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FOR MOST OF human history, the two birds More and Better roosted on the same branch. You could toss one stone and hope to hit them both. That’s why the centuries since Adam Smith launched modern economics with his book The Wealth of Nations have been so single-mindedly devoted to the dogged pursuit of maximum economic production. Smith’s core ideas–that individuals pursuing their own interests in a market society end up making each other richer; and that increasing efficiency, usually by increasing scale, is the key to increasing wealth–have indisputably worked. They’ve produced more More than he could ever have imagined. They’ve built the unprecedented prosperity and ease that distinguish the lives of most of the people reading these words. It is no wonder and no accident that Smith’s ideas still dominate our politics, our outlook, even our personalities.

But the distinguishing feature of our moment is this: Better has flown a few trees over to make her nest. And that changes everything. Now, with the stone of your life or your society gripped in your hand, you have to choose. It’s More or Better.

Which means, according to new research emerging from many quarters, that our continued devotion to growth above all is, on balance, making our lives worse, both collectively and individually. Growth no longer makes most people wealthier, but instead generates inequality and insecurity. Growth is bumping up against physical limits so profound–like climate change and peak oil–that trying to keep expanding the economy may be not just impossible but also dangerous. And perhaps most surprisingly, growth no longer makes us happier. Given our current dogma, that’s as bizarre an idea as proposing that gravity pushes apples skyward. But then, even Newtonian physics eventually shifted to acknowledge Einstein’s more complicated universe.

IT WAS THE GREAT economist John Maynard Keynes who pointed out that until very recently, “there was no very great change in the standard of life of the average man living in the civilized centers of the earth.” At the utmost, Keynes calculated, the standard of living roughly doubled between 2000 B.C. and the dawn of the 18th century–four millennia during which we basically didn’t learn to do much of anything new. Before history began, we had already figured out fire, language, cattle, the wheel, the plow, the sail, the pot. We had banks and governments and mathematics and religion.

And then, something new finally did happen. In 1712, a British inventor named Thomas Newcomen created the first practical steam engine. Over the centuries that followed, fossil fuels helped create everything we consider normal and obvious about the modern world, from electricity to steel to fertilizer; now, a 100 percent jump in the standard of living could suddenly be accomplished in a few decades, not a few millennia.

In some ways, the invention of the idea of economic growth was almost as significant as the invention of fossil-fuel power. But it took a little longer to take hold. During the Depression, even FDR routinely spoke of America’s economy as mature, with no further expansion anticipated. Then came World War II and the postwar boom–by the time Lyndon Johnson moved into the White House in 1963, he said things like: “I’m sick of all the people who talk about the things we can’t do. Hell, we’re the richest country in the world, the most powerful. We can do it all…. We can do it if we believe it.” He wasn’t alone in thinking this way. From Moscow, Nikita Khrushchev thundered, “Growth of industrial and agricultural production is the battering ram with which we shall smash the capitalist system.”

Such ambivalence, Etzioni predicted, “is too stressful for societies to endure,” and Ronald Reagan proved his point. He convinced us it was “Morning in America”–out with limits, in with Trump. Today, mainstream liberals and conservatives compete mainly on the question of who can flog the economy harder. Larry Summers, who served as Bill Clinton’s secretary of the treasury, at one point declared that the Clinton administration “cannot and will not accept any ’speed limit’ on American economic growth. It is the task of economic policy to grow the economy as rapidly, sustainably, and inclusively as possible.” It’s the economy, stupid.

EXCEPT THERE ARE three small things. The first I’ll mention mostly in passing: Even though the economy continues to grow, most of us are no longer getting wealthier. The average wage in the United States is less now, in real dollars, than it was 30 years ago. Even for those with college degrees, and although productivity was growing faster than it had for decades, between 2000 and 2004 earnings fell 5.2 percent when adjusted for inflation, according to the most recent data from White House economists. Much the same thing has happened across most of the globe. More than 60 countries around the world, in fact, have seen incomes per capita fall in the past decade.

For the second point, it’s useful to remember what Thomas Newcomen was up to when he helped launch the Industrial Revolution–burning coal to pump water out of a coal mine. This revolution both depended on, and revolved around, fossil fuels. “Before coal,” writes the economist Jeffrey Sachs, “economic production was limited by energy inputs, almost all of which depended on the production of biomass: food for humans and farm animals, and fuel wood for heating and certain industrial processes.” That is, energy depended on how much you could grow. But fossil energy depended on how much had grown eons before–all those billions of tons of ancient biology squashed by the weight of time fill they’d turned into strata and pools and seams of hydrocarbons, waiting for us to discover them.

