The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-05-03
TOPEKA STATE JOURNAL
INFORMATION BUREAU
FREDERIC J. HASKIN, Director.
Washington, d. c.
ORGANIZING TRUCK SERVICE.

ORGANIZING TRUCK SERVICE.
Washington, d. c., April 3o.-A
system of organized truck service,
which is a great saver of hours ana
dollars, has been worked out in Con-
necticut by Highway Commissioner c.
j. Bennett, following plan used in
Manchester, England. The Connect
cut experiment has been SO successful
that the Council of National Defense
has endorsed the system, and its
adoption in all parts of the country is
urged.
In the Manchester district, even
before the war, trucks had been car
rying good deal of freight. When
load of freight was once on a truck,
it was found more satisfactory than
otherwise to send it twenty or forty
miles and deliver il to the door of
the consignee. It was the simplest
way to accomplish the task in hand.
If it went by rail it would make its
journey to the static in the truck,
be unloaded into a car, with many
delays find its way to it's destination,
probably be unloaded into another
truck for another short trip.
When war came, industry ceased,
freight increased, yet railroads had
fewer cars avafla BILE. The advantage
of haulage by truck became more OBJ
vious. But there was many times
more freight to make the short jour-
neys than truck apacity to haul it.
Manchester. being unable to get adj
dltional trucks to haul this freight,
sought means of increasing the eff
ficiency of those available. 1t meas
ured the truck capacity available with
the yard stick of efficiency to find if
it was performing the maximum of
service.
1t found that factories were sending
their products to other points in their
own trucks and that the trucks were
returning empty. 1t found mercantile
establishments doing the same thing.
1t found that even haulage companies
to travel from one point to another
without loads.
The Chambers of Commerce of these
English cities worked out a plan to in
crease the service rendered by the
available trucks. They established
bureaus which registered, on behalf
of the merchants, any freight bound
for any point in truck radius. They
established such a bureau in every
city. They advertised this arrange
ment in such way that every truck
man came to know that freight was so
registered. Thereafter, whenever a
| man with a truck WIS in any city and
bound for any other point without a
load, he went to the freight bureau
he might haul. SO he was able to
| avoid ever making a trip empty.
All these facts were placed at the
disposal of c. J. Bennett, who was
seeking relief for Connecticut, by the
Council of National Dfense.
From Hartford a cal went forth
to the other important centers of the
state. They were asked to cooper
ate in furnishing return loads" for
| trucks. In Connecticut the organiza-
1 =. 600
of the return load" Fourteen cities
responded and immediately proceeded
| to establi return load" bureaus.
These were Bridgeport, Bristol. Dan
| bury Greenwich, Hartford, Manches-
ter, Merideh, Middletown. New Brit
ain. New Haven, New London, Nor
walk. Norwich, Stamford and Water
bury.
| The Connecticut plan gave instruc-
tions in detail as to methods OF pro-
| cedure In every case the return
load" bureau was an auxiliary of the
Chamber of Commerce. In England
per cent fee was charged to both
truckman and shipper for the service
rendered, but in Connecticut the
\ Chamber of Commerce bears the ex-
pense, which is very small.
| The first step in establishing a re
| turn load bureau is to make sur
vey of the trucks that may become a
| part of the scheme. The holders of
are a matter of record and available
| anywhere. These names are secured
and card indexed. Then question
naires are sent out to each of these
holders of licenses Each is asked If
his truck is in any circumstances
| available Cor overland haulage; If SO,
| over what routes, when trips are
made, what is the carrying capacity.
When the information is received. the
facts are entered on the card. Dupli-
Gates of these cards are made for the
file of each return load" bureau in
accordance with the ACCESSIBILITY of the
trucks for service on given routes and
filed behind markers indicating the
route.
Thus are all the trucks of the dis
trict made available to him who has
freight to move. Any individual may
look thru these cards, select the oper-
ator of trucks most likely to meet his
needs and communicate with him.
Then the shipper. as in England, is
asked to register his freight. This is
carded and filed in accordance with
route. So does the return load bureau
come to have complete record OF
trucks in operation and freight await
ing haulage over any route.
1t IL not alone the intention to
bring the commercial trucking agen-
cies into thu; plan. If a manufac.
turer or a merchant whose truck ordi-
narily handles only his own hauling
makes a trip to>an adjacent town and
has no load of it's own for the return
journey, it is expected to become a
public carrier for the time. If il
should be seen going over the road
empty, it would be considered a re.
Election on the owner. an unpatriotit
action and one which would probabl,
, result in his fellows applying a BIZ
of moral suasion to correct the fault
Trucks must be loaded to capacit,
wherever they go.
The first result is that much larger
quantities of freight are moved will
the trucks already in operation in
given district The second result i:
| that trucking as a business become,
| much nrnfifah bile