bracketquant
Veteran Member
Fully processed and packaged food and drink can be shipped by truck. The bulk raw materials to make the processed food and drink and the packaging cannot.
CHAT So you wake up on Dec 9th, and the railroad strike has occurred -- what are the first things you will do?
- Thread starter Donna_in_OK
- Start date
CaryC
Has No Life - Lives on TB
So kind of on the weak side, huh?
I got my training in the Army, if you could stand a spoon up in it, it was about right.
I told the guys at work when getting coffee out of the vending machine, if you could drink a whole cup of that, you'd survive what the day threw at you.
Just poking. I'll have SB make it up just right, just for you. I'm the man of the house and she has to do what I say.
Friends do that for one another.
Most consumer goods travel by truck. ALL infrastructure goods move by rail.
SouthernBreeze
Has No Life - Lives on TB
night driver
ESFP adrift in INTJ sea
AND you have her permission to say this. RIGHT!!??
Y'see, I understand how THIS works. I've had one of them for nigh on to 50 years....
(She STILL shoots better than me, and knows where I sleep and WHEN, and I ain't got ventilated YET...)
(Looks over shoulder, sees the coast is STILL clear----Yes dear. Right away.)
CaryC
Has No Life - Lives on TB
You may have to explain to me what you mean by that.
The reason I say that is the rawest of raw material soybean, corn, cotton, wood, comes out of the fields in trucks.
The raw material to make tires comes to the plant in trucks. Whether it's raw rubber from Indonesian, synthetic from Goodyear, chemicals from Abbott /Mansanto or wherever all on trucks. Even the one particular oil (and they use several oils, all shipped via truck but this one is different) which is like lard, is shipped by truck using a heated trailer, heated hoses to transfer and a heated container so the "lard" stays liquified is all transported by truck.
And while we did get a lot of carbon black in, in trucks, no one like to mess with it, because you had to do so many, about 6 in a 12 hour shift, we did get some in on rail, which everyone liked because you only had to hook up one a shift.
And that is the difference in truck and rail.
Trucks pull in and use the same transport system to fill tanks as the rails do. The difference is in quantity.
For a power plant going through 100 rail cars in 24 hours to switch to trucks because trucks can haul coal, the trucks can't keep up with the usage by the power plant. Not enough quantity. And it's not like a power plant can go up and down at a whim.
So, like I said you'll need to explain your statement to me, so I'll understand.
night driver
ESFP adrift in INTJ sea
TRUCKS only haul grains to Grain Elevators which are USUALLY SUSPICIOUSLY sited athwart RR tracks. Drive through Nebraska or Iowa outside the cities and when you see a grain elevator sticking up above the horizon, in 50 or so miles you will get to see that it sits on a RR track short siding.
night driver
ESFP adrift in INTJ sea
And while we did get a lot of carbon black in, in trucks, no one like to mess with it, because you had to do so many, about 6 in a 12 hour shift, we did get some in on rail, which everyone liked because you only had to hook up one a shift.
And THERE you have the key. It takes 6 (SIX) trucks to deliver what 1 (ONE) RR car carries.
And THERE you have the key. It takes 6 (SIX) trucks to deliver what 1 (ONE) RR car carries.
Just Plain Mom
Alien Lizard Person
We're having our upstairs carpet installed that day, so I will probably have an extra cup of coffee to calm myself down? With any luck, all Christmas and re-do purchases will be done and here, so after that I start deep-cleaning for when the kids get here.
Profit of Doom
Dismember
Sounds a little strange.
Profit of Doom
Dismember
rafter
Since 1999
No way can trucks take up the slack of hauling what trains do. Trucks do the short hauls. Here is how it is transferred from rail to truck. 
How many trains are traveling per day that are miles long with either coal on them or double stacked containers? More than any trucks can haul in addition to what they are hauling now.
How many trains are traveling per day that are miles long with either coal on them or double stacked containers? More than any trucks can haul in addition to what they are hauling now.
psychgirl
Has No Life - Lives on TB
No way!
