Supply & Demand.

Jackflash

Midfield General
Staff member
Shortage in store outlets due to HGV lorry driver shortage. What's happened to the rail network ? Surely there are lots of local couriers available to ferry goods from local British Rail's goods yards, who would welcome the business and even increase their fleet, van drivers not needing a HGV licence. Just a thought !.
 

Yankee_Jack

Key Player
Shortage in store outlets due to HGV lorry driver shortage. What's happened to the rail network ? Surely there are lots of local couriers available to ferry goods from local British Rail's goods yards, who would welcome the business and even increase their fleet, van drivers not needing a HGV licence. Just a thought !.
Distribution warehouses are not aligned with the rail network but with the motorway network. Trucking is for the most part point to point. Rail carriage although superior for long distance (1000s of miles) suffers over shorter distances if points of distribution don't have their own sidings and load / unload yards. For example, switching from truck to rail requires: load on truck at origin, truck to rail siding, unload truck onto rail car, form rail cars into a train, train movement, unload rail car to truck, truck to point of destination, local distribution. Too many touches and logistical elements.

If the payload can be transported as a container on a truck to a rail yard then loaded as is on to a rail car bed then perhaps not so bad, but you still need the HGV driver at both ends.
 
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