Trains or trucks that is the question?

Question

ok i was just reading a question that was resolved but i think im going to make the ? a little more open. first things first ive dealt with both ive worked with big rigs and trains i think its better for big rigs to be running due to the fact that they move faster and are less likely to cause as much damage to an area if they crash unlike trains. trains can haul more more but the thing is they cant haul certain things like buildings, construction machines, and other big things that rigs do yes they due haul lumber but it is harder to move that lumber to the places it has to go for the simple fact is that trains cant do wat a truck can do. think about the amount of train derailments u hear about then times it by 10 the news only says really big ones not the smaller ones.

Answer 1

First of all, trains are much better for the environment.  Second of all, the reason that trains can't go everywhere is because we don't have a good network of railroads.  If the government put the kind of money into building train tracks that they do into building roads then we wouldn't have that problem.  Third, the reason you hear about derailments and not truck crashes is because there are so many crashes they are not news.  Fourth, if the government put the kind of money into supporting the railroads that they have into supporting less environmentally friendly systems of transportation, trains would be much cheaper and safer.

Answer 2

If you got it a trucker brought it!

Answer 3

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WHEELS ON A BIG RIG! By twos!...

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WHEELS ON A BIG RIG! By threes!....

Big rigs are better cause you can sing trucking songs!

We got a long time to go and a short time to get there!....

Answer 4

I think tucks all the way cause it is true that they can haul more bigger stuff like houses and stuff and in the trucking business, there are a lot more people working so they can support their families.I love trucks cause i have worked on them and i just love the mechanical business or trade.

TRUCKS ALL THE ******* WAY!

Answer 5

It's not which one is better than the other, it's how to make the most efficient transport system.  First, leaptad had it exactly right, if we put more money into the US rail network, the system would be a much more viable.  For example, in 2005 the Federal government gave the Aurline industry around 30 billion dollars, but the rail system only got about 6 billion.  This is the reason our rail system is 75 years behind Europe's.  2nd, trains can maintain a much higher speed than a truck, because generally they have exclusive right of ways, they are not subject to traffic jams, and they have huge capacities of fuel, thus less stopping.  3rd, safety is much better on rail than driving.  By being confined to a rail, a train doesn't suddenly cut another train off.  We hear more about train accidents because they are larger in scale.  By your logic, you could make the argument flying is the most dangerous form of travel because you hear about all the crashes, when in reality there were 46,000 traffic deaths in 2006, and far fewer plane related deaths.  So, due to the frequency of accidents, the only truck crashes we'll hear about will be like the one that took out the bridge in San Fransisco.  4th, trucks can't move a building either.  I don't understand the argument that trains can't move construction equipment.  Why not?  I suppose a seriously wide load would be a problem, but that's where trucks could take over.  Why have 60 semis deliver a shipment of pillows when one train could do it?  Each transport method has it's pros and cons, but one is not better than the other.  It's situational.

Answer 6

As was mentioned, both are needed.  Trains are better for long distance high density loads.  Trucks are better for rapid and smaller loads.

Answer 7

we need both

Answer 8

Both are needed, pure and simple.  However, the way this country is going, we are headed for big trouble.  We need to find a better way to handle our freight in this country.  It is estimated that some of our interstates will increase in truck traffic by 80% in less than 10 years, that is nearly double.  Our country only doubles in population on average every 40 years.  With this added truck traffic, traffic as a whole will seem as if it doubled.  Every big rig on the road takes up the space of three passenger vehicles (cars).  Trucks, because of their weight and size cost billions of dollars in road construction.  A standard 4-leg intersection designed for 53' trailors requires nearly 3 times the pavement (covers 3 times the space) of a 4-leg intersection designed for cars and pickups.  The pavement is also required to be much thicker.  Standard city streets in many locations are 6"-8" thick.  Large numbers of trucks require the pavement to be between 10" & 24" thick.  They also require much more stopping and acceleration distances (longer on and off ramps on the interstate) than cars.  

Now that I've pointed out some problems with trucks, here some downsides to rail.  When there is a wreck, it is typically very severe.  Though car/train collisions are realitively rare, they are nearly always tragic.  Also, for years our rail industry has just buried spilled cargo, deisel leaks from trains may go unnoticed for days, weeks, even years.  I know of many locations along existing or abandoned rail lines that are on the EPA's Superfund Sites List.  The volumes of trains currently ran on many mainlines can create tremendous traffic congestions.  There are some communities that wait hours a day for trains (if a train passes every 20 minutes, and takes 2 minutes to pass=2.4 hours, for a single track).  This could be devastating if you have a heart attack and the hospital is on the other side of the tracks.  The alternative is to build crossings at an average cost of $15 million per 2 lane overpass.

In conclusion, as presented in the question both have benefits, but as I have listed both also cost the public a tremendous amount.  We need both, but we need to find a better way to move freight.