What If American Freight Trucking Was Owned And Operated By The Federal Government?

I have heard much of rail transportation in Europe is govt. owned and operated and that it is superior to American railroading. I don't know about trucks, but Mother Russia and Switzerland seem to run trains better than we do.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hCBI3lPt3o4&t=845s

The man in the video above said that some freight customers have turned to trucking because rail service sucks.

If as a freight truck driver, what if the federal government were your employer? How do you feel your overall quality of life might be? Can the government run transportation nationally better than private outfits can?

You’ve been away for some time Todd.

So, then the trucking/transportation industry would become like the United States Postal Service? And the government hasn’t screwed up the public sector enough? Then we turn over the private sector to the government? Sounds like a great idea. (Sarcasm intended).

David, can you think of anything the U.S. government runs that operates efficiently?

I'm trying hard to come up with something. I'm drawing a blank.

Let's see... their is Amtrac. Uhmmm, no that hasn't gone well even though they needed very little capital investment. They are using the infrastructure that private enterprise built and they still have never turned a profit. They end up subsidizing everything with taxpayer funds. That doesn't sound very savvy.

Okay, let's do some more thinking... Oh, oh, what about Healthcare? We haven't even been able to trust what they tell us about simple viruses. They panic and expect us to follow their lead. That's no way to manage something. When it's obvious we know more than they seem to they double down and outright lie to us. They seem to think we will be obedient even when we know better. That hasn't turned out well for them.

Let's see here... Oh here's one. What did our Current president do right after he was inaugurated? He signed a bunch of executive orders handed to him by his handlers and admitted on National Television that he didn't know what he was signing. Much of them were payback to the activists that got him elected. Some of them cut our oil production back considerably by posing themselves as "saving the planet."

Now that same president is acting indignant because the Saudis are cutting back oil production. He claims it's going to raise the price! Our government seems to have no clue about how their policies affect our daily lives. Nor do they seem to care. Our policies gave us the record prices for energy and they have yet to back off of their ridiculous practices.

Of course they are also doing everything they can to force us off of fossil fuels. I drive the lower 48. I see tons of unsightly wind generators and solar farms. Yet the amount of electricity they are producing doesn't even come close to what we've been enjoying from other sources like Hydro generation and coal. Both of those are truly efficient.

Then when you dig deeper you find the government is still subsidizing these new forms of electricity generation. I remember about twenty five years ago them predicting they would need to subsidize these new industries for 3 to 5 years. Now there is no end in sight for the expenses required to produce way less energy.

If as a freight truck driver, what if the federal government were your employer? How do you feel your overall quality of life might be? Can the government run transportation nationally better than private outfits can?

I am just barely getting warmed up. I could go on if you like.

The first inkling I hear of the government stepping up to take over the freight business so they can help the poor truck drivers out will be the day I quit and never look back. They can't even make a proper vaccine anymore. They had to change the definition of a vaccine to convince us they were helping us. I can't wait to hear their new definition of performance based pay! That ought to be a real kick in the seat of our pants.

Maybe not then. Things that seem to work like magic in Europe, Aisa and Australia don't seem to cut it in North America. Canada has a slighly better freight railroad system than we do. I don't know about their trucking industry. The trains and trucks both in Australia seem to work slick.

Let me ask you folks this: what could the private sector and/or the public sector do (or not do) to make your life as freight workers improve if anything at all? Do you welcome any kind of changes? Does America's motor freight system need unionization?

Things that seem to work like magic in Europe, Aisa and Australia don't seem to cut it in North America.

David, if I'm not mistaken, we fought a brutal war so we didn't have to operate like the Europeans. America's whole foundation was based on individual rights and LIMITED government. We have our Constitution. It spells out the way we want to live and conduct our businesses and our society. We are not like the other nations. There has never been another nation as young as ours to be as prosperous so quickly. Our founding fathers laid a foundation that produced a wildly successful nation.

