Re:Re: (erielack) LCL Traffic

["Janet & Randy Brown" <jananran_@_mymailstation.com>]

Three leters in reply:

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Randy Brown
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I don't think I'd characterize the LTL trucking business as being  parti8cularly profitable, except in a relative sense (to each other). LTL trucking has  had a tough row to hoe the last couple of decades, and the roadside is littered  with their carcasses (abandoned terminals). 
Forget the Interstates, Mason-Dixons,etc of bygone years. Recent years have  seen a batch of mid and large sized regional/national carriers go by the  board--Preston, A-P-A, Carolina, then the biggie, CF, while J Hoffa was spending his  members millions trying and failing to unionize Overnite--now owned by UPS.  Roadway is slowly being sucked into Yellow.  Plus a host of other regionals  failing. Virtually all of these companies were unionized. Virtually all of the  truckload carriers out there are not.
Relativel few of these LTL guys shipped by rail, and when they did id was  usually overflow especially here in the east. They are limited by agreement to  nmt 28% rail intermodal, but most union carriers aren't anywhere near that at  present. Most of what they do move by rail in in the west,e.g. Chicago- LA where  it is tough to compete with rail transit time without team drivers, which is  big bucks. 
Jim


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