My commute is from SE Conn. to RI. There's a couple types of freight that I see daily that stick out in my head. Not sure what the percentages are because a lot of other trucks seem non-descript.
1. Amazon Prime. Amazon has operations in Fall River, Mass so I see a lot of their trucks. I'm not really a grammar pedant, but the motto on the back of their trailers annoys me. "There's more to Prime. A truckload more." Jeff Bezos got his start selling books and still sells a lot of them. I hold them to a higher standard than some company who doesn't make money off of the written word. Use full sentences!
2. Car carriers. There's an auto port at Davisville, RI (the old Naval Air Station at Quonset Point.) Route 403 heads west from the port to Route 4 and from there, it's a short drive to I-95. Subarus is one of the brands that offload there (after coming from Japan via the Panama Canal.) There are others. One trend I've noticed in the auto hauling business is that there are classes of auto haulers. I see upscale trailers that keep the cars enclosed. I also see some trailers hauled by pickups. I'm not sure where to research this, but my guess is that increased horsepower allows haulers to cut expenses by using these instead of the typical method of using a Peterbilt, Freightliner, or other big tractor with a hydraulic car carrier.
What do you roadsters see?
FedEx, UPS, etc.
^Yeah, but those are so ubiquitous that I think I've become oblivious to them. At least Fed Ex has a cool logo.
Quote from: jon daly on October 22, 2018, 08:49:39 PM
I'm not really a grammar pedant, but ... Subarus is one of the brands ...
:pan:
On the Kansas Turnpike north of Wichita, I see a lot of double and triple trailers.
I'm curious to know: in what other states are you likely to see triple trailers?
Quote from: kphoger on October 22, 2018, 09:14:05 PM
Quote from: jon daly on October 22, 2018, 08:49:39 PM
I'm not really a grammar pedant, but ... Subarus is one of the brands ...
:pan:
On the Kansas Turnpike north of Wichita, I see a lot of double and triple trailers.
I'm curious to know: in what other states are you likely to see triple trailers?
I have seen them on I-35 in Oklahoma.
Produce is a regular occurrence out on CA 99, 41, and 180. There is a lot of apple and nut trucks to be exact. Most of the typical commercial freight sticks to I-5.
Quote from: kphoger on October 22, 2018, 09:14:05 PM
Quote from: jon daly on October 22, 2018, 08:49:39 PM
I'm not really a grammar pedant, but ... Subarus is one of the brands ...
:pan:
On the Kansas Turnpike north of Wichita, I see a lot of double and triple trailers.
I'm curious to know: in what other states are you likely to see triple trailers?
Most of the western states except Washington and California have triples. I don't think Wyoming allows them either.
Quote from: stwoodbury on October 22, 2018, 10:12:36 PM
Quote from: kphoger on October 22, 2018, 09:14:05 PM
Quote from: jon daly on October 22, 2018, 08:49:39 PM
I'm not really a grammar pedant, but ... Subarus is one of the brands ...
:pan:
On the Kansas Turnpike north of Wichita, I see a lot of double and triple trailers.
I'm curious to know: in what other states are you likely to see triple trailers?
Most of the western states except Washington and California have triples. I don't think Wyoming allows them either.
Been awhile since I traveled either, but I remember road trips as a kid, all the Triple Trailers on the Indiana Toll Road and Ohio Turnpike
But they all are reduced to Doubles or Singles upon reaching Illinois, as IL does not allow Triples. I always kinda wondered where the "change" occurs, to turn a pair of Triples into 3 Doubles, or whatever other ways the reduction can be done. Gut feeling, gotta be somewhere near, yet before the Lake Station exit, where I-80 leaves the Toll Road onto the Borman
In terms of local freight I see regularly in Southern IL (but away from I-57 and I-24), would probably be Grain and Coal Trucks
Lumber is common in Oregon on I-5 in the hilly areas south of Eugene, but not as much in the Willamette Valley. It's more common on the various routes that connect I-5 with US 97. (when, conveniently, there are almost never any good opportunities to pass them :banghead:)
I-84 east past the Gorge seems to have a high amount of livestock.
I do love seeing the open produce trucks in CA.
Quote from: kphoger on October 22, 2018, 09:14:05 PM
Quote from: jon daly on October 22, 2018, 08:49:39 PM
I'm not really a grammar pedant, but ... Subarus is one of the brands ...
:pan:
On the Kansas Turnpike north of Wichita, I see a lot of double and triple trailers.
I'm curious to know: in what other states are you likely to see triple trailers?
Ha! I sometimes don't catch my typos.
