The average 18 wheeler loaded at 80,000 lbs gets about 7 miles per gallon.

[caraher]

67. The big picture has to involve creating different jobs

In the long run, long-haul trucking has to diminish regardless, simply because we can't sustain the current system based on fossil fuels. There's only so much oil, and keeping the effects of climate change manageable demands we keep most of the fossil fuel we haven't yet burned in the ground. I'm not really sure what the net effect on jobs of pushing the mix toward more rail and less trucking for long-haul transport would be, but you do raise an important consideration!

My hope would be that as we move away from fossil fuels, job prospects will open up in building a new energy and transportation infrastructure (including expanded mass transit). We need to make sure that those jobs offer a good living to anyone willing to do an honest day's work. And we have to continue to fight for organized labor. Thanks for the timely reminder that the right to a decent job can't be forgotten!