Truck Transportation

We see them everyday carrying everything from toilet paper to computer servers, but I doubt that many of us ever really think about the significance of these trucks.

If we didn't have these trucks we'd have to live close to a rail terminal or port to get many of the things we take for granted. Think of a world in which toilet paper, soap, shampoo, and deoderant were not available just down the street. Farms just one hundred years ago were like that. Would it change your lifestyle if you had to go 100 miles to get these items?

Businesses also depend upon truck transportation to get things to where the consumer can buy them. Depending on the size and weight of an item shipping to the store where you buy it can be anywhere up to 50% of the price you pay. Retailers and wholesalers have to take shipping costs into account, and set prices so that these costs get paid.

I know it sounds simple, but just shopping on the internet these costs become much more noticeable. Using any one of multiple internet price comparison services you can find the lowest price, only to soon realize that the next lowest price if it includes shipping may be significantly less total. I was buying some used books on a site and was really pleased to find them for a few dollars apiece. I had about 10 picked out,and my total said $16 or so. Then, I clicked checkout, and they added shipping. Instantly, my great bargain disappeared because with shipping my new total was almost $50. Being your average tight fisted bargain hunter, I soon deleted about half of my selections, and brought the grand total under $30. It wasn't that I didn't want to read those books. I just didn't want to read them bad enough to pay the shipping. Off the internet, bargains are bargains. The shipping was already paid before anybody realized your particular town didn't have demand for 5000 copies of book X,Y, or Z at the cover price, and that it was cheaper to sell them for a couple of bucks than to ship them back out.

Highway shipping is hugely important to our way of life, food, clothing, "the latest" of anything, electronics, almost everything we buy comes to us "over the road." So those big trucks aren't just a nuisance blocking you from seeing the next red light, or slowing you down. They're also a crucial lifeline for your lifestyle.