> We can't easily pack humans more densely into trucks
We basically can, with decent urban transit and rail services.
We basically can, with decent urban transit and rail services.
An articulated bus has a curb weight of about 35,000 lb and a capacity of up to 92 passengers. At 177 lb each, that's a gross weight of 51,284 lb. (net: 16,284 lb of passengers).
I'd presume a potato's density is close to that of water. As such, capacity is actually mass rather than volume-constrained --- you'd be unable to fill a truck to its volumetric carrying capacity before exceeding gross vehicle weight limits.
Many grocery products have much lower density: chips, bread, paper products, etc.
I still tend to agree it makes more sense to move goods than people, but the differential may not be quite as great as you might think.