Capitol Hill Blue Forums Political Issues Climate Change and Environmental Issues "Greener" Trucking - Or Something Else ?

Yup, we are digging arselves into an ever deeper hole over speed and convenience of delivering stuff.

Trains would be nice. Consuming less crap would help (that would mean less work for truckers, oh no!). Doing more for arselves where we live is the bottom line.

My favorite remedy, though, is to throw my hands in the air and git mad at the guvment.

Scuse me a moment...who is being the snob?
Take another look at that camera. I mean, ACTUALLY TAKE A REAL LOOK. We're not talking about just the DVD burners Mech, that was just one example of many.

Low material input? Couple grands worth of electronic goobers?
Amuse some hobbyist?

I really wonder if we have anything to talk about, because I've been in your world and I have both a respect and an appreciation for it.

The moment you toss me off, an Emmy nominated and Telly Award winnning cinematographer, as a hobbyist and a snob lollygagging around with a "couple grands worth of electronic goobers" I lose all respect not for the truck but for the goober wielding the wrench. Dude, seriously...you need to read more carefully.

It's not just the DVD burners that have gone down in price.
Technology as a whole goes down in price, even in the automotive world because if it didn't we wouldn't be seeing Corvettes that do zero to sixty in 3.8 seconds while getting 25 miles per gallon on the freeway in 2011.

I happen to know what it used to cost to coax a 3.8 second 0-60 launch from a Vette in the old days, because a stock Vette did not DO zero to sixty in 3.8 seconds in the old days unless you applied fifty thousand dollars worth of parts and labor to an already expensive car.
And so you not only wound up spending way more than the cost of a 2011 Vette, you also only got a FRACTION of the lifespan, because engines weren't as durable back then either.
And you sure as HELL couldn't squeeze 25 mpg out of your creation either.
Today's stock automobiles deliver many times more performance and fuel efficiency, AND durability than their predecessors.
Even the damn ODOMETERS have an extra digit now because it's no longer a miracle when you get over a hundred thou on the clock like it used to be.

I also know that, contrary to popular belief, a 2009 Chevy Malibu will utterly destroy a 1959 Bel-Air in a head on collision, because I've seen it on video in a crash test.
One would naturally assume the opposite because we're conditioned to believe the old cars were tanks and would make mincemeat out of anything that they hit. Not true.

My point is, we get a LOT MORE bang for the buck these days.
Trucking industry not providing the same payout?
I dunno Mech, they oughta be. There is NO SCIENTIFIC or economic reason they shouldn't be.



Yeah listen here Bub, so is professional broadcast grade video kit, either you can read English or you can't. I happen to think I made a pretty good case for that.
Here's what I am getting from the above statement:


Yeah okayfinewhatever Mechie, do people take you seriously?
I find it difficult but I am willing to perservere.


So are digital cinematography rigs.
I tried to illustrate that but maybe I was too long winded so here's a short short list to match your attention span:

1) Camera body
2) Lens
3) Lens
4) Lens
5) Lens
6) Support rails
7) Electronic viewfinder
8) Director's viewfinder
9) Hard disk recorder
10)Battery
11)Battery
12)Battery
13)Battery charger
14)Matte box
15)Follow Focus
16)Onboard lighting
17)Onboard wireless audio RCVR
18)Fluid head
19)Tripod plate
20)Tripod



Did you get that? That's just the basic starter kit.
I didn't include the dollies, lights, wireless audio XMTR, mics
(shotgun, lavalier and handheld) and I didn't include the other countless odds and ends because I'd be repeating myself.

The above picture is a low end package compared to what's out there now. If you go to the Red Digital Cinema website and price out the pieces for a RED Epic package you will pass a hundred thousand dollars before you leave Page One.


I think you're still missing the point. Truckers are going to have to embrace new and more efficient ways to GENERATE that horsepower (AND TORQUE) because the legislation isn't the only factor here. Realities of petroleum geopolitics will force their hand a lot more cruelly than legislation my friend, and we've pretty much spent our wad trying to maintain the false illusion of cheap and readily available petroleum which supported the seven mile per gallon world.

Are you attempting to flatly say that there is NO way to squeeze more fuel efficiency out of a truck?

If you are, you really ARE a buggy whip maker.
You gotta be kidding me.
And you still need to read more carefully.

CS,

The commercial truck/consumer electronics comp wasn't my analogy ! ( Although I seriously suspect probably 90+% of electronic gadgets end up in the hands of hobbists else there wouldn't be all the "big box" stores around.)

