Fuel costs seem to rank high in surveys of US citizens most grave concerns. Rates up there at the top, doesn't it?
Who are some heavy users of fuel that are not as often thought of? For surface transportation there are many indeed; cars, trucks, buses, etc. While we are talking about surface transportation, let's talk about trains. The railroad has always been a big part and played an even larger part in the flow of fuel even before the locomotives used fuel. Even back when the trains were steam driven from coal. The Flow of Fuel is very important and no one can argue that, better than Rockefeller. As you know he was a master of the flow, all the way down to controlling his cost and his competitors costs on the rail lines.
By forcing restrictions on the distribution systems it was hard to compete and many an Oilman sold their companies to the "streamline by the numbers former accountant with the impeccable books." Before you continue this discussion please go read the life story of Rockefeller and Standard Oil Company, then you may continue. Now let's continue, today the railroad is a big user of fuel and the railroad is responsible for much of the major movement of fuel as well as the natural resources in our country. The railroad delivers fuel to terminals for trucking companies, without the railroads it would be difficult to supply the trucks with the needed fuel. Pipelines only go to so many places.
The railroads move chemicals out of the refineries, compete with them and their vendors to deliver the fuel and deliver to the trucking terminals, which are not near pipelines, while the railroad competes with the trucking companies to deliver products to the market or manufacturing companies. Then in the last decade or so you have seen an increasing amount of piggy back trailers from trucks on the flat bed railcars moving across the country due to high fuel costs, insurance costs, interstate trucking regulations, trucking unions, driver hour restrictions, road construction destroying equipment or slowing the traffic flow and shortage of qualified drivers. As all these methods compete in the market and for fuel, they also compliment each other providing our great nation with much redundancy, which at times seems wasteful, but in this newest era of the threat of International Terrorism, makes it nearly impossible to stop the turning wheels of industry, energy and commerce. The entire system moves on the flow of fuel.
The railroad companies can buy large amounts of fuel and store it and move it cheaper and has an inherent edge on the trucking industry. And where as the railroad is more efficient than the trucking industry, the tracks do not go everywhere. Also the loads need to be larger to make it worthwhile. So even if the railroads are more efficient the shipments must be broken down to get to their final destinations. Thus you will always need both forms of transportation, which are the two of the largest private users of fuel.
The railroad is one of the United States greatest assets for moving our products and part of the distribution system which has helped stabilize our civilization and allowed us to grow. Fuel costs are a huge issue in the rail roads and those costs are passed on to you and I, whether we realize it or not, in everything we buy
"Lance Winslow" - If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; www.worldthinktank.net/wttbbs
licensed cleaning services Park Ridge ..Many Americans have children, fathers, mothers, grandparents, other family members... Read More
In Police Magazine I read a great article about transient... Read More
In the previous article, we described the various methods developed... Read More
In order to win the presidency in America, candidates must... Read More
Lecture given at the Netherlands Economic Institute (NEI) on 18/4/2001Human... Read More
The expertise and advancement of the evolution of man and... Read More
Believe it or not, every theatre, church, or Britney Spears... Read More
US Steel prices have cost franchisees in my company and... Read More
Are the junior attorneys in the Attorney General's office leaving... Read More
There is nothing-absolutely nothing-insofar as political power when it is... Read More
Many believe Al-Qaida already has nukes in the United States... Read More
Washington DC council member David Catania actually suggested that the... Read More
Why President Bush should have his second term? The arguments... Read More
All the indicators show an improving economy and, finally, the... Read More
We need a government that can be as responsive to... Read More
There is no doubt in hindsight that Sarbanes Oxley was... Read More
Indonesia's Energy Minister, Purnomo Yusgiantoro, is unhappy with the modest... Read More
The Bill of Rights to our Constitution caused -- and... Read More
The price at the gas pump is certainly on everyone's... Read More
The new law "Special Protective, Antidumping and Import Compensatory Measures"... Read More
The cause of America is in a great measure the... Read More
September 11, 2001 could have been prevented. We could have... Read More
There are no stupid questions, only stupid people. Ask an... Read More
As of late steroid use in sports has been the... Read More
Let's put it all into perspective: the U.S. has an... Read More
on demand house cleaning Arlington Heights ..At the start of the US involvement in WWII Joseph... Read More
Many of the problems that the members of the European... Read More
In order to win the presidency in America, candidates must... Read More
You have probably heard of the Sarbaines Oxley Law (SOX)... Read More
Fuel costs seem to rank high in surveys of US... Read More
The great people of the United States of America deserve... Read More
Is the Federal Trade Commission really stopping SPAM? Is the... Read More
The trade deficit with Canada is now 50 Billion per... Read More
China is serious about breaking into the bio-tech field and... Read More
All to often law makers and regulators create rules and... Read More
We are destroying our freedoms and slowing innovation, due to... Read More
Well the title is absolute Bull Crap, but this article... Read More
We see today a fierce unspoken competition between trucks and... Read More
Let's put it all into perspective: the U.S. has an... Read More
For the business community 9-11 changed everything. In our company,... Read More
Many environmentalists are against roads through the forest because it... Read More
Regarding the de-regulation of energy, this is not such a... Read More
The American Dream is the promise to have it all... Read More
There is nothing-absolutely nothing-insofar as political power when it is... Read More
So you are ready to run for public office are... Read More
Roberto Calvo Macias, a young author and thinker from Spain,... Read More
Why are we over regulating the franchising industry? What are... Read More
As concerns grow over the threat of bioterrorism and weapons... Read More
Many are quick to point out the benefits of religion... Read More
For more than a decade, you the American taxpayer have... Read More
Political |