The trucking industry is nearly as corrupt as the railroads were.
Trucks do not pay for even a fraction of the damage they do, particularly since Reagan raised the weight limits. Remember the sticker you used to see on semi trailers? The ones that said, "This truck pays $5,554 per year in taxes?" You don't see those anymore because they backfired. Everybody knows the average truck causes 100 times that much damage to the roads.
The rise of the trucking industry was fueled, to use your pun, by petroleum companies and tire manufacturers.
Once development interests realized the attractive aspects of having freeways run in and out of major cities, the freeway system was diverted from its original purpose and its original routes. Now it's useless as a national defense system, although I think the words "national defense" still appear in its official title. But it's great for the people who build and sell houses and apartments in the suburbs. "If you lived here, you'd be home by now!"
Trucks are not more efficient than trains when it comes to moving freight. Trucks win when it comes to short distance, perishable goods, etc. but trains are vastly more efficient when it comes to heavy stuff and long hauls.
The trucking industry is a major reason our politician are afraid to raise the gas tax to pay for all the damage the trucks did.
And so on. Yes, trucks are wonderful. They give several of my jobs that relieve them being dairy farmers, which they were not very good at in the first place. And they created the economic boom you mentioned, just as the railroads did when they killed off the natives and opened up the west. But we paid for the boom with taxes, and forgiveness from taxes, just as we paid for the Reagan Prosperity everybody loves so much. And our highways are clogged with trucks. If you want to know what I mean by "clogged," try driving I-95 in the eastern corridor. I-5 in the west is nearly as bad.
"Two edged sword" is a cliche' but it applies perfectly to the truck situation. We derive benefits, but we pay for them.
= new reply since forum marked as read