Courtesy of Mish.
Last night my wife Liz and I went out to a local restaurant for dinner. We like to sit at the bar as service is often quicker and you can talk to the people next to you.
I struck up a conversation with the person sitting on my right. He (let’s call him SH) has been in the trucking industry for 25 years and will retire in perhaps 3-4 years. SH agrees with me that major changes are coming.
Anonymous Truck Driver Soon to be Gone
Image from Job Descriptions for a Heavy Haul Driver.
SH is a short-haul trucker. By his description of what he does, SH fits the standard definition of long-haul. However, there are no industry-wide hauling definitions.
The above link says “These terms don’t have strict definitions but short-haul trucking often involves driving within a 150-mile radius. Long-haul drivers usually have a driving radius of 250 miles or more.”
SH drives hub-to-hub, never to end destinations. He defines short haul simply as the ability to return home every night. His limiting factor is 11 hours, the maximum amount of continuous driving.
For now, new terms are needed. I propose short haul as local, mid haul as what SH does, and long haul which I define as away from home over 11 hours.
Definitions aside, we got to talking about self-driving vehicles and he believes, as I do, that major disruptions will come sooner than most people expect.