To understand how valuable, and irreplaceable, that lake of fuel was, consider a few other forms of creating usable energy. Ethanol can perfectly well replace gasoline in a tank; like petroleum, it’s a way of using biology to create energy, and right now it’s a hot commodity, backed with billions of dollars of government subsidies. But ethanol relies on plants that grow anew each year, most often corn; by the time you’ve driven your tractor to tend the fields, and your truck to carry the crop to the refinery, and powered your refinery, the best-case “energy output-to-input ratio” is something like 1.34-to-1. You’ve spent 100 Btu of fossil energy to get 134 Btu. Perhaps that’s worth doing, but as Kamyar Enshayan of the University of Northern Iowa points out, “it’s not impressive” compared to the ratio for oil, which ranges from 30-to-1 to 200-to-1, depending on where you drill it. To go from our fossil-fuel world to a biomass world would be a little like leaving the Garden of Eden for the land where bread must be earned by “the sweat of your brow.”

And east of Eden is precisely where we may be headed. As everyone knows, the past three years have seen a spate of reports and books and documentaries suggesting that humanity may have neared or passed its oil peak–that is, the point at which those pools of primeval plankton are half used up, where each new year brings us closer to the bottom of the barrel. The major oil companies report that they can’t find enough new wells most years to offset the depletion in the old ones; rumors circulate that the giant Saudi fields are dwindling faster than expected; and, of course, all this is reflected in the cost of oil.

Many paper recyclers who enter the document destruction business are familiar with aspects of plant layout and matching production equipment to anticipated volume.

But the information destruction industry also brings new considerations, such as choosing the right mobile shredding truck for on-site customers and shredding equipment that provides optimal particle size.

Among the things they learn are that trucks equipped with a high-production shredder will offer fewer advantages if they don’t also have considerable storage capacity. And in terms of shred size, a smaller particle can be a security selling point and a paper value stumbling block at the same time.

TRUCKING. Paper recyclers entering the secure shredding sector may have some familiarity with selecting equipment for on-site customer use if they have ever placed balers in warehouses or store rooms.

But buying a truck that is also outfitted with a critical piece of production equipment will probably prompt new and unique considerations.

Mark McKenna of Shred-Tech, Cambridge, Ontario, Canada, has helped that company develop a sales and marketing program specifically targeting new and prospective customers considering entering the secure shredding business.

McKenna, who works from an office in Durham, N.C., says among the first questions those new to the secure destruction industry should ask is whether to buy a new or used truck and whether they are buying “enough” truck to service anticipated future business.

“The benefits of a new truck are higher throughput and the reliability of the chassis,” McKenna says. “Shredding equipment is fairly reliable whether it is used or new, but warranty coverage [on the truck] eliminates a lot of your maintenance costs over the first couple of years.”

Used equipment offers a lower barrier to entry, but if buyers can afford an upgraded truck, it can pay off in several ways, McKenna contends. “We have tracked it, and it is astounding how high the resale value of our residual trucks is,” he says, adding that the trucks are “selling at 75 or 80 percent of their value after three years.”

The industry and its suppliers have generally found that a truck is limited in its trailer size and capacity because a semi-sized truck and trailer combination is too cumbersome and fuel-inefficient for most routes, and qualified drivers become even harder to find.

What makers and buyers are finding is that even though shredder outputs have increased, a high-powered shredder loses its efficiency if the driver is always heading to the recycling plant to empty the storage compartment.

“Operators want to have both a capacity and a throughput edge,” says McKenna.

In a feature in Secure Destruction Business magazine earlier this year, Evelyn Jefferson of Allegheny Paper Shredders Corp., Delmont., Pa., says, “The industry standard is to get as much payload as you can.”

A new, larger model offered by one manufacturer lists a payload capacity of 10,000 pounds if mounted on a single axle and 19,000 pounds if mounted on a tandem-axle chassis.

While wrestling with truck size on one front, mobile shredding truck buyers also have to determine the shred size they wish to produce once their truck is on the road.

