Why do RRs ship wheel sets on trailer trucks?

[OldEastRR]

I mean, come on, the RR owns their own vehicles, power, crews, track, and I assume at least at the receiving end is a spur for off-loading. So they pay somebody else to haul their wheel sets around? 

[Chris333]

I doubt every railroad makes their own wheels.

[peteski]

I doubt that any contemporary RR makes their own wheels.

[nscaler711]

It could be a cost effective way to ship them by truck. Generally speaking they are low commodity, you likely wont see convoys of them and the highway may also be a quicker route... (Makes sense since that's why we have them and passenger rail traffic declined alot during IHS)

[CNR5529]

More often than not they are being trucked to/from facilities that can reprofile (turn) the wheelsets for the railroad when they are worn out, and these facilities are not necessarily connected by rail. Wheels can get reprofiled multiple times before being scrapped, to improve running characteristics.

Fredrick

[davefoxx]

Well, the trains can't run without wheels, so they have to ship them by truck.   

DFF

[Missaberoad]

Railroads also own their own Trucks, Trailers, containers and Drivers... ...and likely even paying a subcontractor to transport them is cheaper then using railcars in most situations and frees up space on a train for revenue cars that make money...


That being said in some cases railcars are still used it all depends on the specific situation...

http://thundertrain.org/030710USwheels-66R.JPG
http://thundertrain.org/030710USwheels-80R.JPG

[Spades]

WAG

It is easier to load a truck at the sight of fabrication and drive to the exact drop off point and unload once.

[OldEastRR]

Saw 2 trucks on the freeway hauling wheelsets with roller bearing ends; either new or refurbished.