TransportFool

As unbelievable as it may seem according to MSN Money it is possible to buy compressed natural gas for alternative fuel as low as 64 cents per gallon in Utah! Even at the Calif. prices of $2.50 per gallon most of you could swing a decent profit when competing with diesel rigs

Sterling has a press release announcing their new Natural Gas-Powered truck. It is powered by a Cummins Westport ISL G that is LNG or CNG capable. I’m only seeing horsepower ratings to 320 but they have a statement on their site that says the Westport LNG system is available with 400 and 450 horsepower ratings and up to 1,750 lb-ft torque.

A question that has been asked a lot lately is the title of a post on Fisher Shipping’s Blog and it made me think of this picture

The question was

WHAT ARE THE TRUCKERS GOING TO DO?

This guy may not be moving a lot of cars and he’s probably not going to break any speed records but its 99% profit! No fuel, No insurance, Just bicycle tires!

This story from capitol news nine is a good example.

ALBANY, N.Y. — An Albany teen is facing charges after police said he stole a car from a car carrier, then crashed it into a parked van.

Anthony Colon, 17, was arrested Tuesday night and charged with third-degree grand larceny and second-degree criminal mischief, along with vehicle and traffic violations.

Police said the incident started in the parking lot of 935 Central Avenue. A tractor-trailer car carrier pulled into the lot to unload vehicles to be delivered to a nearby car dealership.

One of the employees witness Colon get into a 2004 Nissan Sentra, which had just been taken off the carrier, and drive of westbound on Central Avenue. The employee called 911 and reported the incident.

Moments later, two Albany police officers spotted the stolen car speeding down Clinton Avenue. They turned their patrol car around to try and catch up to the car, but it had already crashed into a parked van and a fence at the intersection.

Colon was taken into custody without incident. He was arraigned in Albany City Criminal Court and sent to Albany County Jail.

Yahoo news just ran an article on the effect the high fuel prices are having on the independent trucker and I think that the effect is virtually the same for small family companies. I hear it all the time as I visit the smaller auto transporters that are feeling the squeeze. Flying j has diesel listed on their website costing $3.879 a gallon

I’m not sure at this point if it is good for my business or not. I install computer programs and one of the effects of this economy is that people tighten their belt and don’t spend on anything that is not absolutely necessary to try and make it through the tough times. That means that a set-up fee of $500 to $1000 that in the past would have been no big deal can squash or at least delay a set-up. The flip side of the coin is that in this economy everyone is looking for maximum efficiency and so some are realizing that the technology available can decrease stops and empty miles as well as decrease waste caused by missed exits and inaccurate routing so some see the computer as a tool to help them through this tough time. My big question is which effect will be stronger?

Saab pros has posted their rates including what the fuel surcharge will be at different fuel prices on their web site. We may see an upsurge of this type of pricing in the future.

I wonder if they ever imagined they might have to add another tier above $4.50 a gallon.