there would be NO need for long distance lorries if they just made trains that took standard containers..
the containers filled at the distribution center, put on a train to somewhere local then put on the back of a local lorry to be taken to the local stores..
Setting up a system like that would cost billions. The logistics would be a nightmare.
Take the Co-operative. They operate about 12 local distribution centres and a national DC in coventry. Stores transmit orders to the local and national on, say, a tuesday afternoon, for delivery thursday. This is a standard lead time of 2 days.
Now, the national centre starts picking the order tuesday evening and wednesday morning. By wednesday afternoon the order is complete and is on the lorry. By early thursday morning the order, as well as about 20 other stores orders have arrived at the local DC on a double decker lorry, on cages.
At the local DC, the national order joins the local order and both are loaded onto a smaller lorry on thursday morning for delivery to store. Normally 2 stores per lorry.
Now, you tell me, how would this be POSSIBLE using trains? For a start there is no format of trains that facilitate the use of rollcages. And the railways normally run nowhere near the DCs nowadays. This is why DCs are normally described as footloose, as they can locate wherever they want.
As well as the stock movements described above, theres the movements between depots of supplied stock, for example where a supplier can only deliver to one depot, but the item is required at all local depots. And how would the return of empty roll cages be done? Then theres disruptions on the lines - derailments etc. With such tight timings as above, delays are not an option.
Then theres chilled / frozen / perishable stock - where the timing is even more critical!
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As an aside, I have a lot of respect for supermarket lorry drivers. Car drivers give them little respect, they are underpaid, their lorries are often old and falling apart. And when they get to stores, managers generally give them very little help in unloading. You do get the odd idiot (shouting at my custoemrs etc) but most are decent chaps.
