The long haul.

• Position: Letters to the Editor - Letter to the editor

While Barbara Ehrenreich may possibly be my favorite contributor, I have to take a minor exception to her article "The Truckers' Revolt"(June issue). While the owner-operator truckers' plight may be entirely heart wrenching, it must be remembered that the world must advance. We, as progressives, have long stood for efficiency, environmental protection, and workers' rights, and trucking is an issue encompassing all three.

Truck drivers haul freight over long distances in heavy, inefficient trucks that gulp diesel, spew emissions, and unnecessarily wear out deteriorating roads and highways. Freight should never be hauled long distances by truck; railroads are ten times more fuel-efficient.

Railroads are also more efficient in terms of labor. Workers...