Tariff war and it's impact on trucking

Well ####.. NOW you tell me

 

Don't forget they filled for bankruptcy a few years after that, despite spending almost nothing on improving the road. The new company running it got a sweetheart deal, and has made some improvements, but it's far behind where the OH turnpike is in both quality and economics.

 

Roads are a government responsibility, has been since the mess with the different forms of roads were created in the 19th century.

However, there is a justification of this - We the People of the United States, in order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

These two passages mandate the federal government to make sure things work. The founding fathers also made sure that there is a need to regulate interstate commerce, and there is even a question if toll roads run by private companies that were built with public funds violate the sprit of the preamble of the constitution and the main purpose of the IC clause.

 

Don’t forget the traffic you sit in and receive horrible customer service in return. Don’t forget the ability to economize, resulting in waste and fraudulent spending. Don’t forget the toll increases, while traffic remains the same or gets worse.

Go ahead and stop paying your taxes in protest, and see what happens. Try finding the number to a customer service representative to complain about the traffic, or even that they aren’t utilizing the latest road construction practices that reduce wear and tear on roads and vehicles and see how far you get.

Public private partnerships and sweetheart deals transfer the risk to the citizens. These are not a condition of free markets, but rather the govt meddling in something they cannot clearly provide efficient services for.

You using a couple of bad examples, based upon a highly restricted area of the economy that the govt plans and controls is nonsensical.

Private ownership of the means of production outperforms central planning and control on every level.

 

Yeah, I’m sure our Founding Fathers would have supported an inefficient and ineffective road bureaucracy, where refusing to further fund it via taxes in protest would result in you having your property taken from you, you being jailed, or worse if you resist.

Fortunately, they fought to secure the blessings of Liberty, not secure the affliction of tyranny.

Because Sam Adams and the Sons of Liberty believed so much in strict adherence to what the government imposes upon the people, that they never had a Boston Tea Party.

 

Might be easier to fix the roads if we weren’t funding Transgender operas and Sesame Street in Iraq and giving politico 8 million.

just saying…. I’d whole lot rather we worry about people in eastern Kentucky before we fund ghays in South Africa

 

Nice commercial.

 

I think there is such a big play going on here, and is just my observation from outside the bubble.

On one hand Trump is just a progression in America's implosion. The polarising effect he has on just about everything, does nothing to unite a country with more mascaras than weeks in the year, out of control drugs legal or illegal, crime, cost of living, depleted manufacturing, ageing population, low reproduction rates, etc etc etc. My county has the same, well some of it.

There is this democratically elected guy running around with a "if I was king for a day" approach, along with his rich white male mates who seem to think they are doing it hard or somehow disadvantaged. Trying to eject illegal immigrants, or pull out of global charity, or health is kind of a lay-mans feel good vote winning stunt, when its 1 or 2% of the budget. Fair enough I guess but the biggest draw on the countries budget is interest in its trillions, then Welfare, then Defence. The countries interest alone can not be paid, so buying other countries, Iceland, or Gaze, or 500 billion for AI is ......is just talking #### and ego fluffing.
Rather I see Americas withdrawal from the World Health Organisation as a terrific opportunity for other countries to step up and advance their science and support over Americas domination. So in short I feel Trump is hurting America in ways that will take decades to recover if at all. And a good reason and great opportunity for countries to distance themselves from the US's economy and practice.

The US took over global power from the UK after WW2, and also took their fair share of control around oil which has served the US nicely. I'm not sure who invented globalisation, but America has been a significant winner from it. Exporting its oil fuelled products around the world for it also to prosper. However with the desire for more profits the shelves were stocked with cheaply made products from China (specked and ordered by western businesses). Which appears to have lead to the US has been beaten by their own game. So to countries like mine, Australia.

China, with 1.3 billion, almost 4 times greater then the US; has all the knowledge and manufacturing mite to make what the world has consumed over the past 20 years. They also have families, same emotions, wants and dreams like us all. The Chinese also now understand quality, service, and support. Not just make #### cheap for white western business men.
China has quietly secured most of the new worlds potential form of currency, rare minerals for batteries. Like it or not batteries are about better health outcomes for people living in high density populations. Most of the globes populations live in cities, just how humans do it. Yes its wrapped up in clean green marketing and a fair bit of science around preserving the planet for the next generation, but it's about human health first and foremost.

So Trump can look backwards and drill baby drill, it does have great shock value for his ego, but that does nothing for many on the inside or outside who might buy an American products. Tesla were off to a good start, buy Elons right wing salute and developing insights on him, are doing his product no favours. I'm also backing out of Google, Apple, Microsoft, Face book, Instagramme, PayPal, Ebay etc collecting and controlling my data, and life to some degree for their own cash counting ego tripping purposes. We like to think China are power trippers and seekers of information, but so too is America. Furthermore watching Musk, Zuckerberg, Bezos etc all hanging off Trump like hooker in a girly bar is nauseating.

In saying all thins I'm also not so keen on supporting China's that much either. I feel their lack of ownership around Covid sucks, especially when it stuffed so many peoples lively hoods, families, and economies. It echos their negative actions on human rights and casts grave doubts for being a decent global citizen. Especially when they are next in line for domination it seems.

So where does that leave me. I'm in the market for a new truck.
380K US made lots of support
330K European tech with US association, lots of support
260K Japanese made with Toyota reliability, good support
200K Chinese cheap but still getting organised

I have found US trucks use insulting crap like colour coded trim around LED head lights is the extent of development. Or looks as the big draw for modern trucking.
European (most) manufacturers genuinely seem to give a rip in trying to make my life easier, safer, more prosperous embracing technology rather then reluctantly tinker with it. Some in conjunction with American brands have partnered to set up shop for manufacturing/assembly in my country. So for my money it goes to European product with genuine advancement, powered by quiet clean tech, and made locally. Cheaper than US but the company is as big. Swiss reliability, pride, detail, and I can save 100k in diesel per annum using that science around better health. Now I'm sure the Swiss have their own issues, but I never hear of them. They are however stable, predictable, reliable, and not bullies. I can tell you from experience Cummins don't give a rip about my $3000 13mth old part ####ting itself 1 month past warranty. I guess they did help me decide to never buy a Cummins product.

So not tying to belittle America here, just how one outside the bubble is reacting to America and its Trump administration. I have owned an American truck in the past, and currently drive a European DAF associated with Kenilworth. The Volvo I am looking at is associated with Mack. It's how how I spend my money and what % goes to whom, is my own little preference to how and who is running the world.