BITS AND PIECES. When secure destruction companies shop for document shredders, security may be prompting them to consider the smallest possible particle size, but productivity and recycling markets can be reasons to consider the other options.

According to equipment manufacturers, the considerations of customers and of the National Association for Information Destruction (NMD) play a role in what customers request. “A lot of our customers consider what the NAID specifications are to meet AAA certification,” remarks Chris Hawn, director of business sevelopment for waste systems at Vecoplan LLC, High Point, N.C.

Hawn says that other customers, particularly those with recycling roots who can be more aware of the value that paper mills place on better fiber quality, may gear their units toward producing larger shreds.

On the other end of the spectrum, customers who serve clients that have to meet Department of Defense (DOD) specifications of 3/32nd of an inch shreds must use screens that will meet this tight specification.

Mike Spiger, CEO of Ultrashred, Spokane, Wash., says his company’s mobile shredding trucks contain hammermill-style shredders usually outfitted with 2-inch screens. “Because of the way our feed system works, there is nothing that is not shredded by the hammers before it goes through the screen,” says Spiger. “The hammers continue to pulverize the paper until it will fall through that screen, and once it does, it is not possible for that document to be reconstructed,” he says.

An option Vecoplan keeps open to buyers is the availability of screens in many sizes to suit different customers. “Our machines are flexible,” says Hawn. “If they want to go small, they can do that, but then if they want to go larger they can change the screen.”

Spiger says hammermills will operate faster, perhaps chewing through 5,000 pounds per hour on a setting where a grinder can only handle 1,500 pounds. He notes, though, that the Ultrashred hammermill is designed for paper rather than a variety of products. “It’s a paper destruction product that isn’t necessarily designed to handle X-rays or other items.”

Mobile shredding trucks are the workhorses for many startup secure shredding companies, most of which are probably working with thin marketing budgets.

One technique companies might be able to use is taking maximum advantage of the “moving billboard” space on the sides of their shredding trucks.

When Bob Leventhal and Don Adriaansen started Titan Mobile Shredding in Doylestown, Pa., last year, they did not hesitate to put their marketing dollars into truck signage. “We felt that that was the top thing we could do,” says Leventhal. “Once the truck is rolling, everywhere we go we want people to notice it,” he remarks.

Leventhal says he and Adriaansen wanted their trucks to produce both direct results as well as build the kind of brand identity that yields subtle, long-term results. “For us, we’re trying to develop brand recognition,” he notes.

Freightliner LLC of Portland, OR, has created a used truck retail sales group dedicated to serving fleets. The group will work with SelecTrucks Centers as well as Freightliner Trucks, Sterling and Western Star dealers to develop new fleet customers for high quality, late model, Class 6-8 used vehicles.

“In establishing a dedicated used truck retail fleet sales group, we are allocating significant new management resources to our used truck sales effort,” said Bill Gordon, president of Freightliners business unit responsible for the company’s used truck operations. This move is further evidence of Freightliner LLC’s focus on the used truck business and our commitment to used truck customers.”

According to Gordon, this fleet group will serve fleets that do not have an existing used truck relationship with a SelecTrucks Center or a dealer. “We want to ensure that all fleets, including those with substantial owner-operator programs, are familiar with all the ways we can creatively help them,” Gordon said. “Although this fleet group will aggressively prospect fleet customers, it’s important that the sales activities are coordinated with the local SelecTrucks Center or Freightliner, Sterling or Western Star dealer. This added management focus will help us better develop and deliver used truck vehicle-solutions to our customers.”

Customers to be served by the newly-formed used truck retail sales group include medium and large fleets that traditionally buy used trucks or those that currently purchase new, competitively-branded trucks but may be better served by high quality, late model used vehicles. The group will be headed by Bob McTernan, a 26-year veteran of the trucking industry and formerly Western Region General Sales Manager for Freightliner Trucks.

McTernan’s team will consist of industry-experienced sales managers located in various geographic regions of North America.

The establishment of a used truck retail sales group is the latest in a series of used truck-related initiatives by Freightliner LLC. Among other measures, the company recently announced new financing options for used truck customers and innovative used truck purchase programs including “Power to Succeed” and “SelectOne.” The company also is opening a group of used truck retail remarketing centers, increasing its used truck reconfiguration operations and expanding its network of SelecTrucks Centers. First opened in 1997, SelecTrucks is Freightliner LLC’s network of used truck outlets offering a wide selection of used trucks in numerous locations, provided with warranty packages, financing terms and business support.

