New Threat to Rail Freight ?

[Lucan]

https://beta.techcrunch.com/2018/03...-now-moving-cargo-for-uber-freight-customers/

How paradoxical if road beats rail to self-driving transport generally. Railways already have the guidance and conflict-avoidance in place.

 

[yorksrob]

Unless Elon Musk can miraculously make HGV's a lot lighter than they are now, they'll still do a disproportionate amount of damage to road surfaces.

 

[Lucan]

Unless Elon Musk can miraculously make HGV's a lot lighter than they are now, they'll still do a disproportionate amount of damage to road surfaces.

But they don't pay proportionally for that damage, so they don't care. I pay more VED per mile for my car than an HGV does. I don't think Musk is connected to Uber; in fact they are at some enmity AFAIK.

 

[yorksrob]

But they don't pay proportionally for that damage, so they don't care. I pay more VED per mile for my car than an HGV does. I don't think Musk is connected to Uber; in fact they are at some emnity AFAIK.

Well, that's always been the problem. However, I don't believe the electorate would stand for large numbers of heavy freights transferring to the roads - convoys or not.

I feel this self-driving malarkey is more of a threat to the regional passenger railway than heavy freight.

 

[Starmill]

However, I don't believe the electorate would stand for large numbers of heavy freights transferring to the roads - convoys or not.

'the electorate' as you put it seem perfectly happy with all manner of similar forms of environmental destruction (and poor road quality) as a result of driving. IMO we need serious changes in the law and in our tax regime, to increase the cost of driving, but these changes are deeply unpopular.

 

[yorksrob]

'the electorate' as you put it seem perfectly happy with all manner of similar forms of environmental destruction (and poor road quality) as a result of driving. IMO we need serious changes in the law and in our tax regime, to increase the cost of driving, but these changes are deeply unpopular.

I agree. But we have had environmental legislation to remove leaded petrol, switch away from petrol to diesel and (soon to come) switch away from diesel. Even motorists won't want to compete with a load of additional lorry convoys.

Also, driverless convoys won't be able to blockade the fuel depots like last time !