freight train to increase

[Alemino]

Nice to see in the news some JRF containers

 

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2017/01/17/business/corporate-business/japan-firms-shifting-trains-move-freight-amid-dearth-new-truckers/#.WH8R71MrKCh

[Sacto1985]

I believe outside of Hokkaido, freight trains usually use electric locomotives for motive power. You need diesel locomotives in Hokkaido given very little of JR Hokkaido's rail lines are electrified.

[kvp]

The carbon footprint is also calcuated for electric locomotives, although the source of electric power in Japan until recently was mostly hydroelectric and nuclear power. With some of the nuclear power offline, but new solar generating stations coming online, electricity could turn out to be cleaner.

[katoftw]

I believe outside of Hokkaido, freight trains usually use electric locomotives for motive power. You need diesel locomotives in Hokkaido given very little of JR Hokkaido's rail lines are electrified.

Half your post is missing. You stated some commonly know facts. Then forgot to type what you were eluding to.

[toc36]

USA is also facing a shortage of truck drivers.  I find it hard to accept that with all the un-employed and under-employed people that we could have sectors of American industry with a worker shortage.  We need welders and machinists.  No one here wants to work un-cool jobs where you sweat and get dirt under your finger nails.

 

http://time.com/money/4070028/american-truck-driver-shortage/

 

http://www.trucking.org/ATA%20Docs/News%20and%20Information/Reports%20Trends%20and%20Statistics/10%206%2015%20ATAs%20Driver%20Shortage%20Report%202015.pdf

 

https://www.trucks.com/2016/06/14/truck-driver-shortage-self-inflicted/

 

http://www.jnsforum.com/community/topic/12482-freight-train-to-increase/

[bikkuri bahn]

While I understand that working with your hands in jobs such as a machinist can be both rewarding and lucrative (and in Japan these jobs are not looked down upon as much as in the U.S.- thanks to a respect for craftsmen and craftsmanship and the excellent kōtō-senmon-gakkō system), I undertand why young people would shy away from a job such as a trucker- long hours away from home, long periods of boredom, deadlines that push you beyond your physical limits and risk safety, etc.  The modal shift is encouraging.

Edited January 19, 2017 by bikkuri bahn

[kvp]

Currently there is a widening gap between what people could do and what is required from them as the intelligence of each person limits the level of knowledge that can be obtained through education. In the past, the minimal amount of knowledge for working didn't even need the ability to read and write. Nowdays a machinist is usually a CNC operator who needs at least technician level knowledge, but engineers are found to be more efficient as they not only know but understand the process. The end result is that in the future, industry jobs could start at the BSC engineer level and go up from there, so most people could not get a job in this aera as they unfortunately lack the required intelligence for a higher degree. Anything that is more simple could be automated and it looks like will be automated.

 

In Japan, there was an abundance of not too trained people, who were picked up by the industry for assembly line work. Until that was either automated or moved elsewhere. Then in the mid 1980-ies, after the first japanese economic crash there were lots of people cheaply available for simple work like trucking and the newly finished state funded highway system and cheap gas made road freight cheaper than rail, even though the labor costs were higher. Now these people are getting retired and most unemployed and unskilled young people decided that it's better for them to stay at home and not work as the actual salrary obtainable is too low. Since companies don't want overall costs to rise, they look at rail freight as a cheaper alternative to raising the salaries of truckers. I'm saying this while i think Japan still has too many jobs done by hand that could be automated. This is probably only for cultural reasons as the pure numbers would indicate that it's more economical to have a large unemployed population surviving on minimal state benefits with most for profit companies automating as many jobs as possible. Of course this would be the worst case scenario for most people without higher education, but the most profitable for larger companies.

[Jace]

USA is also facing a shortage of truck drivers.  I find it hard to accept that with all the un-employed and under-employed people that we could have sectors of American industry with a worker shortage.  

 

 

Trucking is a crap job in the US and apparently in Japan too. Pay is typically based on miles run; the more miles therefore the higher the pay. The downside is that this means drivers are away from home for long periods of time (weeks, not days), operating in all sorts of weather and always under pressure to keep the wheels turning no matter what. The US trucking industry essentially has no barriers to entry - companies come in with a very low capital outlay (everything is leased), operate for a few years by low balling rates and then disappear when it comes time to reinvest in their fleet. Rates are typically depressed, margins paper thin. Trucking companies then look to keep their costs down, often at the expense of their own drivers. Some companies will put up with high turnover (+100% per year), others will find gimmicks like getting their drivers in over their heads on equipment lease to purchase deals (eventually bankrupting the drivers). Unless you can find a special niche, it's a brutal business. I wouldn't recommend working there. 

 

I'm surprised that there's a driver shortage in Japan as trucking companies there at least seem to be much more stable and established. Maybe they too face long times away from home or maybe the pay is poor.

[cteno4]

Here autonomous vehicles are looking at long haul trucking as a first big step. If this hits big it could really make a big unemployed crowd as we have 2+ million truckers. It does make great sense in that the long hours tend and monotony in long haul trucking are the big safety risks and what automation is great at. Also the visibility in trucks is a big issue for their drivers and packing sensors all around it will help this a lot. System cost is going to be a big one along with the interstate regulations, a lot more than taxi systems in one state would be. Lower carbon footprint as well as the system can compute the best efficiency curve of gas and gears, knowing all the minute grade changes on the route.

 

As jace noted it's not a glam job here and a really tough one. One of my cousins has been at it for 30+ years and done it all from owning a rig with long haul independent contracts to working for larger trucking companies to short haul driving job. All have been hard work and not great pay. During a few of the boom times in domestic oil he did well getting Into some speciality I pinches as he worked in drilling when really young, but those booms burst fast. He is a super hard working guy and willing to do what it takes to make a living for his family.

 

Jeff

[velotrain]

Plus, the automated trucks wouldn't tailgate and do other stupid and dangerous maneuvers that many truckers are prone to.