Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1921-12-06
MOTOR TRUCKS AS
FREIGHT CARRIERS
Their Use Saves Both Time and
Money in Comparison With
Rail Shipping.

The recent threat Of a rail strike
focused attention on the possibilities
OF motor-truck transportation, and
many traffic men became more fully
aware of the great development ir
this field. says the New York Times.
The facts they learned have led 70
more than a passing interest in the
subject, even though the emergency
is over. Store executives seem 70 be
especially concerned over three phases
OF motor truck transportation. One is
the dependability Of the service, an
other is the standardizing OF rates, and
the third is the safety factor or in
surance against damage.
The comparative cost OF motor truck
transportation for the stores is, Of
course, the first consideration. AS far
as the retail traffic managers know,
the rates generally come in between
the freight and express charges. They
are higher than freight but less than
express. In regard 10 freight rates,
however. the point is frequently made
that terminal expenses are liable to
wipe out any difference between them
and what IL costs to ship BY truck.
The element of time is another factor
that seems TO favor the latter method
OF transportation. These two mat
terS were considered in an address
made during the week 10 the local
traffic group Of the National Retail
Dry Goods Association by L. W. Fem.
Secretary OF the National Motor Truck
Committee of the National Automobile
Chamber OF Commerce. He said:
In a report OF 4 special committee
appointed to investigate motor trans
| portaton in New England TO the
Chairman of the Executive Committee
OF the New England Traffic League, at
tention is called 10 the fact that il
often takes ZIG hours to ship by rail
from Bridgeport TO New York, i dis
tance Of SO miles. and four or five days
| between points in Connecticut less
than 40 miles apart. In other in
| stances, delays OF from two to seven
days have resulted on distances ol
from so TO 100 miles. The report
states that these two factors are large.
iy responsible for the increased use OF
motor transportation.
"An examination OF the costs o.
door -to-door delivery OF first elias.
]. c. ]. freight from New York 10 New
Haven viii be Of interest. The dis
4 lance is seyenty-four miles. The fla
freight rate IS So cents: the total COS
by rail- per hundred pounds is s1.2s
This total Is arrived at by adding t,
the freight rate the necessary teanling
charges at both ends. which are 81
cents; the cost of extra boxing, which
lamounts 70 "a cents. plus extra freigh
charge on increased weight OF boxing
which amounts TO II per cent OF tn
freight rate. On the other hand, 10
the same distance the motor trucl
rate for 100 pounds IS Sl1O, a differ
ence of Is cents, while the trouble an
expense Of extra boxing and cratinl
are automatically eliminated by tn
, use OF trucks. IN addition TO tn
actual rate in saving by motor truck
. there is also a saving OF 10S hours 4
time, as II takes 120 hours by rail-
Apart from his discussion of III
. general subjectsof motor truck trans
. portation, Mr.. Fem described the us
being made OF demountabIe true
, bodies, a development which has save
time and expense and should hav
a special appeal 70 stores anxious I
improve their shipping facilities dur
Ing special sale and holiday periods.