379X

    Pete_379X Super Chrome

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    Nah they go straight to certain concrete and asphalt plants with rotary dumps. :biggrin_25525: 90% of the rock we're pulling never see's a real truck, unless you consider the ute's in the quarry hauling the large stone to the crusher and the ute's in the receiving plant to be a truck.
     
  9. striker

    striker Road Train Member

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    Here's the stupidity of the railroad, we are waiting on a container for the USFS. It departed NY on the 16th, it arrived at the UPRR N. Platte facility on the 18th, it's not scheduled to depart N. Platte until 8am on the 20th, arrive in Denver about 5pm on the 20th, push into the ramp about 3pm on the 21st, and ground (put on wheels) about 5:30pm on the 21st. Did I mention, it's supposed to deliver between 8 and 9 am on the 21st in Mesa Verde National Park, Mancos, Colo. Only a 9 hr drive from Denver to Mancos, hmmm, gu3ess my semi will have to sprout wings.
     
  10. ironpony

    ironpony Road Train Member

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    Yeah, but they can move a million tons of freight across the galaxy on a shot glass of fuel!!

    :biggrin_25526:
     
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  11. striker

    striker Road Train Member

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    yes, but when that million tons of frieght isn't on time, you can't ##### at anyone
     
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