My question is why you think everyone else's is so great?

Why do you think we need intervention? I am quite content with my life as an American truck driver. What is it that makes you think we are looking for some sort of help?

Maybe not then. Things that seem to work like magic in Europe, Aisa and Australia don't seem to cut it in North America. Canada has a slighly better freight railroad system than we do. I don't know about their trucking industry. The trains and trucks both in Australia seem to work slick.

Let me ask you folks this: what could the private sector and/or the public sector do (or not do) to make your life as freight workers improve if anything at all? Do you welcome any kind of changes? Does America's motor freight system need unionization?

You know why? The same corporations that have too much influence in government are the ones that can't efficiently operate their own businesses. Putting it under the operation of the federal government really wouldn't change anything other than adding more layers of bureaucracy and probably providing another means for the corporate giants to further exploit the common man.

Why do those other countries have government run infrastructure that seems to just work more efficiently? Because those governments are run more efficiently.

With efficiency comes a cost. Would you rather have the American brand of freedom or the Russian version? Would you rather be able to determine the direction of your own life with some inefficiency, or be able to predict that train schedule at the cost of personal liberties?

No, the American government is not optimal, but when you get to trying to compare it to other places, it becomes a futile exercise because such comparisons looks at the worst of the American system and the best of the comparison system. The American government is not as bad as the worst takes make it seem and the comparisons not as good as those best takes make them seem. The reality lies somewhere in the middle.

Oh here we go again! Pro-Biden(come on man) anti trumpastiltskin bs fest. Remember people "right wing, left wing its all the same bird". Old School your comments are spot on. Thank you!

Bumping this… best answer.

David, can you think of anything the U.S. government runs that operates efficiently?

I'm trying hard to come up with something. I'm drawing a blank.

Let's see... their is Amtrac. Uhmmm, no that hasn't gone well even though they needed very little capital investment. They are using the infrastructure that private enterprise built and they still have never turned a profit. They end up subsidizing everything with taxpayer funds. That doesn't sound very savvy.

Okay, let's do some more thinking... Oh, oh, what about Healthcare? We haven't even been able to trust what they tell us about simple viruses. They panic and expect us to follow their lead. That's no way to manage something. When it's obvious we know more than they seem to they double down and outright lie to us. They seem to think we will be obedient even when we know better. That hasn't turned out well for them.

Let's see here... Oh here's one. What did our Current president do right after he was inaugurated? He signed a bunch of executive orders handed to him by his handlers and admitted on National Television that he didn't know what he was signing. Much of them were payback to the activists that got him elected. Some of them cut our oil production back considerably by posing themselves as "saving the planet."

Now that same president is acting indignant because the Saudis are cutting back oil production. He claims it's going to raise the price! Our government seems to have no clue about how their policies affect our daily lives. Nor do they seem to care. Our policies gave us the record prices for energy and they have yet to back off of their ridiculous practices.

Of course they are also doing everything they can to force us off of fossil fuels. I drive the lower 48. I see tons of unsightly wind generators and solar farms. Yet the amount of electricity they are producing doesn't even come close to what we've been enjoying from other sources like Hydro generation and coal. Both of those are truly efficient.

Then when you dig deeper you find the government is still subsidizing these new forms of electricity generation. I remember about twenty five years ago them predicting they would need to subsidize these new industries for 3 to 5 years. Now there is no end in sight for the expenses required to produce way less energy.

If as a freight truck driver, what if the federal government were your employer? How do you feel your overall quality of life might be? Can the government run transportation nationally better than private outfits can?

I am just barely getting warmed up. I could go on if you like.

The first inkling I hear of the government stepping up to take over the freight business so they can help the poor truck drivers out will be the day I quit and never look back. They can't even make a proper vaccine anymore. They had to change the definition of a vaccine to convince us they were helping us. I can't wait to hear their new definition of performance based pay! That ought to be a real kick in the seat of our pants.