Evening star., 1932-01-31
BUSINESS REVIVAL TO IMPROVE
TRUCK NDUSTRY'S ACTIVITIES
425,OOO Motor Vehicles Were Manufac-
tured Last Year-Export Market
Consumed $4,000 Units.

eral legislation which would hamper
the flexible operation OF the highway
vehicles. Statements to the erect that
commercial vehicles are not paving ade-
Cuately for highway use were dlSproven
al the final hearing in Washington by
Thomas H Macdonald, chief OF the
United States Bureau Of Public Roads,
who declared that several wears OF study
on the subject has convinced him that
buses and trucks, by the higher tax
which they are paying. and particularly
through the collection OF gasoline taxes,
are meeting fully all excess costs OF
construction, due to the increased road
thickness made necessary by the heay-
Ter loads.
Commercial vehicles are contributing
q per cent of all special motor vehicle
taxes, though they represent but l3
per cent of the vehicles on the high
ways
Many Bills Presented.
A vigorous railroad campaign against
highway transportation was Waged In
several Of the A States where LegiS
latures convened last year More than
500 bills were introduced which ap-
piled to commercial vehicle operations,
unit capacities, registration fees and
gas taxes.
Despite the severity Of many Of the
bills presented, only few OF the str1n-
gent measures became laws. Texas
passed the most severe bill on truck ca
pacity. The law provides for 1000
pound load limit where trucks pass a
railroad depot in the haul between
cities. Its constitutionality Is being
questioned by shippers and independent
truckers In Texas courts.
The following summarization gives an
insight into laws adopted, which affect
truck carrying capacity; nine States de-
creased the length Of single vehicles;
IT shortened the length of combina-
tions weight increases were authorized
in 8 States; decreases in weight
became effective in 4; height re-
strictions were adopted in 8 States,
of these which formerly had no
restrictions, provided for limitations
ranging from II feet to IA feet 6 inches,
and others effected reductions from
IA feet inches to II feet and II feet
inches, respectively.
Several of the States enacted laws
for increases in registration fees on The
private operated and for hire" trucks.
The gasoline tax was increased in II
States. Florida tax of 7 cents per gal
lon is the highest in the country.
Engineering progress in the truck and
bus equipment field continued its trend
toward a maximum speed with asSur-
ance Of maximum safety. Extreme care
with which the vehicles are operated on
the highways has also increased the
safety potentiality of the vehicles Hun
dredS of feet operators have instituted
driver training courses as the result OF
driver educational campaigns which
have encouraged a feeling Of good will
between commercial vehicle operators
and other highway users.
The effect of perfected mechanical
equipment and rigidly- trained drivers
on the public is seen in a 1881 report
of the National Safety Council which
showed that truck, bus and taxicab
fatalities declined more than 19 per
cent while deaths caused by private
vehicles increased more than 81 per
cent over period of three years.
All Of these factors have served to
increase truck adaptation for dlstrlbu-
tion in every industry. The greatest
number Of trucks are In use on farms.
A recent report Of the United States
Bureau of Census, Department Of Com
merce. shows that 900,385 trucks were
used by 845, 1855 farms in 1880, as COM
pared with the use Of 139, 1853 trucks on
l31 .551 farms in 1920.
The phenomenal growth Of motor bus
and truck transportation in the past