Here I was minding my own business. (Don’t even say it. Yes, I can once in a while.) I was sitting in the booth, next to the counter, eating my dinner having a nice little chat with the guys. It was the typical truck stop diner counter conversation about the weather and where we were off to next. This scene is repeated all across the Country every night of the week.
In through the door comes an older gentleman wearing a sweater and a Indiana Jones type of hat. He had a seat right next to the guy to my right at the counter. As he went to sit he started his efforts to make conversation with the guy to my right. I found this only slightly odd. Not unusual. I think it was the way he went about it that struck me as odd. It felt as if he had rehearsed his “lines” before.
After he sat himself down he started right in with a really odd line. “I suppose you tired after a long day?” Now here’s me thinking “how the heck would you know what kind of day this guys had and really why would you care?”
He then went on to ask a couple more typical truckers small talk type questions. “Are you keeping busy? Are you making any money?” This second question generated as fine response I thought. “Is there any money to be made out here anymore?” The response to this answer was rehearsed and lightning fast. “I suppose not if your putting fuel in your truck. What if I told you I’ve got something that would run your truck for $3 a day?” This generated several cross eyed glances from the rest of us. After he got no response he asked “did you not understand what I just said?”
Less than 30 seconds later the guy to my right got up from the counter, paid his tab and left. I guess he wasn’t going to put up with a conversation such as where this conversation was headed. Had this line of “questioning” been directed at me I might have given this old fart a piece of my mind.
A few minutes later in walks another guy who sat down next to Mr. Motor Mouth. I immediately thought to myself “are you certain you want to sit there?” And it started all over again. This time the old guy in the hat got a bit further in his act.
The story ends up getting to the point that we learned he was pushing a new electric drive system for semi trucks. He went on to explain how his new electric system replaces the big diesel motor that we all have in out big rigs. I had heard more than enough by this point. I could no longer sit there minding my business pretending this conversation wasn’t happening 4 feet away.
I explained that there was simply no way any electric drive would work in an over the road long haul truck loaded to 80,000 pounds in North Dakota when the temperature was 50 below. I was told I must be dumb if that’s what I thought. I said “that may well be however I understand exactly what it takes to move a load in that kind of conditions.” He attempted to continue on about the cost of fuel and the future of American energy being electric driven vehicles. Not listening to what he was saying, I grabbed my hat and stood to leave. Before leaving I gave him the honest answer to Americas energy needs. “What We need to do to reduce energy costs here in the US is to drill here and now for oil and add many new oil refineries.”
Yes, I know electric driven trucks are currently in use by several large metros for their garbage trucks and I recall hearing something about some buses as well. These have worked fairly well for the most part as far as I know. Is this something that would work for long haul over the road trucking? It is my opinion that this is simply not going to work.
—@QBall45
