Trucker's Will soon be a thing of the past

Much more long haul freight will be moved by trains...Most trains can make it from LA to Chicago as fast as a truck... 110 car train = 440 trucks...Takes a lot less fuel & a hell of a lot less personell..Just drivers to short haul rail containers to where its going or being picked up at..

 

Found another from 3 years ago.

 

Someday? Probably it will happen, one need look no furthur than the "current" crop of cars, many of which are able to park themselves, have passive forward and rear facing radar to brake if too close to an object in front "or behind" then resume speed when the obstacle clears, there is active lane monitoring to alert a driver if he begins to doze off or drift into another lane. wipers and lights that operate by themselves and the list goes on and on, and these things are available on many models currently available.

The technology already exists the problem will be human acceptance of giving over control to a computer while on the highway. Many commuter rail systems are already automated with the engineer there only to intervene in a worst case scenario (he/she is basically along for the ride).

Soon? probably not but someday?? I'd bet on it.

Needing someone to monitor the freight you say?? Hazmat and refer cargo has been on rails probably as long or longer than on 18 wheelers, and seems to do just fine. Good news is as was posted elsewhere I'm sure the current crop of drivers including those starting as I type will have planty of time to drive to retirement before we see total automation on our highways. But that's just my .02

 

Hey roadreeler57, I read somewhere not too long ago that rail takes an average of 7 days per 1000 miles. Thats an average, and I know some of the freight will make the trip faster. But by law of averages, some will take much longer. And many companies just can't or won't work with that much required lead time. And I delivered a coil once in Nebraska. The receiving clerk was p/o'd. Not at me. When I asked why he was upset he pointed to a row of rail cars. He had to figure out how to unload all them cars, with several heavy coils per car, and every coil was laying flat on the floor with no dunnage under them. Apparently, they had just set the coils between chocks, with no banding of any sort. Somewhere, when stopping, every coil fell over flat on the floor. Don't know what they did about it, but I bet it was a pain. Me and 20 or more other trucks where easily unloaded and gone before them rail cars where even started on.