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Re: (erielack) LCL Traffic



I don't think I'd characterize the LTL trucking business as being 
parti8cularly profitable, except in a relative sense (to each other). LTL trucking has 
had a tough row to hoe the last couple of decades, and the roadside is littered 
with their carcasses (abandoned terminals). 
Forget the Interstates, Mason-Dixons,etc of bygone years. Recent years have 
seen a batch of mid and large sized regional/national carriers go by the 
board--Preston, A-P-A, Carolina, then the biggie, CF, while J Hoffa was spending his 
members millions trying and failing to unionize Overnite--now owned by UPS. 
Roadway is slowly being sucked into Yellow.  Plus a host of other regionals 
failing. Virtually all of these companies were unionized. Virtually all of the 
truckload carriers out there are not.
Relativel few of these LTL guys shipped by rail, and when they did id was 
usually overflow especially here in the east. They are limited by agreement to 
nmt 28% rail intermodal, but most union carriers aren't anywhere near that at 
present. Most of what they do move by rail in in the west,e.g. Chicago- LA where 
it is tough to compete with rail transit time without team drivers, which is 
big bucks. 
Jim

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