Before bragging on that Corvette, ask yourself how many of those full-bore launches will it withstand ? Sure as hell won't be 100K miles worth and a far cry from the 300K + miles worth of heavy hauling every truck is expected to deliver ! If all that's desired is pure fuel efficiency then put the load on the rails. A freight train's "ton/mile fuel efficiency makes any truck look like a fuel hog. But the thread topic is truck efficiency and government plans to decrease it at the behest of certain industry elements. IOW yet another case of government screwing with market forces to the detriment of the consummer.

We've made enormous strides in improving diesel engine performance/efficiency curves - if not always driveability - thanks in large part to the electronic revolution. But when all the "low-hanging fruit" are picked getting more involves a great deal more work ( and expense) for less return. And no government mandate is going to change that reality. If there was any " affordable pickings" do you really think our highly competitive manufacturers would leave them hanging ?

To use your analogy, did you invest all the bucks you report in the tools of your trade just because they were new/shiny/mandated ? Or was every purchase a hard-heaed business one ? Maybe cinematography needs some government mandates controlling what size/weight/configuration/power souce your stuff may use. Or where/how you may use it. Or what level of "emmissions" it produces.

Looked at in perspective the history of government interposing itself (via technical mandates) into motor vehicle engineering - particularly in the latter half of the 20th century - has largely been one of disasterous "unintended consequences". I suspect this latest will be yet another. >Mech

CS,

Equally likely to be a Mexican, or any of a host of middle-eastern types, often with one license shared among 3-5 drivers living in a condo cab with "chai ring" and hole in the floorboards. Their cultural "risk appreciation" might make you appreciate your example a lot more ! More often its a grass green rookie fresh out of some driving school in a company truck working for $.60-.70 /mi. >Mech

Reminds me of the old joke about the farmer that won a million in the lottery, Greger. When asked what he was going to do now he answered, "Reckon I'll just keep farming till its gone."

It is possible to make a living as an "indie" still. But its getting increasingly harder unless you work certain industries or have a sweetheart contract. Fuel runs around $3.70/gal around here and 12 mpg is good mileage. Add to that insurance, tags, fuel stamps for all the states you run in, tires and maintenance all has to be earned on a 11 hr/day duty cycle.

Which is what led me to post the cite regarding the consequences of the proposed market gerrymandering by the Obama Administration to favor the ATA and the Teamsters at the expense of the indies and the consummers. The history of DOT intervention has always favored companies over independents. >Mech

Logan,

Look at the history of railroading and its not hard to see they committed suicide. The roads because they "railroaded; customer be damned", while the unions laid upon the "featherbed" so hard they wore it out ! Both sides got extensive preferential treatment at the hands of government, yet still managed to snatch failure from the jaws of success ! So I don't feel too sorry for railroaders of yore. I suspect a good many were like my FIL, a mechanically inept "train inspector".


Trucks/trucking "won" mostly because they provided point to point delivery of high-value freight intact and on time. IOW, the customers' freight wasn't stolen enroute, broken by abuse during humping operations, lost on a siding for weeks, and not delivered to some nearly inaccessible siding with a demurrage bill if not unloaded in 24 hrs. Diesel was cheap and the roads improving. Trucking was a "lever" President DDE used to get his interstate highway system - a national defense system - approved.

OTOH, there are successful roads today. They're successful because they're efficient, customer-oriented and fast. >Mech

My idea would be canals for most freight. Solves water and transportation issues with one investment and canal boats could be automated ! Now all we have to do is get our politicians to change those inventory tax schedules.

No argument from me on the ton/mi fuel efficiency of trains. They have it all over trucks ! Now all you gotta do is convince the legions of "NIMBYs" to let the roads construct spurs into all the shopping centers. Maybe while you're at it you can pursuade them to accept some factories in their back yards too !

Doesn't seem to work around here though ! >Mech

Stands to reason that a Republican sympathizer would see digging endless canals as a better investment than using existing rails to better advantage.
Trucks are perfect for local deliveries.
Trains are perfect for high speed, efficient long distance hauling.
Canals are slow, expensive to build, and extremely inefficient.
High speed rail can achieve 200+ MPH
Trucks can do about 70MPH but must drive slower to conserve fuel.
Canals are good for about 4MPH.

Republicans are good for nothing.

Low bridge, everybody down...

Don't ever spend Halloween on the Eerie Canal.

It's Erie, I'm tellin' ya.


Trucks could be automated ! If we built them special roads.
Trains could be automated ! They already have special roads.

BTW OTROO R ADB. IMNSHO.