I haven't been away from the northeast in years. I don't think that I've ever seen a triple trailer.
On a daily basis? I see FedEx, UPS, intermodal containers, auto carriers, long-distance carriers, smaller box trucks, refrigerated trucks, refrigerated containers, double trailers (usually the aforementioned FedEx and UPS), triples if I use the Indiana Toll Road, and dump trucks - both articulated and non-articulated. Of these, the intermodal containers and dump trucks seem to be the majority of them. Did I mention that I live in an area where six of the seven class I railroads meet, and that has several intermodal yards, including two big ones (BNSF & UPRR) just south of town? And that there are a lot of aggregate stone quarries here?
I forgot to ask this in my original posts: Do big trucks enhance your road enthusiasm? I know that I liked them as a kid and that my interest was rekindled when I read UNCOMMON CARRIERS by John McPhee.
Quote from: pdx-wanderer on October 22, 2018, 10:37:21 PM
Lumber is common in Oregon on I-5 in the hilly areas south of Eugene, but not as much in the Willamette Valley. It's more common on the various routes that connect I-5 with US 97. (when, conveniently, there are almost never any good opportunities to pass them :banghead:)
I-84 east past the Gorge seems to have a high amount of livestock.
I do love seeing the open produce trucks in CA.
The fixed trailers in the Central Valley in California are an interesting site. That said I wish they would cover their loads, there usually a crap ton of produce spillage on freeway ramps on the 198/41 corridor. I'd rather not have to swerve to avoid fruit or get a fine paste all over my door panels.
Come to think of it there is a particular trucking company that used I-5 and CA 152 quite a bit that has open produce loads, the name eludes me at the moment. They were one of the biggest opponents to tolled improvements to CA 152 from Gilroy to Casa de Fruita.
Quote from: jon daly on October 23, 2018, 09:37:36 AM
I forgot to ask this in my original posts: Do big trucks enhance your road enthusiasm?
No. In fact, I (and my mother) was almost killed when I was a year old by one that ran a red light and T-boned our car. I have no interest in them, but I do have a healthy respect of what they are and what they are capable of.
The one relevant thing I do enjoy doing is looking up UN numbers for hazardous goods that I see being transported.
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on October 23, 2018, 09:41:27 AM
Quote from: pdx-wanderer on October 22, 2018, 10:37:21 PM
Lumber is common in Oregon on I-5 in the hilly areas south of Eugene, but not as much in the Willamette Valley. It's more common on the various routes that connect I-5 with US 97. (when, conveniently, there are almost never any good opportunities to pass them :banghead:)
I-84 east past the Gorge seems to have a high amount of livestock.
I do love seeing the open produce trucks in CA.
The fixed trailers in the Central Valley in California are an interesting site. That said I wish they would cover their loads, there usually a crap ton of produce spillage on freeway ramps on the 198/41 corridor. I'd rather not have to swerve to avoid fruit or get a fine paste all over my door panels.
Come to think of it there is a particular trucking company that used I-5 and CA 152 quite a bit that has open produce loads, the name eludes me at the moment. They were one of the biggest opponents to tolled improvements to CA 152 from Gilroy to Casa de Fruita.
The main agricultural products I see on the highway are hay and turf; occasionally horses. If I'm heading back to my hometown. I sometimes see dairy trucks on CT-87 in Lebanon, Conn.
During my commutes...
Morning rush hour there's rarely anything memorable.
During the evening rush hour I'll usually see an Amazon Prime truck, a truck that states it's transporting for the USPS, a Dunkin Donuts truck, probably a UPS and/or FedEx truck, sometimes a double (they're usually out later at night though). But by far, the most trucks I see are container-ship type trailers with no real identification on them, most likely coming down from ports in North Jersey and around NYC.
Quote from: jon daly on October 23, 2018, 11:12:04 AM
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on October 23, 2018, 09:41:27 AM
Quote from: pdx-wanderer on October 22, 2018, 10:37:21 PM
Lumber is common in Oregon on I-5 in the hilly areas south of Eugene, but not as much in the Willamette Valley. It's more common on the various routes that connect I-5 with US 97. (when, conveniently, there are almost never any good opportunities to pass them :banghead:)
I-84 east past the Gorge seems to have a high amount of livestock.
I do love seeing the open produce trucks in CA.
The fixed trailers in the Central Valley in California are an interesting site. That said I wish they would cover their loads, there usually a crap ton of produce spillage on freeway ramps on the 198/41 corridor. I'd rather not have to swerve to avoid fruit or get a fine paste all over my door panels.
