Oil and the economy

Exactly. All the more reason for a massive infrastructure bill to fix our roads, bridges and tunnels, put middle class people to work and money in the pockets of private companies that will, in turn, invest those dollars in other private companies who supply heavy equipment, etc. Win, win, win.

 

You are trying to apply small business, single owner principles to large corporations and that leads to some hilarious results.

A company like J.B. Hunt paid around $110 million for fuel last year. If the diesel tax was to go from 50 cents to 55 cents a gallon. J.B. Hunt would still pay $110 million for fuel.

Trucking companies, cities, well anyone with a large enough vehicle fleet, buys their fuel in advance and it isn't set by what you paid at the pump that morning. A distributor sells fuel at $4 a gallon because they have to hedge their bets on what the market will do. The volatile oil market may have it at $2.50 one day and one month later have it $3.50 and so forth and so on.

So fuel distributor pegs the price high and the trucking companies just simply pay that price or a negotiated price a little bit less and then through the power of logistics determines what drivers have to spend each week for the various route. One of the reasons why truckers and trucking companies argue against higher diesel taxes is, besides waitresses in central Pennsylvania, is the fear that a nickel increase in taxes would give a reason for the distributors to raise the gross price by fifty cents.

Would that mean trucking companies would pass that cost on to the consumer? Yes, but they already pass as much cost on to the consumer as they possibly can, so adding a nickel here and penny there isn't the end of the world. Even for that poor girl in Harrisburg working for tips.

 

That makes sense. Thanks.

 

A construction worker died and a semi truck driver was injured after an overpass collapsed on Interstate 75 in Cincinnati.

The old Hopple Street bridge collapsed shortly before 11 p.m. EDT Monday, reports WLWT.com

"I heard, like, a real big 'boom' ... I kinda knew right then and there that maybe something had collapsed or fell," Andrew Brewster told the news station.

The area has been under construction. The bridge collapsed on I-75. No information has been released on what caused the collapse, WLWT reported.

 

I'm sure you think this helps to make some point, but you realize this overpass was in the process of being demolished, right?

A new overpass had already opened. This was a demolition error, not some case of "crumbling infrastructure".

 

OK, but our infrastructure is still crumbling and it's become a huge and expensive impediment for businesses that must rely on it.

 

I tell you, cran, it must not be easy being you. On the one hand, you're worried about low oil prices leading to greater use of fossil fuels. On the other hand, you're worried about inadequately maintained infrastructure that's making it harder for businesses to rely on fossil fuels. How do you sleep at night?

 

If the bridges and roads keep crumbling we're never going to be able to create enough ethanol to save the planet.

 

Crumbling bridges are a never ending story.

Here's on from 1988:

And, the cost to maintain them are mostly not -- or at least are not supposed to be -- a federal concern.

The Highway Trust Fund was never intended to last forever. It was originally intended to expire in 1972, and should have ended by 1986.

 

Is it inconceivable to you that there could be people who believe there's a correct balance to strike on competing issues? Or that some way we can be friendly to the environment and responsive to the needs of commerce?

Those solar panels don't move themselves.

First national story I ever covered outside sports was the Mianus River Bridge collapse on I-95 in Boom's neighborhood. That was 1983.

 

P, allow me to introduce you to my friend, Not-P. Y'all should get along fabulously.

 

Good article about oil production, and how our increased production has broken the oil cartel.

The battle for market share has caused the Saudi's to not cut production.