Based on Advanced Disaster Management Simulator (ADMS(TM)) software, ADMS-ARFF(TM) helps Aircraft Rescue Fire Fighting (ARFF) crews train in operating crash trucks for any aircraft incident or disaster. Target skills include vehicle operation, tactical deployment, airport orientation, driving/radio procedures, and command/control. With all necessary displays and controls for dual-person operation, simulators calculate and visualize all effects of their decisions and actions in real time.

Environmental Tectonics Corporation’s Simulation Division today announced the launch of ADMS-ARFF(TM), a new simulator based on the ADMS(TM), Advanced Disaster Management Simulator software.

ADMS-ARFF was developed so Aircraft Rescue Fire Fighting (ARFF) crews can realistically train in operating crash trucks for any aircraft incident or disaster. Skills trained include vehicle operation, tactical deployment, airport orientation, driving and radio procedures and command and control. Multiple ADMS-ARFF simulators can be coupled to offer team training. The system allows ARFF crews to train realistically, without the restrictions, danger and environmental and operational impact that live fire training presents. ADMS-ARFF is realistic, safe, non-polluting, cost effective and available 24/7. Additionally, crews can train on scenarios that are difficult or impossible to organize as live scenarios.

ADMS-ARFF consists of an out-the-window visual display, extinguishment operation console with turret controls and critical switches and gauges, a steering wheel and pedals. With these controls the crew operates virtual roof and bumper turrets that can flow water, foam or dry-chem agents for fire suppression. An operator can drive to an incident scene and position the vehicle while the vehicle commander sitting in the passenger position, can command and control the operation. Both positions can use the turrets at anytime. The heart of the simulator is the ADMS software platform that powers the simulation dynamics and physics and visualizes the crashed aircraft, casualties, fuel leaks, fire, smoke, weather conditions, debris, and the entire airport environment. ADMS calculates and visualizes all effects of decisions and actions in real time. An instructor can configure an infinite number of incidents with the Scenario Generator and review trainee progress with the Observation and Scoring System.

ADMS President and former Chief of the Royal Netherlands Air Force Fire and Rescue Training Centre, Marco van Wijngaarden commented, “ADMS-ARFF is an ideal training solution for the ARFF-world. You can train as you fight and learn to tackle challenging scenarios without any harm to the environment. It is a critical utility for training responders who might otherwise only have an opportunity to learn during an actual emergency — and by then, it’s too late. ADMS-ARFF imparts knowledge, skills and experience within a realistic context, will enhance performance and operational preparedness, and can also allow for valuable preparation for live training.”

ADMS-ARFF will be introduced to the world at the ARFF Working Group Conference, September 5-9 in New Orleans, and then at the International Aviation Fire Protection Association (IAFPA) Conference, October 16-18 in Singapore. All conference participants will be invited to take the Driver or Commander seat and experience the system for themselves.

ADMS is a high fidelity, interactive simulation platform that offers a proven methodology to provide operationally cost-effective synthetic incident and disaster management experience. Since 1995, it has been used to train emergency responders around the world to better prepare and respond to incidents and disasters, as well as testing and validating emergency response and management plans.

The internet offers a solution to finding used truck parts. In the past, finding used truck parts would often be a difficult task, especially if you lived in remote areas.

Imagine if you were looking for used truck parts like a radiator or headlight but had to drive several miles to pick up these used truck parts. Obviously, this caused a great deal of frustration for many people.

You also had a limited selection of used truck parts. For instance, let’s say you needed a bumper for your old pickup truck. You would take the long journey down to your local auto parts store and upon arrival, you would discover that you had to order the part and wait another month before it would come in!

However, all that has changed now that we have the internet. The internet offers a solution to finding used truck parts.

* You can compare used truck parts prices using the internet. * You can locate stores in your area with the used truck parts that you need to fix your truck. * You can have your used truck parts delivered directly to your front door.

As you can see, there are some terrific benefits to buying used truck parts on the internet. It is hard to imagine not having the option of searching the internet for used truck parts.

So next time you need used truck parts, you may want to consider scanning the internet to see if you can find the used truck parts you need for your truck.