Trucking in the United States and Europe

Current US (United States) legislation limits truckers to eleven consecutive hours behind the wheel per day throughout a fourteen-hour shift.

It limits the number of hours the truckers work per week to sixty. But loopholes in the legislation allow truckers to start a new workweek after a thirty four-hour rest period. Hence, the U.S. truckers may spend more hours on the road in a week.

In the US, trucks make up 7.5% of total highway traffic.

EU (European Union) legislation limits European drivers to nine hours per day behind the wheel, and they must take a thirty-minute break every three hours.

The EU drivers may drive as much as fifty-six hours in a week but cannot exceed ninety hours of driving time over a two-week period. The European trucks are also equipped with onboard recorders to keep track of it all.

In Europe, trucks make up 16.5% of total highway traffic.

Airlines

The US has very limited circumstances where customers can claim compensation for an overbooked flight.

The US has a 22% share of general aviation.

 European airlines accept various types of claims as they embrace an open approach regarding the applications.

Europe has a 3.7% share of general aviation.

Railroads

The railway forms an integral part regarding freight transportation in the USA. For instance, 57.3% of all freight is transported by rail in the US.

For coast-to-coast shipping, the United States benefits from the cheaper, safer, more efficient and environmentally-friendly rail system.

In Europe, a total of 16% of freight is shipped by rail.

In Europe, such heavy reliance on rail transport is impossible, due to incompatibilities in the rail systems between countries.

Shipping by Sea

Water transport is primarily used for freight in the United States.

In Europe, sea transport is also an essential part of energy supply.

The US (United States) legislation limits truckers to eleven consecutive hours behind the wheel per day throughout a fourteen-hour shift. The EU legislation on the other hand limits drivers to nine hours per day behind the wheel and they must take a thirty-minute break every three hours. The US limits its drivers to Sixty hours per week compared to fifty-six form their European counterparts. In the US, trucks make up 7.5% of total highway traffic while in Europe, it makes up 16.5% (Childress, 2005). While the US has very limited circumstances where customers can claim compensation for an overbooked flight, European airlines are much more open on the types of claims they accept (The AirHelper, 2017). The US has a 22% share of general aviation compared to 3.7% in Europe.

The railway plays an integral role in is the US freight transportation infrastructure. 57.3% of all freight is shipped by rail in the US, while only 16% of total cargo is shipped by rail in Europe (Childress, 2005). For coast-to-coast transport, the US benefits from the cheaper, safer, more efficient and environmentally-friendly rail system (Childress, 2005). In Europe, such heavy reliance on rail transport is not possible due to incompatibilities of the rail system between countries. Water transport is used mainly for freight in the United States. Compared to the US, sea transport is also an essential part of energy supply in Europe.

References

Childress, M. (2005, June 15). America and Europe — Keep on Trucking. Retrieved November 19, 2018, from The Globalist: https://www.theglobalist.com/america-and-europe-keep-on-trucking/

The AirHelper. (2017, September 19). European airlines are better than US airlines: here’s why. Retrieved from ir elp: https://www.airhelp.com/en/blog/european-airlines-are-better-than-us-airlines-heres-why/