Swisher

Instructables.com has a great Arduino section. There are many example projects included with the Arduino software as well as on their site. The getting started with Arduino/Processing books are great also.

http://arduino.cc/hu/Tutorial/HomePage http://processing.org/learning/gettingstarted/

I have yet to come across a project that I want to build that someone has not at least started coding. It makes it very easy to modify/merge others codes/schematics to suit what you are trying to do.

The firmata stuff is very interesting also...makes it easy to interface Processing GUI's with the Arduino.

I second www.instructables.com. Don't forget www.adafruit.com but where I have really found what I need is simply google. If you know what you are looking for just use proper search terms and typically there is someone who has already done at least a portion of what I am working on.

Good luck getting your goods without them. What would happen if we split all the heavy trucks into several smaller trucks? That would make the problem worse. Besides the primary importance of the highway system is to transport goods and necessary resources to areas not accessible (or not economically practical) by rail/sea.

From my experiences Alberta has the most aggressive Canadian drivers.

What are you going to do about the areas that are more than 50 miles from a train depot? Haul it in several smaller vehicles? Sounds efficient...whats better 60,000 lbs hauled at 8MPG in one truck or 10,000lbs hauled at 15MPG in 6 vehicles.

There is a reason we are still using trucks...good luck without them.

Cars don't pay enough...trucks do. Not to mention trucks are providing a service that cannot be done effectively by cars or trains.

Railroads make plenty of money on owning the tracks otherwise I doubt they would still be doing it.

@ Noonespecial Exactly the point I was making also.

Yep...sometimes they have had CB warning of speed traps (or truck stop word of mouth) for many miles before you get there...call it an old school radar detector.

The headlight flash is trucker code...if you do it for them they typically flash the trailer lights back...kinda like a salute and I can say they are typically appreciative (BTW...not a high beam flash but an off/on flash).

My father was a long haul truck driver (lower 48 states) for 35 years. 9mos/year on the road, moving furniture, loading his own truck as an owner operator...he was one of the good truckers with over 1 million safe driving miles...I cannot say they are all good drivers but a lot of them are. If they are an owner/operator all expenses are paid out of pocket (fuel, repairs, tires, food, taxes, etc.) so typically an owner operator is going to be more cautious than a driver who doesn't have to pay for damage.

On a side note there are certain trucking companies which hire mostly new drivers (Swift is an example) I typically watch out for those trucks.

Those little stickers on the sides of trucks with states on them are not there for decoration...they are tax stamps. They must be purchased on a per state basis depending on which states you intend on operating in...that combined with fuel tax and other taxes imposed on the drivers mean they probably pay far more than you do per mile to use the highway systems.

Loads are limited by weight per axle as to minimize the damage on the roads...not to mention that on a per pound of useful goods basis they are far more efficient than driving your 4000lb car to just haul your 100-300lb ass.

Where I live the majority of road damage is due to studded tires or weather...next time you are on a rutted highway notice how its not rutted for the dual tires that trucks have but it fits a normal car perfectly.

So aside from the "crash"...How many of you sold at $30 and repurchased at $10 only to sell back at $25? I unfortunately had nothing to reinvest otherwise I would have been all in on that ride.