The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1920-02-29

it has been found that motor trucks can
be operated. carrying three and one
half ton load, at a cost OF ten cents
ton mile OF fifty cents ton for the
| five~rniie haul. or sf75 per trip. pro-
viding always that the load was ample
10 Keep the truck busy twenty or TWEEN
ty-nve days month and the oading
and handling facilities were good. In
fact II is a matter of record that in
handling stone it has been hauled at
cost Of FIVE cents a ton mile. using
a driver and two helpers which has
been included in the cost of transpor-
ltetion.
Long Coal company. Of Richmond,
lave several moter trucks and IL 10 I'M
| eerstood that they are putting cut
twenty tons day on an average mile
haul Just what their costs are is not
available to the writer, bat as they
ase dump trucks and have two men
on the truck it is estimated that their
cost cannot exceed fifty cents or sixty
cents per ton mile. These figures are
not authentic. They are using motor
trucks entirely in their business which
lis growing very fast and it Is the ex-
pectatton OF MIR. Long to be able to
give his customers the benefit Of his
lup-to-date motor truck equipment. both
as 10 prompt delivery and process OF
his product.
Vaughn e. Chewing state that a one
ton motor truck saved for them s1.oss
the first year over tie cost of two
carts, after figuring ali expenses. cost
OF carts. horses and truck They did
not take into consideration the question
OF dcpreciation in their case because
they said the truck would pay for it.
self in the course OF two or three
years. although 1t was to disadvan-
/ a herance be Eas,
than one mile, whereas when the haul
exceeded one mile they found they could
do the work OF three or four e-horse
carts with one-ton truck. They be-
lieye IL they had used twe-ton truck
for saving would have been consider
ahle more. The question of deprecia-
ton they say eliminates itself when
the trucks can contribute in excess of
thousand dollars towards it's cost over
TIE cost of teams In actual dollars and
cents, since there are trucks in use
that are known to be Ave or ten years
Old. and the minimum life of good
truck Is five years.
Up in Louisa where they have . lot
az mud, Mr.. Jonathan walton states
tFat his direction Day Elder truck
. takes the place of twelve mules and his
three and one-half ton truck takes tho
place Of sixteen. Mr.. Walton is a great
enthusiast about trucks notwithstand-
ing the fact that Louisa roads are con-
sdered by Richmond people as bad as
there ls to be found anywhere.
The growth of motor trucks in Rich
mond is indicated by the fact that it is
estimated that nearly million dollars
OF local capital is invested In the job
hing and retail trade merchandising
motor trucks, with annual turnover
IN the neighborhood of $4,000. 900 1t
us reported there are about fifteen or
twenty Thousand trucks in the state and
they are becoming more generally in
d*e every day. not only the merchants
hndlnG them necessary, but the farm
ers find that they are even more help
full to them.
IT is the hope of the motor truck
manufacturer 10 help out the farmer
80 that he can keep his teams piow-
ing and thereby increase production It
is estimated that a team spends half
OF its time in producing food for them
setses, so any piece of capital that 10
only SO per cent efficient as a team 1t
has TO be keep at it's particular work
/ OF plowing. Even in the field pulling
a Blow the efficiency of the team is be-
ing fast overcome by the tractor.
The present freight rate for haul
ing motor truck from Richmond to
stanton, distance OF 200 miles, 10
something like s75-~passenger cars or
motor trucks can be driven over tho
roads as soon we get suita bl g
roads. at cost of about IS for fuel
/ and 81 for time, or total of 50. making
an cnrmous saving over freight.
! AS soon as we have good roads II 10
tho belief of the motor truck manu-
factur"rs and dealers hereabouts that
&c can have quite an adjustment of
/ freight rates on our short hauis In the
+ south. Strikes have no particular
worry TO the farmer who has motor
truck or to the city man who produces
valuable merchandise. To the farmer
il means a lot because transportation
is tied IN and he can extract higher
prices out of his brother in town by
delivering him food direct to his door,
or ne can help in good neighboriy
way by delivering all sorts of produce
more promptly and with less waste
with the motor truck. To the city man
who builds valuable merchandise dis
lance IS no factor, even in the case Of
4 strike Valuable merchandise has
been delivered az far as thousand miles
in the event of strikes. There are
I motor truck lines in the North that
are designed to operate from Massa-
tchusetts to Washington on regular
schedule. John Wannamaker for n
number of years maintained a daily
schedule with motor trucks between
his Philadelphia and New York stores,
q distance Of over ninety miles
Automobile manufacturers regularly
I in the East when they are short on
merchandise get on pneumatic tire
motor truck and go to the manufac
turer and get the required items to
keep up production. Motor trucks can
travel on express schedule II equipped
/ with Pneumatic tres Motor trucks
With Pneumatic tire equipment are to-
day being used whore passenger ears
cannot be used because of the low gear
r?tio and extreme large size of the
tires.
Hutter Cook Lumber company of
! Sheppards, Va, reports that with their
NJ essunfatie, tire. ~ Day E,ldare they, gan
haul lumber at all seasons and with all
kinds of weather--there is only one
thing that ties them UP and that being
a washout or a bridge broken down.
] In the low country bordering on the
coast sand and soft ground is being
negotiated everywhere with Pneumatic
/ tires On the Eastern Shore OF vir-
ginia 1t is found that Pneumatic tire
i tIMcks San. 20 right out in the acid
and take away potatoes.
/ AS to the life Of a truck many motor
car manufacturers have been consider
ing guaranteeing the worm and gear In
their trucks for the life OF the truck.