I drink brewed half caff!
Good Lord, straight coffee d*** near sends me to the ER!
One time I got one of of those cold brew dealies from Starbucks?….bout near kept me up for the next 12 hrs straight.
I just can’t for some reason tolerate strong caffeine. Im weird
I drove coast to coast MANY TIMES while driving truck. Your position is incorrect.
SouthernBreeze
Has No Life - Lives on TB
I have a family member who owns his own trucking company. He also drives a long haul truck from coast to coast.
rafter
Since 1999
I am not saying they don't. But majority don't. IF they did you wouldn't see the massive amounts of containers on trains going both east and west. And lets not get into the coal that is transported. Trucks can't begin to take up that slack.
What is the cost of transporting a container on a train vs. a truck all the way across the country, both full and empty?
I had occasion to ask a manager of a coal loadout facility what their contingency plans were for a rail strike.
He said it had NOT been discussed with him if in fact there was such a plan.
He predicted more trucks. He knows the same as I know there aren't enough trucks to make a dent in the lost potential rail traffic.
packyderms_wife
Neither here nor there.
Outside of a couple of items, if push comes to shove, I have everything I need to last until the end of February, which is our next quarterly shopping date. This is assuming that a RR strike doesn't cause the power to shut off, the natural gas to stop flowing, and stops the fresh water supply here locally. And I doubt it'll affect/effect the internet much.
Raggedyman
Res ipsa loquitur
ya know I felt a disturbance in the force just after Cary posted that . . . I felt like it might be SB looking for an appropriate sized brick to fling in a certain sumbuddys directionNow, just hold on a minute!
TxGal
Day by day
Oh wow, you just brought back a bunch of great memories for me!
In the kitchen of my childhood home, my parents had a trivet hanging on the wall that said:
"I'm the boss of this house and I have my wife's permission to say so."
Thank you :-)
night driver
ESFP adrift in INTJ sea
Nah. She's likely like RELIC and oops. The top or near top of the pile #6 or greater skillet will do nicely for under 25 feet.ya know I felt a disturbance in the force just after Cary posted that . . . I felt like it might be SB looking for an appropriate sized brick to fling in a certain sumbuddys direction
Raggedyman
Res ipsa loquitur
and are some of the components of diesel fuel transported by rail to refineries?
Intestinal Fortitude
Have Faith
please tell her for me that she is a "putz"
Wish we still had a railroad to go on strike... warning to train junkies, steam locomotive footage
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xTaJhW8tt7U
RT 8:23
N&W 382: The Virginia Creeper (2017)
Norfolk & Western #382, a 4-8-0 "Mollie" type locomotive, was built in 1906 by the Richmond Locomotive Works. A workhorse of the branch lines, the engine saw work over its lengthily lifetime notably on the Abingdon Branch of the Norfolk & Western Railway's system, and a notable photography subject for the great O. Winston Link. Sadly the engine was dismantled in 1957, but her sister engine #475 escaped the scrapper's torch. Today, #475 is dressed up as her long lost sister for Lerro Photography's "Virginia Creeper" charter, the third event of its kind, at the Strasburg Railroad. Recreating scenes commonly seen on the Abingdon Branch, #382 races along the countryside with a mixed freight consist, just as she would over 60 years ago! Now please enjoy this special video brought to you by Blue Comet Productions in conjunction with Lerro Photography!
This video was filmed on November 6th, 2017.
RT 8:23
N&W 382: The Virginia Creeper (2017)
Norfolk & Western #382, a 4-8-0 "Mollie" type locomotive, was built in 1906 by the Richmond Locomotive Works. A workhorse of the branch lines, the engine saw work over its lengthily lifetime notably on the Abingdon Branch of the Norfolk & Western Railway's system, and a notable photography subject for the great O. Winston Link. Sadly the engine was dismantled in 1957, but her sister engine #475 escaped the scrapper's torch. Today, #475 is dressed up as her long lost sister for Lerro Photography's "Virginia Creeper" charter, the third event of its kind, at the Strasburg Railroad. Recreating scenes commonly seen on the Abingdon Branch, #382 races along the countryside with a mixed freight consist, just as she would over 60 years ago! Now please enjoy this special video brought to you by Blue Comet Productions in conjunction with Lerro Photography!
