Re:America has a truck driver shortage
by magduf on Tuesday May 29, 2018 @09:59AM
(#17179188)
>Oh no, a thousand times no. Individual trucks hauling goods around the world is awful to the environment (and to the roads)
In shorter-term economics, the roads are a MUCH bigger factor. Tractor-trailer trucks do an enormous amount of damage to the roads, due to physics (I believe the factor is related to weight to the 4th power). Basically, if we didn't have trucks like those, we wouldn't be spending even a fraction as much on road upkeep. Road maintenance costs governments a LOT of money, so it only makes perfect sense to have commercial trucking and diesel fuel taxes to pay for it.
Really, what they should be doing is making it easier for stuff to be shipped by train, and then only trucked the last few miles.
In shorter-term economics, the roads are a MUCH bigger factor. Tractor-trailer trucks do an enormous amount of damage to the roads, due to physics (I believe the factor is related to weight to the 4th power). Basically, if we didn't have trucks like those, we wouldn't be spending even a fraction as much on road upkeep. Road maintenance costs governments a LOT of money, so it only makes perfect sense to have commercial trucking and diesel fuel taxes to pay for it.
Really, what they should be doing is making it easier for stuff to be shipped by train, and then only trucked the last few miles.