Thanks for that observation George.

It is an interesting set of problems that too much consolidation in the rail industry through too many mergers, with a "duopoly" controlling too much of the western US intermodal rail market, and no real competitive rail alternatives, has created. It reminds me of the old Lilly Tomlin Laugh In skit about the phone company: "we're a monopoly, we don't care, because we don't have to..."

The dray thing has been brewing for many years, glossed over by high unemployment, earlier in this decade, as dray drivers were being paid less than the cost of operating an aging, dirty, and unsafe fleet of second hand vehicles. The Air Quality fleet regulations do have other beneficial results, in other ways than just AQ, but also in driver and public safety. And, finally the baby bust and low wages have collided, with qualified and licensed truck drivers, who can pass the pee-pee test, in increasingly short supply these days.