Bushonomics: We’re Trucked Dept. 0
This weekend, I went to Connecticut.
In these parts, that means driving the New Jersey Turnpike, at least if you want to get there the same day you start out (and pray that two vehicles on the NJT don’t try to occupy the same spot at the same time, or you’ll just get to your destination tomorrow).
I’ve driven the NJT many times. From Trenton up until about Exit 11 (the Garden State–any time I’m headed for New England, I take the NJT to the Garden State to the Tappan Zee Bridge–I’m not driving through Manhatten on a bet; a New York City cab is one of the Great Bargains in the World), it is lined with distribution centers warehouses.
The last time I went up that way, a couple or three years ago, all the warehouses were in use and trailers were backed up to the loading bays to discharge and receive loads and commercial developers were building new warehouses on spec.
This time, well, if you want to pick up a vacant warehouse cheap, the NJT corridor is the place to go.
Along about exit 8, NJT separates into car only and car/truck/bus lanes. I usually take the car/truck/bus lanes, because, by God, if I die in a firey crash on the Turnpike, I at least want it to be at the hands of a professional driver, not at the hands of some idiot kid trying to make it from Washington to New York City in 35 minutes.
Funny thing:
I’ve probably made a couple dozen round trips through that part of the turnpike in the past ten years. Usually, weekday or weekend, the car/truck/bus lanes are choked with trucks.
The other day, on my drive north, I saw only a few long-haul truckers; most of the trucks were local delivery guys or local trash haulers.
Today, driving south, for the length of the turnpike from the Holland Tunnel to Trenton, I saw no more than three long-haul truckers. Mostly, the car/truck/bus lanes were like the car only lanes, except more sedate.
No jobs, no money, no credit, no customers.
No customers, no wares.
No wares, no warehouses.
No warehouses, no trucks.
Republican Economic Theory triumphant.
Also posted, with slight edits, at the Great Orange Satan.
