Drive on Drive off Truck FerryRobert Pulliam

Tubular Rail Inc

713 834 7905

info@tubularrail.com

SUMMARY:

-Innovative technology adaption to address funding shortfalls in rail and highway programs. (savings in trucking operational costs)

-Widened rail flat car with side loading ramps.

-Operates on conventional width rails in dedicated service.

-Balanced with outrigger rails.

Air Flow

System Description

• PROBLEM:

– Funding constraints of current infrastructure needs. Driver shortages, highway safety, emissions and operating costs. Rail capacity constraints. HOS

• SOLUTION:

– Land Ferry operating in unit train configuration. Side loaded with ability to operate on defined routes with driver onboard. National system. Revenue funded.

• LIMITATIONS:

– Not for mountain or urban type service, Co-operation of Rail Roads.

Current State of Development

• CURRENT STATUS:

– Patented

– Demo model has been built, Pueblo test track has been visited. Literature reviews of both rail and trucking operations

• PERFORMANCE EVALUATION:

– Feedback from Rail and Trucking interests

• CHALLENGES:

– Getting competing modes of transportation to see mutual benefits of innovation that serves the interests of both.

Next Steps

• GETTING TO THE NEXT LEVEL:

– Seeking assistance to fund an independent review,

– Design effort leading to

– Construction and demonstration of two cars and outrigger rails on 9 mile loop at Rail test facility in Pueblo Colorado.

– Video and additional slides– http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQ_7SHhh_NU

– http://ftp.dot.state.tx.us/pub/txdot-info/freight/meetings/050814-tfac-tubular-rail.pdf

DDF

Ho scale

Financial Considerations

Fuel tax Sales tax and cost avoidance

Assume $0.45 /gallon ($0.20 state and $0.25 Federal)

Assume 5% sales tax rate

State gets 2/3 of the 20 cents, 13.2 cents State gets 100% of sales tax

6 mpg for Class 8 trucks, fuel used is then 33 gallons for 200 miles

Ferry charge of $1.25 per mile for 200 miles = $250

Yields (.167 x 13.2 = 2.2 cents/mile x200 miles = $4.40 total

Yields $12.50 (.05 x 250)

10 cents per mile in road damage $20.00 – 4.40 = < $15.60>

No damage to roads

Fuel Use Miles per gallon Distance

500 miles

% loaded

16.5

% loaded

100

Truck 5.5 90.9g/truck 4500g 27,270g

Locomotive (single) 3

needed

0.33 4500g-consumed by

locomotives

4500g 4500g

Net fuel savings

0g

Net fuel savings

22,770g

4. And finally, Technology Readiness Levels. John Parker writes in National Defense The Defense Department has adopted a classification system that segregates technology into nine levels with increasing maturity — measured by evidence of testing or prior use — corresponding to an increase in “technology readiness levels.” While reducing reliance on immature technologies may lower the risk of cost and schedule problems, it also ensures that nothing revolutionary, innovative or even new can make it into the system. We hope the Planning Leadership Team will heed Mr. Parker’s comments on the use of TRLV for the evaluation of technologies considered for the AGS. We feel the heavy weighting of the TRLV category places at disadvantage newer system approaches and is not in line with the Adaptive Management Approach found in the CSS process. We would suggest developing a method along the lines of Technology Advancement Step, Degree of Difficulty Process where the development path is evaluated going forward and not a stationary point in time.