This video was filmed on November 6th, 2017.
Raggedyman
Res ipsa loquitur
properly brewed coffee must be strong enough to pour itself into the cup and walk over to your current coordinates . . . it will ALWAYS be HOT and BLACK . . . anything less is unfit for human consumption
rafter
Since 1999
Train also run on diesel and pretty much all trains have multiple engines....I've seen as many as 6.
There aren't enough trucks or drivers to make a dent in what trains move. Even with the trains running now the highways are covered up with trucks every day of the week. More truck stops are being built or have in the last few years to help not only with buying diesel, but so the drivers can have a place to park when their daily time runs out and they have to pull off the road. In Kansas there are signs up that are digital that tell truck how far it is to a place to pull off (not a truck stop, more like a rest area) and how many spots there are at the moment. Some have zero because they are all in use and where there is one may be hours away. With the electronic log books now, it makes life interesting.
CaryC
Has No Life - Lives on TB
Yeah BUT just saw an article at zerohedge where output on diesel and heating oil is up. Let me see if I can find it.
The Diesel Crunch Is Finally Causing Demand Destruction
By Tsvetana Paraskova of OilPrice.comHigh prices seem to have started to weigh on diesel demand in the United States, where distillate inventories – comprising diesel and heating oil – have been slowly rising over the past few weeks. American distillate inventories are still below the five-year average, but the gap in stocks compared to previous years has slowly started to narrow, suggesting that high prices are hitting demand, while encouraging more refinery output thanks to solid refining margins.
In this week’s inventory report, the U.S. Energy Information Administration said that distillate stocks rose by 1.7 million barrels in the week to November 18, with production rising to an average of 5.1 million barrels per day (bpd). Distillate fuel inventories are still about 13% below the five-year average for this time of year, but two months ago, they were more than 20% below the five-year average for that time of the year.
Earlier this autumn, U.S. distillate stocks slumped to their lowest level for this time of the year since 1951, just as the heating season started and a few months ahead of the EU embargo on Russian oil product imports, which goes into effect in February.
Now signs have emerged that weaker demand in the past weeks may have slowly started to rebuild diesel inventories, contrary to seasonal trends. Distillate inventories in the U.S. rose by 3 million barrels in the six weeks to November 18, according to estimates by Reuters’ senior market analyst John Kemp based on EIA data.
In products supplied – a proxy of implied demand – distillate fuel product supplied averaged 4.0 million bpd over the past four weeks, down by 3.5% from the same period last year, the EIA data showed.
However, as implied demand slowed, refineries boosted run rates in the week to November 18, raising overall U.S. refinery utilization to 93.9%, up from 92.9% for the previous week. This compares with 88.6% refinery utilization over the same week last year.
Refiners are processing more crude oil to capture the still high refining margins, but demand seems to cool off, not least because of high diesel prices, which haven’t come off this year’s record high as fast as gasoline prices have.
As of November 21, the average retail diesel price in the United States was $5.233 per gallon, or $1.509/gal higher than at this time last year. To compare, the average gasoline price in the U.S. on the same day was $0.253 per gallon higher than a year ago, EIA data showed.
In New England – where distillate inventories were at their lowest level ever at the start of the heating season and where 33% of homes use heating oil as the primary heating fuel – the diesel price is nearly $6/gal, at $5.963 on November 21, or $2.297/gal higher than last year.
Yet, demand for diesel – the primary fuel of the economy – is already showing signs of weakness, also as a result of high prices.
However, the recent drop in international crude oil prices and lower implied demand in the U.S. while distillate production is rising have led to a decline in America’s diesel prices.