Come to think of it there is a particular trucking company that used I-5 and CA 152 quite a bit that has open produce loads, the name eludes me at the moment. They were one of the biggest opponents to tolled improvements to CA 152 from Gilroy to Casa de Fruita.
The main agricultural products I see on the highway are hay and turf; occasionally horses. If I'm heading back to my hometown. I sometimes see dairy trucks on CT-87 in Lebanon, Conn.
I used to see a lot of Citrus and cattle south of Orlando, especially on US 441 and US 27. Here in Central California it is essentially agricultural heaven which reflected in all the short haul trucks. What's really interesting is contrast between normal commercial loads on I-5 versus the agricultural loads on CA 99. It's very obvious why the Division of Highways wanted to separate the new Interstate from the US 99 corridor.
Quote from: ilpt4u on October 22, 2018, 10:29:40 PM
In terms of local freight I see regularly in Southern IL (but away from I-57 and I-24), would probably be Grain and Coal Trucks
Yeah, windshield replacement is a big business down there, as I recall. A lot of gravel trucks, too. I once had a rock come out the back of a truck, bounce off the highway, and fly right in through the open window of my box truck.
POW!! against the back of the cab right by my head.
Quote from: jon daly on October 23, 2018, 09:37:36 AM
I forgot to ask this in my original posts: Do big trucks enhance your road enthusiasm?
My eldest son shares my enthusiasm for license plate spotting, so long-haul truckers certainly add a level of interest to that hobby.
On highways around here you see what you would see most places.
Coal? Not hardly ever on the interstates, coal trucks just haul from the mine site to the railroad. Long distance transport of coal is rail or barge.
I do see a lot of heavy equipment used in the coal industry moving from place to place. Also flatbeds with the very large tires used by those machines. I do see a fair number of livestock trucks. Fair amount of military equipment on flatbeds, heading to and from Norfolk Naval Station, I suppose.
One thing I do think is kind of regional is lots of well painted trucks from bourbon companies. Assuming they really have bourbon in them and are not just ads, and are heading out of Kentucky for the east coast, this has always seemed odd to me, as you are just telling hijackers which truck to take.
Quote from: SP Cook on October 23, 2018, 01:54:34 PM
Coal? Not hardly ever on the interstates, coal trucks just haul from the mine site to the railroad. Long distance transport of coal is rail or barge.
Not usually on the Interstates, but I tagged my post, saying away from I-57 and I-24.
Running on the local IL and US Routes in SoIL, there are Coal trucks, getting from the Mines to either Rail Yards (Union Pacific and Canadian National have tracks down here) or to Mississippi or Ohio River Ports to get on Barges
I see a lot of "Wide Load" trucks with police escorts sometimes. I seen a NYPD escort not to long ago on 95 South In Delaware. I assume Delaware has a lot of disguised animal trucks because a truck, carrying bee's crashed one time & they had VMS telling people to keep their windows up. So delaware sees a lot of fun freight.
iPhone
Dunkin Donuts semis. My short commute takes me past at least two locations.
As far as trucks adding something to my road enthusiasm...not really. Most of the roads I do on Surewhynot are either scenic, Historic or rural in nature. To that end it can be highly entertaining watching a trucker master craft their way through a logging or mining route when I see it. Roads like I-5 and CA 99 generally don't do much for me unless there is some sort of historic value.
Quote from: SP Cook on October 23, 2018, 01:54:34 PM
One thing I do think is kind of regional is lots of well painted trucks from bourbon companies. Assuming they really have bourbon in them and are not just ads, and are heading out of Kentucky for the east coast, this has always seemed odd to me, as you are just telling hijackers which truck to take.
Do you think it's easy for people to "Hijack" things nowadays? A car yea ok. But a truck? Most people don't even know how to drive a car. No one is scheming of master plans to take a alcohol filled truck, when all police agencies have supped up Tahoe's Explorer's and etc. Thats why they painted the truck.
iPhone
Nothing special really around the Twin Cities, but back in Duluth and Superior it's logging trucks.
Quote from: TheHighwayMan394 on October 23, 2018, 02:26:19 PM
Nothing special really around the Twin Cities, but back in Duluth and Superior it's logging trucks.
Also wonder about trucks hauling taconite.
Quote from: Tonytone on October 23, 2018, 02:06:19 PM
I see a lot of "Wide Load" trucks with police escorts sometimes. I seen a NYPD escort not to long ago on 95 South In Delaware.[/size]
I have never seen a police escort for a "regular" wide load, only for things beyond that, which requires a special permit from the state and a state police escort (which the truck company pays for), and certainly never an out of jurisdiction police car.
