Evening star., 1931-06-21
OPINION OF TRUCK DRIVERS -
DEPENDS ON POINT OF NEW
Commercial Vehicle May Appear as an
Obstacle to Some, But Its Operator
Is Generally Careful.
BIZ ROBERT z. M. CowIE, President

BY ROBERT z. M. COWIE, President
Railway Express Asency. Incorporated.
To the impatient automobile driver OF
passenger, the commercial truck may
geem to be an obstacle in his path
which obstructs his movement and mars
his pleasure. From a few individual
cases. he may regard 1t as a huge
barrier which monopolizes the road, dis
regards the rights of others and pur-
sues its heavy plodding way, regardless
OF who or what is ahead-or behind-it.
Taking the subject by and large, how
ever, the truck operator Is perhaps the
most careful driver on the road or the
street, as he has every reason to be.
Accident statistics, in fact, prove that.
Usually, the commercial truck driver is
q man of experience, who has passed
through lar more stringent tests than
those required by the State, and he is
less inclined to those reckless spurts and
desperate chances, of which the impa-
tient pleasure car driver is 50 often
accused.
DebatabIe Question.
1t Is debatable question whether our
streets and highways would have been
so rapidly developed and expanded were
II simply to supply q fast course for
passenger trafdc alone, pleasure bound
or otnerw1se. Undeniably, economic need
mas helped TO create such channels of
transportation within and between all
centers OF population, large or small.
Inc use OF them for the movement of
commodities is. therefore, entirely in
accord with their purpose
indeed, motor vehicles are vital TO the
commercial existance of every commu-
nifty, and their expeditions movement
and fulfilling of their function promntiv'
are perhaps the most essential factors
IN community wellbeing. Solution of
our ever recurring trafic problem can
not come without due provision being
mace Tor the expeditions movement of
commercial vehicles in the handling of
commodities used In manufacturing and
IN the normal wholesale and retail dis
tr1pution OF goods In the process of sale
to the public. ''-'-
We have habit in this country of
acKnowledg1ng that time is money" If
!aH. Ia.s' De true. then time lost is money
lost. This is graphically illustrated in
delays TO business for which trafic con-
gestion is responsible. A careful study
OF the costs and losses incident to such
congestion has been made by the. Conn
mlttee on Traff1c Congestion of the Ma
tlonaI conference on Street and High
way SAFETY and lays down an approxi-
mate estimate of $4,000, ,OOO, 600 a wear
as economic loss in this respect for the
country as whole.
This particular problem Is said To
cause a loss daily in our largest citvw
new Tork-of around a million dollars
oay. In cannot be accurately COM
puteo, OF course, but 1t is undoubtedly
factor that enters into the selling
price OF all goods which the public buys.
Inc public interest in the problem is.
therefore, paramount.
Pressing Problem.
No more pressing problem confronts
large operators Of commercial motor
vehicles than the growing trafic con-
gestion In our large cities and the ap-
parent 1mpossibility of keeping pace
with 1t. For as cities grow and more
automobiles are operated, the traffic
situation becomes more acute, while the
vital necessity Of meeting their daily
transportation requirements remains
constant.
Obviously. the need for maintaining
these operations with a minimum of
risk to the public must be constantly
faced by such operators. Nor can they
be Indifferent, for an instant, to the
imperative necessity of being on the
alert to prevent accidents and to safe
guard public which is becoming in
ereasingly reckless on streets Of extreme
traffic density. There are no "hit-and-
run drivers" among the men placed in
charge Of units Of large commercial
truck fleets. They are well aware of
their responsibility and cannot escape
from it.
Large-scale operation of truck fleets