The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1918-09-12
MOTOR TRUCK SERVICE

are uupllCdllnS III time ana tOnNaSe
the work done by a corresponding
number of freight cars. A railroad
no more merchandise thar a aravan
of ninety motor trucks. These start
ling statements come from Raymond
Beck, chief engineer of the Highway
Transport Committee and chief of the
B. F. Goodrich Rubber Company's
National Touring Bureau. Few peo-
pie realize the tremendous strides
made in highway transportation dur
ing the past 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 90 miles a day,
and a motor truck will travel 100
miles in that time. The average ca
pacity of a freight car Is % tons. AL
though a 5 ton truck carries %one-ffth
the load of the railroad car it travels
five times as fast, thus equalizing
their performances" Three big trans
portation problems are being solved
by the Highway Transport Commit
tee. They are rural motor ex-
press service, return loads blu
reaus in cities and the relief of
railroad terminal congestion in the
big transportation ccnters. The com
mittee has made extensive plans to
assist the farmer in hauling their
crops to market or to a central sta
ton, so the farmers will remain on
the farm. The committee points out
that one man driving a five ton truck
can haul to market more han three
men whit wagons and cover three
times the distance in a given time.
Use of the truck would therefore re-
lease 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 UNI
limited field return bureaus are being
established in hundreds of communi-
ties. BY phoning the bureau in his
community the farmer may leave
word for returning trucks to pick up
implements or supplies, for him, thus
saving him the time and expense of
a trip to town. Trailers are destined
to become a big factor in rural motor
haulage. In some rural districts load
ing platforms have been built by
farmers and two or more ~trailers are
delivers a loaded trailer and picks up
a trailer consigned to another station
on his route. A uniform style of trail
er, which may be exchanged, and hard
surfaced roads are necessary develop
ments to insure universal success of
trailer transportation. Over 200 re-
turn loads bureaus have been estab-
lished in the United States and the
system is relieving thousands of
freight cars for war duty elsewhere.
Return loads have given enormous
impetus to inter-city hauling by motor
truck, said Beck. m Of the chief
reasons for the railroad tie-up Of last
winter was the congestion and con
fusion at railroad terminals in the
larger cities. To remedy this condi-
ton the Highway Transport Commit
tee are mapping New York and other
large cities into zones. Expressmen
and carriage concerns operating in a
specified zone must carry full loads
to and from the freight stations. Ac-
to and from the freight stations. The
plan will eliminate the common prac-
tice of special trips for small ship
ments which only partially fill the
trucks or dray.
Motorists canno jam On their
brakes without taxing their pocket
books. Careful application Of the
brake will save repair bills and in
crease N lie or the tire substantial
ly. In slowing down at crossroads
and street intersections many drivers
wait until the last minute and then
clamp on the brakes suddenly. Locked
wheels result. The tires suffer the
bulk of this abuse by grinding and
saving against the road surface.
Very often sharp stones are caught
between the tire and the road and as
the car slides to a standstill a hole
is gouged or filed into the casing.
Every time a brake is suddenly ap-
piled a portion of the tread is worn
off, eventually barring the fabric car
cass. Lack of brake application in
turning corners destroys tires quick
ly. Cars operating in cities where
frequent turns are necessary in their
daily trips will more than pay for the
time saved, in speeding on the turns,
~ uppacoccor, ~ firo hi1lc The ahpor.