However, for some odd reason, NY state seems to require wide load escort vehicles to have a very police looking badge reading "Certified New York Escort Vehicle" and 95% of the escort vehicles have that very police looking marking, even far from NY.
Quote from: SP Cook on October 23, 2018, 02:38:55 PM
Quote from: Tonytone on October 23, 2018, 02:06:19 PM
I see a lot of "Wide Load" trucks with police escorts sometimes. I seen a NYPD escort not to long ago on 95 South In Delaware.[/size]
I have never seen a police escort for a "regular" wide load, only for things beyond that, which requires a special permit from the state and a state police escort (which the truck company pays for), and certainly never an out of jurisdiction police car.
However, for some odd reason, NY state seems to require wide load escort vehicles to have a very police looking badge reading "Certified New York Escort Vehicle" and 95% of the escort vehicles have that very police looking marking, even far from NY.
Delaware has police escorts with all of their Wide Load trucks. Only a few times I've seen a truck without one.
iPhone
Hmmm.. I've seen plenty of escort vehicles for wide loads, but I think they've all been private companies. I think the sole exception for me was in México, where I saw a wide load being escorted by the federales.
Quote from: jeffandnicole on October 23, 2018, 11:50:14 AM
During my commutes...
Morning rush hour there's rarely anything memorable.
During the evening rush hour I'll usually see an Amazon Prime truck, a truck that states it's transporting for the USPS, a Dunkin Donuts truck, probably a UPS and/or FedEx truck, sometimes a double (they're usually out later at night though). But by far, the most trucks I see are container-ship type trailers with no real identification on them, most likely coming down from ports in North Jersey and around NYC.
Those intermodal trailers are what I saw in the spring when I went to Gettysburg via I-78. I saw a slew of them likely heading to the distribution centers in and near the Lehigh Valley.
Quote from: jon daly on October 23, 2018, 11:12:04 AM
The main agricultural products I see on the highway are hay and turf; occasionally horses. If I'm heading back to my hometown. I sometimes see dairy trucks on CT-87 in Lebanon, Conn.
Here, it's corn, soybeans, hay, straw, pumpkins, and sod.
Quote from: Rothman on October 23, 2018, 02:29:15 PM
Quote from: TheHighwayMan394 on October 23, 2018, 02:26:19 PM
Nothing special really around the Twin Cities, but back in Duluth and Superior it's logging trucks.
Also wonder about trucks hauling taconite.
I thought about that, but I expect most of that comes on the trains.
Quote from: Rothman on October 23, 2018, 02:29:15 PM
Quote from: TheHighwayMan394 on October 23, 2018, 02:26:19 PM
Nothing special really around the Twin Cities, but back in Duluth and Superior it's logging trucks.
Also wonder about trucks hauling taconite.
Most taconite is shipped by rail or by boat through the Great Lakes.
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on October 23, 2018, 02:20:08 PM
As far as trucks adding something to my road enthusiasm...not really. Most of the roads I do on Surewhynot are either scenic, Historic or rural in nature. To that end it can be highly entertaining watching a trucker master craft their way through a logging or mining route when I see it. Roads like I-5 and CA 99 generally don't do much for me unless there is some sort of historic value.
My enthusiasm is atypical for this place (I think that I got a kick out of the old motels at Lake George than most here would.) Another memorable site on that trip was seeing two Metro North commuter railcars being hauled south on I-87 on flatbeds from Bombardier in either Plattsburgh or Canada,
I still recall riding 11 years ago from Chicago to Saint Louis and seeing windmill blades being hauled across the prairie on I-55.
Quote from: jon daly on October 23, 2018, 09:52:26 PM
I still recall riding 11 years ago from Chicago to Saint Louis and seeing windmill blades being hauled across the prairie on I-55.
I still see this from time to time in Iowa.
I'm sort of surprised that only one poster riffed on my comment about Amazon Prime's motto. Kphoger who nudged me gently and mentioned that I was hoisted on my on petard when I tried to criticize grammar and later made a typo. But that's it.
No one has any thoughts on "There's more to Prime. A truckload more."? Am I being too perscriptivist?
Quote from: MNHighwayMan on October 23, 2018, 10:01:04 PM
Quote from: jon daly on October 23, 2018, 09:52:26 PM
I still recall riding 11 years ago from Chicago to Saint Louis and seeing windmill blades being hauled across the prairie on I-55.
I still see this from time to time in Iowa.
I enjoy finding those trucks on Google satellite imagery.
Quote from: jon daly on October 24, 2018, 09:45:47 AM
No one has any thoughts on "There's more to Prime. A truckload more."? Am I being too perscriptivist?
