truck DRIVIN'

(image from techEBlog.com which is filled with cool geeky tech stuff)

so.... I just moved to CHICAGO from SF a few minutes ago.. . and i DROVE. (i know, i know, im SO anti... well, suck it) yes, i had a tough choice to make, but decided that the choice to drive out in a rental van became a better choice than to toss and replace my things, and seemed acceptable in consideration of my lifestyle otherwise. besides, i had to get my bike there somehow.

but this entry is not about my drive, but rather, my companions on the road. yep, the road (HIGHWAY 80 from SF to CHI) was completely filled with TRACTOR-TRAILER TRUCKS. i mean completely. there were very few other passenger vehicles on the road for LOOOONG stretches between major cities, and even there, the traffic was dominated by the trucks.

while it did seem a little inconvenient for cruising purposes, the real impact of the trucks hit me on a certain stretch of the highway in NEBRASKA. i entered the highway from a rest area, and immediately thought the van was going to break down. I frantically checked the sensors to see if anything seemed wrong, but everything checked out ok. i continued to be concerned until i merged into the left lane to pass a truck. upon hitting the left lane, the freaky rumbling coming from my engine stopped, and the steering wheel became steady in my hands.

that's when i realized the IMPACT that TRUCKS must have on our HIGHWAYS

(image from qcsdirect.com although i don't get exactly what they do....)

the interesting thing here is that for a long time it has been recognized that a major problem with the US train infrastructure is the fact the freight and passenger trains run on the same tracks. this results in tracks that are constantly torn up by the heavy pressure of freight trains passing over them, resulting in the slower passage of passenger trains over rougher tracks, as well as more delays to track repair on freight damaged sections.
well, it seems we are facing the same impact on our highways. we all know that highways take millions and millions of government revenue dollars for repairs each year, and imagine how much of this could be avoided if freight was not ALSO MOVED ON HIGHWAYS!! call me crazy, but sending an individual truck, even if it does haul three containers at once, does not seem like it could hold a candle against the efficiency of a miles-long, hundreds-of-containers hauling freight train.

so IF WE CAN'T GET THEM ON THEIR OWN TRACKS, CAN WE AT LEAST GET THEM OFF THE ROADS?!?! i understand that a lot of people have trucking jobs, but with a little help from VAN JONES, can't we move past the PONY EXPRESS OF FREIGHT DELIVERY??
so.... what's yer favorite jasmine-flower based asian tea? why, its jasmine tea, of course!