Newark evening star and Newark advertiser., 1912-03-23
TRUCKS BETTER
ROAD CONDITIONS
Advent Of AutO-Truek Marks
New Traffic
Era.

TRAFFIC conditions in congested por-
lions of our large cities have been SO
Greatly improved by the motor truck
that If is not a wonder that so much
cooperation has BEEN obtained from the
,,fftnicipaI authorities and from the
heads of the various railroad and SNIP
Ming companies Today the owner OF
The motor truck finds conditions vastly
imnroyed over those of three years ago,
hut there is still room for improve
ments and for added facilities whereby
the efficiency of the motor truck can
be so increased as to result in still
further saving for the owner. for the
municipality and for the transporta-
ton companies.
The efficiency Of a motortruck varies
directly with the percentage Of time
during which it is transporting produc-
ing loads. Consequently, every minute
lost. either through delays due to the
congestion of traffic through waits to
get up to or away from loading plat
form or through the necessity of max
ing detours to avoid streets which have
been closed by the municipal authori-
ties. all so to cut down the efficiency
of the truck by preventing it from
making the number of ton miles which
under normal circumstances it should.
From the owners viewpoint it is not
reasonable to expect him to incur
large expense and make a heavy in
vestment for motor trucks, each OF
which would supplant three two-horse
teams. if such an investment is not
paying one. Various municipal and
TRANSPORTATION officials, realizing the
immense advantage of the motor truck
and knowing that the motor truck is
saving them large amounts OF money
through it's relieving congestion, are
cooperating with the owner to elimi-
nate many of the delays which IN the
past proved so alarming.
Municipal authorities find that motor
traffic has, from their viewpoint, three
great advantages over horse traffic.
They find that the motor truck Is less
destructive on the street, reducing the
maintenance charges of the street re-
pair department.; they know that the
reduction of the amount of horse de- |
bris. due to the supplanting of the
horse by the motor truck, not only !
affects a large financial saving, but 1t
also has resulted in a betterment Of
the public health, due to the more
sanitary condition of the streets. They !
also appreciate the fact that the motor
truck has decreased for any given ton
mage the number of vehicles required,
with a consequent relieving of traffic
congestion at rush hours,
This tast IS a very important factor
in municipal conditions today and can
be better realized when 1t is known
that the normal large capacity truck,
which under ordinary circumstances
viii supplant three two-horse teams
not only occupies a space equivalent
TO about only 80 per cent of the actual
length Of three such teams and wagon,
but also. owing to it's great flexibility
and ease of control, it can follow closer /
to the vehicle Immediately preceding
it. AS an actual fact, assuming that
the traffic conditions in any given
street are as congested as they are to-
day. something over four times as
much tonnage could be carried by
given point in a given time If all the
traffic was carried on motor vehicles.
VT aSSuIllLS Lfldl bNly kiiG GcliiAN LOll~
mage was to be transported, traffic con-
ditions would be greatly relieved and
congestion would be practically elm
mated.
Municipal authorities are doing all
they can to further this end by keep
ing the streets in better re-
pair and by giving the faster
moving motor vehicle the pref
erence wherever possible 1t is prob
able that in the near future the mu-
inequalities will cooperate further by
opening many streets which are now
closed to heavy traffic, and thus enable
the truck to save time by eliminating
detours which formerly were neces-
sary.
Immense improvements have also
taken place in the last few years at
the railroad depots and at the wharves. !
Where formerly the motortrucks were
compelled TO take their place in line
and gradually work up to the platforms
today many progressive officials intent
on serving the best interest of their
own stockholders. have minimized traf-
1c delays by providing special plat
formSfor motortrucks only. Railroad
officials. trained and educated in the
handling Of freight, traffic experts in
the broadest sense Of the word, realize
better than anyone else the need of
speed, and they welcome any innova-
tlon which tends to relieve any con
gestion on their own platform and
which diminishes the time in trans
porting goods from the factory to the
shelves Of the distributor
The extent to which coopera ton has
been carried out might be continued
indefinitely. but let 1t be sufficient 20
say that today every effort Is being
made to increase the scope and the
field OF the motor truck, not only by
the manufacturer and by the user OF
these vehicles but by all parties
directly or Indirectly interested In the
great problem of transportation. Every
improvement in traffic, depot or wharf
conditions not only effects a saving
for the truck user, the railroad man or
The shipping man, but also is of vital
Importance to the public at large.
The public's interest lies in the fact
that minimizing Of delay means a
lower transportation cost Every cent
saved in transportation between the
producer and the user eventually re-
suits in a lower price for the user
While in the individual case this saw
ing Is large, in the aggregate, an I'M
mense amount Of money will be saved
uhap fra ff1n conditions ora C11pb fbo4