Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-01-23
FLEXIBLE TRUCKS
IN MORE DEMAND
On.Time Delivery Necessi.
tates Smaller Vehicles,
With High Speed.
BY J. C. ROYLE.
|pecial Dispatch to The Star.

Special Dispatch to The Star.
NEW YORK. January 23.--Time.
1.-The essence of the contract" Is DOM
mating the designs Of motor trucks IN
1928. Purchasers demand that trucks
must be operated on strict schedule
they must be on "time"and the man
ufacturers are building them with that
idea In view. II is for this reason that
the most popular models for trucks OF
the day are under two tons capacity
In the present. congested condition
Of traffic" said Walter c. White OF the
White Co. today. III a truck is not fieX.
ible enough to take full advantage OF
the movement OF traffic lights 1t Is not
its owner"
Delivery service which fails TO keep
up with modern traffic demands must
80 the same way as the old open faced
cracker barrel" declared D. r. Kelly.
president OF one Of the largest depart
ment stores in the Middle West.
Everything on Time.
Nowadays everything must be on
time" asserted o. l.. Arnold. vice presi-
dent Of the General Motors Truck Co.
Trains must be on time. Newspapers
and groceries must be delivered on time.
commodity A truck today is not mere
" something that takes goods from one
potn to another II is an arm Of mer-
cllardising which has become essential"
Tie latest figures compiled by the
Automobile Chamber of Commerce
show that these demands have result
ed in preponderance In the use OF
one TO two ton trucks. These totals
show 73l.366 one to two ton trucks IN
| opers ton as compared with 237, 496
under one ton and l24,ll0 over two
and a half tons. The reason for this
popularity lies not only In speed and
e ,xibility. according to Mr.. White, but
in lower taxes. The tax rates on COM
mercial vehicles In most States are
: favorable to those under three-ton ca
pacitv.
what the truck manufacturer wants
70 see" Mr. White continued. rs strict
enforcem ant of the motor vehicle laws
No maker wishes to sci Ia three-ton
truck and have the operator load nve
tons on IT, That Is not fair TO the We
hicle or the reputation OF Its maker
1t Ia even more unfair TO the States.
counties and cities In which such trucks
ar. roera ted
"S,rin.s, wheels and tires are de-
signed for a certain load. II more OF
lead ia placed on them. the weight does
not c.t proper distribution over road
bearing surface As a result. the road
il damaged and worn out long before
1t should be.
Little Attention to Load Limit.
There are 20 States which have
placed a limit OF $4,000 pounds on any
vehicle. including the trucks ITSELF and
its contents. 1t is seldom that penal
ties are imposed. however. for infrac-
tons of this rule. The roads seem
nobody's business until taxpayers COM
mence to complain that the road Is
worn out before the bond issue which
built II Is retired"
It Is odd but true that many reputable
truck manufacturers want to see their
competitors make good trucks They
explain their attitude In this way: II
q customer makes a bad purchase and
gets a feet Of poor trucks, he Is always
bent on trading them In at 50 high
figure as will average down his costs
and make his mistake less apparent
than 1t otherwise would be The bane OF
the truck manufacturers life Is trade