Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1921-02-06
TRUCKS WEIGHED
/ TOEND OVERLOADS
State Highway Officials Max
!! ing Determined Effort
!. to Save Roads.

to Save Roads.
1.-THE srecent authorization by the
California a. highway commission of the
purchase of six loadometers for the
purpose of making a systematic
weighing of motor trucks on the
state highways reveals a determined
effort to keep overloaded trucks from
the roads, says r. H. Salmons. vice
president Selden Truck Corporation
and member of national motor truck
committee.
UP to a short time ago no attempt
had been made anywhere in the coun-
try to compel motor trucks to observe.
the maximum-load violations. with
the increase of motor transportation
and the consequent greater wear ana
tear on the roads. the attention of Off
Gals in few places which have laws
regulating truck loads was directed
to the matter, primarily as means
Of road preservation. While it is adj
mitted that the majority of the roads
are by no means what they ought to
be, they must be taken as they are
until means are found to improve
them properly, and it is an evidence
all road users on the part of high
way officials to keep the load weights
within reasonable bounds.
Adopted in New jersey.
I'm New Jersey. which has tackled
this problem of excessive motor truck
loads more thoroughly than any other
eastern state, the plan was adopted
early in the summer of weighing
trucks which appeared SuSpiciouSly
heavy. This was merely preliminary
to a more determined effort. 1t is now
announced that proper scales have
been purchased and placed at five Sc
iected sites along the thoroughfares.
The control of this whole matter is
OF direct interest, therefore. to all the,
taxpayers, who are responsible for the
upkeep of the highways of the coun-
try. 1t affects all towns and interur-
ban stretches through which main
trucking routes pass.
ut took the railroads years to dis
cover that gross overlooking never
pays in the long run. They found out
that it was too expensive and danger
Gus way to make money. freight
car, like a truck, is built with fac
tor of safety to stand certain strains
caused by uneven roadbed and pound
ing over cross-overs; if given proper
care it will stand such strains with
out excessive overlooking. Just think
Tor a moment what may happen if
car axle breaks from such abuse. The
whole train may be wrecked. Just as
Spectacles of this kind cannot be per-
mitted to occur often on the railroads,
so must the truck owners of the coun-
try war against similar accidents on
highways.
Takes Care Of Strains.
"a truck will stand some overload,
A. 1 have just intimated; the manu-
tacturer refers to this as the factor
81 safety. 1t is the designers idea
that this additional strength takes
care of the greatest strains the truck
may encounter when operated under
normal conditions of load and speed.
It might better be called factor of
ignorance. for the additional strength
Of the truck is expected by the owner
20 support the additional load put on
& due to ignorance. Although a ma
chine may be carefully designed and
conservatively rated at certain ca
oacity. with factor of safety, 1t does
not mean that it will carry so per
cent overload without damage to the
machine. Because the manufacturer
.laims the truck will carry so or 100
oer cent overload is no reason the
Dad should be put on the machine.
This should be counted as reserve ca
lacfty and would correspond to the
capacity of a horse to pull SO per cent
or more overload on a grade. The
man who drives horses would be fool
sh to keep them all of the time under
strain such as they would have on the
worst part of the road. The same prin-
ciple holds true for truck.
- = "a Loss Of Oil.
"A typical, example due ito over
Leading resulted fin the loss of one
aalf gallon OF OIL per day from the
was proved that the trouble was
lue to gross overlooking. because,
when a new hoist was installed, and
My capacity loads were carried, no
.urther trouble was had.
"A more serious case that was
hry III ~,
pnfractor owning two fve-ton dump
.rucks of well known make. He
lad contract hauling crushed stone
,ut in the Cumberland mountains.
.4e thought he could make more money
hauling eight tons per trip; this he
finished the contract. While one of
the trucks was descending a noun
tain with an eight-ton load something
broke and the truck ran into
large bowlder. was almost completely
wrecked, and the driver was severely
and burned. The contractor was
iorced to go out of business because
IT the accident. and he acknowledged
mat overlooking caused it all, not
poor material or workmanship. The
.ruck was not built to Withstand
such abuse
when the states generally take this
matter up. as New Jersey has DONE
and code of uniform laws is drafted
and enforced the evil of overlooking
will be less apparent. The proposed
Uniform vehicle law. when completed
will be forward step and should
stabilize conditions materially. The
rest interests Of the country will be
served by the adoption of this law
As many of it's provisions as possible
should be enacted by each state. Es-
pecially is it important that the pro-
Visions as to speed, height. width the
rules OF the road. etc, with the penal
ties for the violation of the same. be
adopted, SO that when a driver or
operator Of a vehicle becomes ia
mfliar with the traffic laws of his own
state he will be familiar with those
OF all the other states.
Abuse Called O6ense,
Truck abuse. whether it be over
loading or anything else. is a grieyous
onensc against business, because il
which is the Iifeblood of business
Millions of tons of freight are ac-
cumulating in this country every day
on account of congested terminals
The task Of moving is too great for
railroads; the less than carload shin
ments are the permanent cargo of the
trucks A system of motor transpor-
tation is therefore needed to supple
ment the railroads. No railroad
switchmen's strike or longshoremen's
strike is required TO enable the BUST
ness man Of vision to evaluate the
worth OF the continuous operation Of
an adequate transportation system
It is the duty Of business to see that
overlooking and kindred abuses do
not interfere with its development"
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