It's a Team's Life
MagLev
So...I was listening to a podcast the other night and they were discussing Maglev trains. This is a very interesting topic (at least I thought it was), and I was thinking about how it would affect our lives as truckers. Maglev, or Magnetic Levitation, seems to be the future of passenger transportation, maybe even here in the United States. Currently there are Maglev trains running in Japan, China and Germany, but not here in the U.S., yet. Some of these trains have set speed records over 350 mph, with technology aiming for speeds just under the speed of sound, and others near 3000 mph.
Can you imagine L.A. to N.Y. in five hours without leaving the ground? As far as freight is concerned, they only mentioned one, and it isn't as fast as the passenger trains. The cost to build one is estimated to be near 50 million Euros per mile, and the exchange rate to dollars as of this writing is, one Euro equals $1.35 U.S. There is a private company trying to get funding to build one from Baltimore to D.C., it would be a short ride and I don't think it would get to 250, but from what I understand it would quiet and smooth. Another company wants to build one from Atlanta to Chattanooga, and other projects are looking for money to get started. Our government isn't willing to pony up any money to get this off the ground, probably a good thing the government stays out of this or it would cost $100 million per mile.
One of the reasons for the high cost is they can't use the existing railroad infrastructure. Maglev uses no tracks, there is a "track", but it doesn't touch it, it's there for a guide and to provide propulsion and power. One good thing about Maglev trains is the maintenance would be very low, no friction, nothing to wear out. The trains are very energy efficient, as far as fossil fuel usage compared to the diesel/electric locomotives we have today.
Back to the freight side, I don't think the freight will go this way, here's what I think. With the high cost of construction of the "track", freight rates would be ridiculous for a long time. However, the speed, if it were near the speed of sound, would sure beat the lowly expediter and a plane. Someone (an expediter preferably) would still have to meet the train and deliver the freight. Another reason is the transferring of freight, the freight would still have to move from the shipper to the train station, and from the train station to the consignee. Trucks will still have to be involved on both ends, good for us. Maybe FedEx Express and UPS should look into this, it would be faster than their planes, hub to hub, and maybe they could get into the passenger business to help defray the cost.
I don't see this happening any time soon, but the technology is there and may be seen in our lifetime here in the U.S. If you want to learn more about Mag-Lev trains or many other different subjects, (lots of useless knowledge as my kids call it) go to I-Tunes under podcasts and look for Stuff You Should Know. The guys are funny and informative, great to listen to on those long night drives, or any other time you want to learn something. We all drive hours each day and we could be learning something while being entertained. Enjoy.
Bob & Linda Caffee
TeamCaffee

Saint Louis MO
Expediters 9 years been out here on the road 14 years
Expediting isn't just trucking, it's a lifestyle; 

Expediting isn't just a lifestyle, it's an adventure;

Expediting isn't just an adventure, it's a job;

Expediting isn't just a job, it's a business.