We see today a fierce unspoken competition between trucks and trains. It is well known in those industries and with those who ship the products, components, parts, natural resources, produce and event he fuel itself. After all the fuel competes for the cheapest mode of delivery as well. Whether it is a pipeline, rail car, tanker truck, ship, barge, etc. In the case of military, you can add in all the squadrons of flying gas stations too. The price of fuel can be the savior to an industry which is hammered by over seas competition or is trying to find a little more room to cut costs to appease a persnickety union with greater health care costs, safer working conditions (at least they often claim that), less working hours, more paid vacation time, bonuses, higher pay, etc. The money has to come from somewhere and the price of fuel and the supply will often determine the viability of a large corporation. Those companies, which use lots of fuel are very much affected by these trends. For instance; Airlines, Trucking Companies, Railroads, Manufacturing Companies, and Service Companies of every shape and size. When these companies pay more for fuel those prices are figured into the price to the customer. When such companies have long term contracts to a customer and the price moves upward to quickly then these companies have to eat that cost. This causes huge operational losses and poor quarterly earnings, which effects their market valuations due to hammering by the gambling casino stock markets when they report these losses. This in turn leads to massive lay offs. Which is not a good thing.

If you have been laid off recently, you may wish to look at your companies supply chain and distribution both too and from and the use of vehicles which use fuel and determine if high fuel prices is a part of the reason or another large factor in the fact you were laid off. Even companies you might not even think of are very much affected by fuel. Telecommunication, Cable, Garbage, Utility and even Pharmaceutical companies have vast fleets of vehicles.

Recently we saw two massive Labor Union disputes in the fire-ridden state of California. One was the RTD