Thus it is not surprising that the interstate highway system was of interest to him. The advantages of truck freight delivery is not in the volume, but in the speed and versatility of service. A truck can go anywhere there is a highway, while trains are limited to rails. The railroads rarely exceeded 10 mph for anything except the highest priority freight. In addition, the truck can go somewhere nearby and pick up another load to haul somewhere else.
Railroads often have to move the freight cars empty in one direction.
This empty movement is non revenue producing. Overall, there has been an incredible growth of commerce in the United States since WW2. There are millions of cars and trucks on the highways. These vehicles are safer and more efficient than ever. The railroads have recovered from the bad days of the seventies when revenues were so poor that some analysts were suggesting the demise of American railroading.