What if truckers stopped...

After 9-11 for me, Volunteered Delivery

 

When we were told that trailer would be reloaded until volume full for NYC the morning of 9-11 at McKesson Detroit, that was the high point for us. As was the fuel prices later that morning. Ugh. Company paid it without complaint I think around 6.00 gallon at the TA Stoneyridge.

We crossed the GW the evening of the 12th at about 830 our time. Saw the burning piles on about 20 acres downriver where the tower complex stood. I told my wife we may be at war for generations because of this. It will be like chasing roaches to try and eradicate every terrorist.

And so it was. Those who were not born or were infants that year, they are the next generation to deploy to war.

 

For years I have thought that we should organize a Nationwide shutdown, but that has been tried many times, not enough people participate. Too many union and jitny trucking companies out there... So, just was thinking, all we have to do is organize a Fuel Tanker Truck Shut down, then everything else will follow suit

 

Everything is just in time delivery, especially for the reefer side. I have wondered the back parts of major grocery stores and there is scant little there in the way of groceries and things the store sells. Most stores get a truck or two a day and if that truck doesn't show up, it's going to be a problem if there's a crisis. Think Corona virus if it gets loose and takes hold in the USA.

Oh, and if I don't get paid I don't drive, so don't look to me for charity work in a crisis. Sorry, but I already work way too hard for my age.

 

Baltimore goes through approximately 8 millions of pounds of sugar a week at a given time. Shipped by truck. That usually turns over one warehouse of major square footage. Baltimore makes or used to make via Dominos importing cane from Cuba and other locations that grow sugar cane (Hawaii, India etc comes to mind) by ship.

That ship I think is two times a month to support Baltimores production of approximately 50 million pounds of sugar. I don't have any current data to understand if this information is true or not. I use that number for sake of a case regarding sugar in this post.

You can get by team truck that load of sugar to any city in the US West Coast in approximately 55 hours give or take depending on season and weather. As long nothing interferes with that truck's ability to run straight through.

In your average grocery store in any given City, you will find maybe a thousand pounds of sugar, maybe two thousand pounds in a variety of products you might even see three thousand pounds. The people of the city closest to the store will empty that within a week. Stockers come weekly usually tuesday nights to refill that shelf with another two or three thousand pounds of sugar at 5.00 a pound give or take.

Baltimore with enough trucks can ship approximately 8 Million pounds a week empting a major warehouse each week of every gram of that sugar produced.

Thats around 170 trucks loaded give or take each week. Thats 170 cities across the USA give or take.

There are 400 major cities in our Nation. 80,000 counties in our Nation, each of which has several grocery stores or more depending on density. That 45000 pounds of sugar to a big city would not be enough to support but 24 stores give or take a week.

Chicago via google shows about 25 stores give or take several.

THAT does NOT include convience stores, delis, resturants, and so on who are also other many commercial buyers of this sugar in a variety of amounts as they needed. If you are a School Cafeteria Cook feeding 2000 kids you are going to need a awful lot of salt and sugar by the sack each week.

Already you need several trucks of Sugar to Chicago each week. Always more.

Then the People. If chicago is 5 million people who can pay 5.00 a pound for sugar for the week thats going to be already 10 million pounds give or take for that week in that city at 2 pounds a package give or take for their morning coffee.

Should you some how eliminate sugar production OR stop the distribution network of trains, ships, planes and trucks etc then Chicago will value that sugar upwards of 100.00 a pound on the black market or equivilant trade in ammunition, bullion and other unlawful goods which would be what happens to Chicago should anarchy strike there.

If you cannot be bothered to search all of chicago waving a 10.00 devalued us dollar to find a small sack of two pounds in sugar for which your life will be forfeit in certain sections of the lawless city then there is no value in you or in that sugar. You aint going to get it.

If salt was to disappear. If meats or other goods was to go away. What is left in your home? A few days maybe? A week or two? How are you going to cook it? Not without the entire suburb smelling food in your grill backyard and swarming you for it.

It matters not. We all have a number to our days. How you live matters not. Unless you do something very well to help someone in time of trouble.

 

And when those drivers finally got/get thru on i80, the receivers tag them with a $500 penalty for missing their appointment.

 

And locals will legislate on next session to ban truck parking in 50 miles radius around the given city.

 

I'm wondering if they might do a coronavirus shut down at some point in the near future. At first they were like "don't worry", and now there's talk of a domestic travel ban.

 

Can’t deliver something that you can’t pick up. It’s not always the transportation that’s the issue, sometimes it’s the supply. The textile sector for example is taking a huge supply chain hit Because of China

 

Fine. I'll just park 250 miles away and make a day of a city. Stupid locals.