New-York tribune., 1918-09-08
Thousands of Cars Can
Thus Be Freed for
Other Duties

Thousands of individual motor trucks
engaged in intercity hauling are dupli-
eating in time and tonnage the work
done by a corresponding number of
freight cars. A railroad train of ninety
freight cars will haul no more mer-
chandlse than caravan of ninety mo-
tor trucks. These startling statements
come from Raymond Beck, chief en-
glncer Of the Highway Transport Com
mlttee and chief of the B. f. Good
rich Rubber Company's national tour
ing bureau.
Few people realize the tremendous
strides made in highway transporta-
tion during the last year" said Beck.
Our statistics show that motor trucks
are doing the same work. ton for ton,
that freight cars are doing An average
freight car travels but twenty miles a
day, and a motor truck will travel one
hundr6 d miles in that time The aver
age G cpaelty of a freight car is twenty
i've tons. Although fve-ton truck
carries one-iifth the load of the rail
road car it travels five times as fast,
thus equalizlng its performance"
Three Main Problems
Three big transportation problems
are being solved by the Highway
Iransport Committee, according to
Beck. They are rural motor EXPRESS
service, return loads bureaus in Cities
and the relief Of railroad terminal con-
gestion in the big transportation CEN
tres.
The committee has made extensive
plans to assist the farmers in hauling
their crops to market or to central
station, so the farmers will remain on
the 1arm The committee points out
that one man driving a five ton truck
can haul to market more than can three
men with wagons and cover three times
the distance in a given time. Use of
the truck would therefore release eight
men and sixteen horses to continue
work on the farm.
Several thousand trucks are now on
rural express duty, but to encourage
additional operators to enter this un-
limited field. return bureaus are being
established IL hundreds of communi-
ties. By 'phoning the bureau in his
community the farmer may leave word
Tor returning trucks to pick up imple-
ments or supplies for him, thus saw
ing hm the time and expense of
trip to town.
Big Field For Trailers
Trailers are destined to become
big factor in rural motor haulage. In
some rural districts loading platforms
have been built by farmers and two
or more trai4ers are employed. The
rural express truck delivers loaded
trailer and picks up trailer consigned
10 another station on his route.
uniform style of trailer, which NAV be
exchanged, and hard surfaced roads
are necessary developments to insure
tion.
Over 200 return load bureaus have
been established in the United States
and the system is relieving thousands
OF freight ears for war duty elsewhere.
Return loads have given enormous i'm
petus to intercity hauling by motor
truck, said Beck.
One of the chief reasons for tho
railroad tie-up of last winter was the
congestion and confusion at railroad
terminals in the larger cities. To rem
edy this condition the Highway Trans
port Committee Is mapping New York
ana other large cities into zones. Ex-
pfessmen and carriage concerns oper-
ating IN specified zone must carry
lull loads 20 and from the freight sta
! ions. According TO Beck. the plan
VIII eliminate the common practice of
special trips FOR small shipments
whlch only partly fiji the trucks or
drays