A total of 47 of the 50 states are seeing average diesel prices drop from their week-ago levels, with diesel prices down over 10c/gal from a week ago in 19 states, Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, said on Wednesday.
Globally, stubbornly high diesel prices fueling inflation as well as slowing economies are expected to lead to a slight decline in diesel demand in 2023, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said in its monthly report last week. Last year, global diesel/gasoil demand growth stood at 1.5 million bpd. This year’s growth is expected at just 400,000 bpd, while next year, diesel demand will post a small decline “under the weight of persistently high prices, a slowing economy and despite increased gas-to-oil switching,” the IEA said.
The Diesel Crunch Is Finally Causing Demand Destruction | ZeroHedge
ZeroHedge - On a long enough timeline, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero
www.zerohedge.com
SouthernBreeze
Has No Life - Lives on TB
Raggedyman
Res ipsa loquitur
with apologies to the ladies present, a bit of thread drift follows. its likely to be most appreciate by certain sailors among us - skimmers in particular (as opposed to bubble heads) who unless they served on diesel boats and enjoyed liberty in certain ports of call wouldn't be able to appreciate the humor of the situation . . . or the experience there after . . .
about a week out from port while walking the deck of a certain tin can just about to cross the equator into shellback land, as a very young E3 (read inexperienced as hell) I encounter a salty old 1'st class bosun mate carrying the obligatory and ever present cup of black coffee, elbow held at the side and bent at that perfectly maintained and carefully stabilized angle (to prevent unnecessary spillage while underweigh).
he says to me: "HEY (my last name)! ya know where you're goin' dontcha son?" ME: "sure boats we're headed through the panama canal to south america" HIM: "no boy! you're headed to where the women are just like this coffee - HOT AND BLACK . . . best gettcha sumadat now . . .
I can still remember the feeling of my eyes as they became the size of saucers and my jaw jerked open as he walked off laughing
about a week out from port while walking the deck of a certain tin can just about to cross the equator into shellback land, as a very young E3 (read inexperienced as hell) I encounter a salty old 1'st class bosun mate carrying the obligatory and ever present cup of black coffee, elbow held at the side and bent at that perfectly maintained and carefully stabilized angle (to prevent unnecessary spillage while underweigh).
he says to me: "HEY (my last name)! ya know where you're goin' dontcha son?" ME: "sure boats we're headed through the panama canal to south america" HIM: "no boy! you're headed to where the women are just like this coffee - HOT AND BLACK . . . best gettcha sumadat now . . .
I can still remember the feeling of my eyes as they became the size of saucers and my jaw jerked open as he walked off laughing
Just Plain Mom
Alien Lizard Person
Son's company is offering huge incentives for truck drivers to stay out through Christmas and New Year's. Much more than most years, which is usually a bonus of $700 or so. They mentioned in the message that their clients (suppliers) contributed to the incentives. (He will be coming home, as he always does.)
As a team driver/trainer, he has criss-crossed the US (FL to WA, WA to NY) in one week. He's definitely not alone, in a large company with more than a thousand trucks.
As a team driver/trainer, he has criss-crossed the US (FL to WA, WA to NY) in one week. He's definitely not alone, in a large company with more than a thousand trucks.
Raggedyman
Res ipsa loquitur
IMHO that should be seen as a HUGH DOT . . . something is in the wind and it looks to be growing more distasteful by the day
packyderms_wife
Neither here nor there.
DOT this is a HUGE dot!
bw
Fringe Ranger
It takes far less diesel per ton to move by rail than by road.
Redleg
Veteran Member
Good point! Might find out how that driver shortage will work with the truckers.
I don't think the majority of people will even pay attention to the strike unless the "media" tells them it represents SHTF. One of the reasons my late dh and I decided to prep was so as not to be part of the hoard mobbing stores in a panic. Most sheeple will not panic until they cannot buy what they want (not need) and will go off the deep end when their needs are not fulfilled. In general, I think a rail strike will be a big ho-hum unless it goes on for an extended period of time which I do not think .gov will allow.