Yes, you're being to p
resciptivist, especially as it relates to ad slogans*. That is, after all, the way the slogan is spoken; to my mind, it is therefore the way it should be written. That is to say, the pause is more substantial than would be indicated by a mere comma. It's like "Bond. James Bond."
* Except for this slogan shown below from the late 90s. That's just inexcusable.
(https://i.imgur.com/y3HHRbe.jpg)
I think I'd normally use a dash when writing out something like that, though standard convention for advertising slogans is the period.
Ha. Hoisted again. There's something karmic about screwing up when one is trying to correct something.
When heading up to Sacramento on either CA 99 or I-5, open-cargo trucks, usually of the "bobtail + trailer" format, are dominated by tomatoes. There are processing plants in both the Sacramento and Modesto areas, so the cargo tends to go in both directions. And, of course, one can almost always see loads of tomatoes on the CA 120 Manteca bypass (lots of tomato growing in the Byron/Brentwood area). Since they tend to slightly overload the trucks, there is invariably tomato detritus on or along the roadways. Besides that particular cargo, the I-580/238/880 commercial corridor between Oakland and I-5 is loaded with container trucks (principal routing of the L.A.-Bay Area "shuttle" when the container owners or consignees would rather avoid dwell time at rail terminals); while morning hours appear to host the greatest numbers of these, I've seen quite a few on the road even around midnight.
On I-49 and I-40 in Arkansas, mainly see standard vans from several different carriers, but predominantly Wal-Mart and J.B. Hunt. Lots of Tyson reefers and dual pup trailers for UPS and FedEx.
I see a lot of Swift around here, but I also see a lot of local scrap and garbage companies too.
Quote from: ce929wax on October 24, 2018, 05:39:41 PM
I see a lot of Swift around here, but I also see a lot of local scrap and garbage companies too.
You know what you get when a Swift truck pulls out of a parking space? Two parking spaces.
The fastest I have ever seen a trailer with the names "Swift", "J.B. Hunt", "Schneider", or "Werner" was when they were riding piggyback on a train!
I'f I'm not mistaken, Schneider doesn't let their drivers go faster than 55 mph; at least that was the case years ago,
Quote from: jon daly on October 26, 2018, 06:20:31 AM
I'f I'm not mistaken, Schneider doesn't let their drivers go faster than 55 mph; at least that was the case years ago,
Them and JB Hunt were strict 55 mph'ers during the NMSL era. Both companies definitely allow faster than 55 mph now.
Quote from: jeffandnicole on October 26, 2018, 09:03:54 AM
Quote from: jon daly on October 26, 2018, 06:20:31 AM
I'f I'm not mistaken, Schneider doesn't let their drivers go faster than 55 mph; at least that was the case years ago,
Them and JB Hunt were strict 55 mph'ers during the NMSL era. Both companies definitely allow faster than 55 mph now.
Yep. Followed Schneider trucks zipping along at far above 54 on rural two-laners in the Midwest recently.
Quote from: kphoger on October 24, 2018, 12:20:55 PM
Quote from: MNHighwayMan on October 23, 2018, 10:01:04 PM
Quote from: jon daly on October 23, 2018, 09:52:26 PM
I still recall riding 11 years ago from Chicago to Saint Louis and seeing windmill blades being hauled across the prairie on I-55.
I still see this from time to time in Iowa.
I enjoy finding those trucks on Google satellite imagery.
Quote from: jon daly on October 24, 2018, 09:45:47 AM
No one has any thoughts on "There's more to Prime. A truckload more."? Am I being too perscriptivist?
Yes, you're being to presciptivist, especially as it relates to ad slogans*. That is, after all, the way the slogan is spoken; to my mind, it is therefore the way it should be written. That is to say, the pause is more substantial than would be indicated by a mere comma. It's like "Bond. James Bond."
* Except for this slogan shown below from the late 90s. That's just inexcusable.
(https://i.imgur.com/y3HHRbe.jpg)
Quote from: vdeane on October 24, 2018, 12:52:33 PM
I think I'd normally use a dash when writing out something like that, though standard convention for advertising slogans is the period.
I saw a couple of Prime trailers on my commute home and had a couple of thoughts.
1, The tractors are not owned by Amazon. One was from Western Express. The other was from some company whose name escapes me.
2. I'm a fan of the dash and had not thought about this before, It's a shame that you have to know ASCII codes to type a real dash instead of a lousy hyphen. (I often use 2 or 3 hyphens to make an en- or em- dash.) By the logic, The Comic Book Guy was saying "Worst --- episode --- ever."