Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-01-20
MOTOR TRUCKS HAVE
come into THEIR OWN
Norer Was Such Need for CONNER
cial Vehicles for Transport
ing Goods.
AMERICA SUPPLYING WORLD

Military Value OF Trucks Realized
by This Government, as Well as
by Our Allies, Who Have Bought
Many Trucks in This Country.
In tho present period of national
stress. the Importance OF the motor
truck Is forcing itself on official WASH
ington. on the railroad executives. the
express companies. and on merchants
and manufacturers throughout the
country as never before.
For an army OF 100000 men in
Europe our War Department requires
10000 motor vehicles. OF which $4,000
VIII be transport trucks. $500 anbu-
iance3. 1900 officers cars. and $500
motorcycles. American factories are
working on orders for 10000 trucks,
aud it Is anticipated that many more
thousand Will be ordered during the
coming fiscal year. Forces in the field
are dependent on motor trucks for all
supplies. food. clothing. ammunition
and medical supplies. The injured In
battle are removed to hospitals Dacx
OF the line In motor ambulanc.s.
The power vehicle is as essential to
modern military operations as ar,n-
'ery. Every belligerent In the war Is
USING motor trucks to tho greatest
possible extent. About 100000 are In
use on oil the battle fronts. How tho
London motor onnibuscs were rushed
TO France to carry troops from the
coast and later to haul dressed beef
for tho soldiers: how the battle OF the
Marine that saved Paris from invasion
Was won by Ranking movement with
10000 troops rushed up from behind
the French capital in motor buses
tnxicabs and touring cars. and how the
defense OF Verdun was made possible
only by the vast supplies OF munitions
brought up by q steady stream Of motor
trucks running day and night, are all
familiar stories. But the narrative Of
tho less spectacular. but no less i'm
The present war remains to be told.
$4,000 AMERICAN TRUCKS
ALREADY IN WAR ZONE
Forty-hve thousand American motor
trucks were shipped TO tho three prin-
cipal entente allied bcllig
land. France and Russia-during the
hrst three years Of the war, the great
majority on order by the respective
governments. In the nscal year i'm
'nediately preceding the war our ex-
ports Of trucks to these thre. coun-
tries totaled only COZ.
Construction Of our sixteen national
army environments, housing 10000 to
$4,000 men each, in the amazingly short
period OF three months. was made pos
siblc partly by the use Of motor trucks
for hauling material, building rouds
etc
Aside from the immediate war needs
for motor truck service. the country
confronted with transportation require
incnts exceeding the combined facili-
ties Of the American railroads. with
their 10000 miles OF trackaEe and
annual frciEht-carryinC CAPACITY Of
$4,000. 900. 600 ton miles. has turned for
relief to the 1000 motor trucks owned
and operated by private business and
manufacturing concerns. If the short
haul work can be taken on the
shoulders Of the railways by motor
trucks. II VIII greatly reduce the con-
Scstion Of miscellaneous small ship
ments in the yards and freight house 5
OF the terminals. This VIII clear the
way for the more important through
shipments OF foods;uTs. materials for
manufacturing. coal, munitions and
army supplies. II will also release
thousands OF freight and express cars
and hundreds of locomotives and train
crews for the long distance hauling
that can be handled only by III rail-
roads.
The war industries board and the
railroads war board are nov alive TO
the situation, and are inviting tho aid
OF the motor truck interests to take
over all the short-haul work possible
Last fall the British government de-
cided TO impress motor wagons into
census OF all steam trucks registered In
England. and initiated movement to
coordinate the operation OF such road
vehicles with the railroads. 1t has
been proposed In Washington that the
railroads be recommended to place an
embargo on ali shipments OF less TRAN
carload freight and express from points
within about twenty-five miles of the
larger cities. forcing such shipments
TO be handled by motor trucks. Al
though only under tentative considers-
ton at present. such action may be
forced at an early date by the increas-
inS pressure on the railroads
RAILROAD PRESSURE
TURNS ATTENTION TO MOTORS
While this would be radical move.
IL would only be the extension OF
universal scale OF work that Is being
done by motor trucks here and there
all over the country. In many OF the
larger cities there are motor express
companies operating fleets Of trucks
over regular routes 10 points from ten
stores regularly deliver by motor
wagon throughout territory having
a radius of twenty-five miles or more,
and innumerable manufacturers and
merchants in various lines make shin
mcnts by motor truck for distances nm
to fifty and even 100 miles. II "a y
regular feature OF the business of the
moving van companies to move house
hold furniture by motor van any dis
tance desired. There Is nothing UNI
common In trips OF this kind between
New York and Boston or New York
Philadelphia. Baltimore and Wash
inEton.
There arc at least two trucking COM
panies that operate trucks between
New York and Philadelphia One has
a fleet OF twenty-five hve-ton trucks
that operate on daily schedule be-.
tween the two cities, a distance of
ninety miles. In addition, contracts
are taken for special trips to BaIti-
more. Washington. Harrisburg, Pitts
burgh and to New England cities.
Recently company was organized in
Detroit to operate a fleet of motor
trucks with trailers at three-hour in
tervals daily over the forty-milc route
from Detroit to Toledo. Practically all
shipments from the rubber factories in
Akron, Ohio to Cleveland are made by
motor trucks, and one of the rubber