Semitrucks are some of the least efficient vehicles we have. They burn like 15x the amount of fuel to bring a container 1 mile compared to a cargo ship. They’re also one of the harder vehicles to electrify as we decarbonize. In general, boats are more efficient than trains which are more efficient than trucks, and by a lot. Also, much of the US’ imports from Mexico arrive by sea because northern Mexico is very mountainous and rural. Other than factories built along the US border, it’s impractical to ship over land.
They burn like 15x the amount of fuel to bring a container 1 mile compared to a cargo ship.
First, source? Second, when the cargo ship is also going over 15x the distance, it'd better be effective at longer ranges. Third, trucking is how you get cargo containers from the dock to where it needs to go. Expanding on that existing system and scrapping some of the cargo ships that are already overutilized just seems like it would be better for everyone. Faster, cheaper, strategic. And even if we do still have to ship by sea, the distance goes from fucking China to neighbor.
I never said that trucks don’t serve a purpose, they’re just really inefficient for long-distance transportation. If we’re maximizing for fuel efficiency, cargo is shipped to the nearest port to its destination, loaded on a train if the destination is further inland, and then a truck takes it the last mile to its destination.
Semitrucks are some of the least efficient vehicles we have. They burn like 15x the amount of fuel to bring a container 1 mile compared to a cargo ship. They’re also one of the harder vehicles to electrify as we decarbonize. In general, boats are more efficient than trains which are more efficient than trucks, and by a lot. Also, much of the US’ imports from Mexico arrive by sea because northern Mexico is very mountainous and rural. Other than factories built along the US border, it’s impractical to ship over land.
First, source? Second, when the cargo ship is also going over 15x the distance, it'd better be effective at longer ranges. Third, trucking is how you get cargo containers from the dock to where it needs to go. Expanding on that existing system and scrapping some of the cargo ships that are already overutilized just seems like it would be better for everyone. Faster, cheaper, strategic. And even if we do still have to ship by sea, the distance goes from fucking China to neighbor.
I never said that trucks don’t serve a purpose, they’re just really inefficient for long-distance transportation. If we’re maximizing for fuel efficiency, cargo is shipped to the nearest port to its destination, loaded on a train if the destination is further inland, and then a truck takes it the last mile to its destination.
Regarding a source look at the table under “US freight transport” on this page: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Energy_efficiency_in_transport