Re: VDOT Says Needs Vary Along I-81

Arif Khokar wrote:

Mike Tantillo wrote:

Arif Khokar wrote: 


A very efficient method for shipping is to have trucks drive from the
loading dock to the train station.  Then cargo is loaded onto the trains
and transported to the destination city.  The local trucks are loaded
with the cargo and then drive to the destination loading dock.



But will it get there just as fast as if the driver drove it all the
way himself?



I really can't say.  For instance, if I order something that has to be
shipped from California, I have to wait 10 days for ground shipping.  I
know that I could drive to California from here in 3 days.  But I'm not
sure whether UPS (or FedEx) uses long-haul trucks or trains for ground
shipping.

There's no ground shipper I know of who uses trains. Think: have you EVER seen their logo on a train? It's all truck/air AFAIK. As for long-haul trucks, I wonder if they bundle cross-country trucks, or simply packet them off to X (i.e. Denver, St. Louis, Pittsburgh, another intermediate city on the way) and then redistribute? The latter requires more facility time and may contribute to longer ground time, but it also makes truck scheduling and tracking a lot easier.


I-81 is a PITA to drive, but isn't horribly congested. 


It wouldn't be nearly as congested if more companies were willing to
use the Norfolk-Southern rail line instead of I-81 for shipping their
good.

Time vs. cost is the factor. Think perishables. Some products, like steel, are better in trains, since the trucks used to haul steel are open and thus expose it to the elements. 


With today's economy relying on "just in time deliveries", the train
just won't cut it in many cases.



Neither will a truck.  If delivery time is important, then shipping by
air is the best option.

Just in time DOES work with train. Train schedules for freight are more on-time than for passenger runs. Even if the total shipping time is 10 days point to point instead of three days, you can schedule your work around the train being there at 10 PM, and it'll be there pretty damn close to 10 PM. Trucks can be there 12 hours early or 12 hours late. All air does is give you the fastest delivery, but at the end, it goes into a truck. (I don't know of any air-rail facility, so please correct me if I've overlooked one.)

--
Steve Alpert
MIT - B.S. '05, M.S. (Transportation) '06
http://web.mit.edu/smalpert/www/roads

.

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