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Re: UP announces Phoenix terminal-Yeah well.... As the Zen Master say's: "We'll See???"
Author: George Andrews
Date: 11-30-2023 - 19:52
I drove Phoenix to Fullerton, CA., ( after flying Alaska Airlines from Seattle to Sky Harbor ) 5 times in 12 weeks earlier this year, tending to my elderly father, and doing the driving so my sister wouldn't have to go it alone. LOTSA can haulers running lightweight 2 axle container chassis with a 40 foot dry box; Eastbound loaded & Westbound almost entirely empties. Phoenix is a 7 to 8 hour drive from POLA / POLB depending on departure time & traffic. Rail cannot hope to compete with that, unless Diesel Fuel prices spike dramatically.
The Valley of The Sun is almost entirely a consuming area, with no real manufacturing ( Boeing in Mesa not withstanding ) and little freight originating there and destined for SoCal. They even truck motor fuel there from El Segundo when the pipeline is down for repairs. When I drove for Conway Western Express many years ago, it was almost always Loads East / Empties West. CWX was lucky to land a W/B traffic lane hauling Copper Plates from Nogales, AZ., to Long Beach, CA. Interstate 10 is undergoing a major renewal across the desert, and should be Good to Go for 20 more years to come. I agree with BOB2 in his " We'll See " assessment.
The Valley of The Sun is almost entirely a consuming area, with no real manufacturing ( Boeing in Mesa not withstanding ) and little freight originating there and destined for SoCal. They even truck motor fuel there from El Segundo when the pipeline is down for repairs. When I drove for Conway Western Express many years ago, it was almost always Loads East / Empties West. CWX was lucky to land a W/B traffic lane hauling Copper Plates from Nogales, AZ., to Long Beach, CA. Interstate 10 is undergoing a major renewal across the desert, and should be Good to Go for 20 more years to come. I agree with BOB2 in his " We'll See " assessment.
