Evening star., 1942-09-09
OD1 Iightens Control
Over Operations Of
Commercial Vehicles
War Necessity Certificate
10 Be Required for Toxis,
Buses and Trucks
By CARTER BROOKE JONES.

By CARTER BROOKE JONES.
In the most drastic order gov
ernlng commercial vehicles since
the war began, the Office of De-
tense Transportation today took
over control of trucks, buses and
taxlcabs. 1t was a further move
to conserve gasoline, tires and
motor equipment.
The new order, licensing all
vehicles which will be allowed to
operate, puts teeth into previous
regulations limiting deliveries, cut
ting down mileage and restricting
the work of taxicabs.
Hereafter every commercial vehi-
Gle must have a certificate of war
necessity before it may obtain gas,
tires or parts.
Although the machinery of con-
trolling business transportation was
set in motion today, operators of
commercial vehicles will be given
until November Is to obtain the Ger
tificates.
While the order did not spe-
clflcally cut down the number of
any type of commercial motor car
rier, a spokesman for the ODT said
the plan would be to issue certificates
to no more vehicles than COM
munity needed.
Further Taxi Restrictions Due.
Further orders affecting taxicabs
are to be issued soon, it is under
stood. In Washington and in other
cities, 1t was indicated, the num-
Der of taxicabs licensed will be held
to the minimum which the ODT
considers necessary. Whether this
will mean fewer taxis here ap-
parently has not been determined.
In a statement explaining the
stringent order, Joseph B. Eastman,
director of defense transportation,
said the country's commercial vehi-
cles and their tires must be given
the best possible care; they must be
driven with equal care, and every
mile of unnecessary travel must
cease"
Mr.. Eastman added that the ODT
had promoted policies and issued
orders with this end in view.
The results have been good" he
said, but much remains that can
and must be done. The situation is
not hopeless, but it calls for all pos
sible precautions.
Mr.. Eastman said the certificates
of war necessity would be drawn to
assure that:
81. Operations be confined to those
which are necessary to the war ef-
economy.
%. Operations be SO conducted as
to attain maximum utilization OF
the equipment involved.
"3 The operators conserve and
providently utilize rubber or rubber
substitutes and other critical mate
rial used in the manufacture, main
tenance and operation of all vehi-
cles covered by the order"
Tight Policy on Certificates.
Mr.. Eastman said it was quite
possible that more radical steps in
conserving gas and equipment may
be necessary as the war goes on, but
he added that "in no event will the
adjustment of certificates be left
to the unguided discretion of the
field force"
An indication that as few certifi-
Gates will be issued as may be nee
essary to cover essential services was
seen in this comment by the ODT
director:
THE purpose will be to trim the
certificates as quickly as may be
down to the basis of maximum con-
servation reflected in the outstand-
ing order (of ODT) and statements
of policy"
Mr.. Eastman explained that the
United States now has about $780,
600 non-military trucks and about
$4,000 buses.
Must Be Kept Rolling"
Most of this traffic is essential.
Our country will suffer severely and
the war effort will suffer if the
trucks and buses and other COM
mercial motor vehicles find them
selves unable TO continue to handle
this essential traffic or any large
part of it. They must be kept
rolling.
mo more civilian trucks are be-
ing built. The plants which built
them have gone into the building
of military trucks or other war prod
ucts. Much the same is true of the
buses. The supply of repair parts
is critically limited. There is, and
for months at least will continue
to be, a serious shortage of tires.
There is grave danger that our
supply of all types of commercial
motor vehicles will be badly de-
pleted, unless we conserve them to
the utmost"
The certificates of war necessity
will govern the maximum mileage
to be operated and the minimum
loads 20 be carried.
At ODT it was admitted, in
response to a question, that the new
order is form of Nationwide
gasoline, tire and parts rationing
governing commercial vehicles only.
Mr.. Eastman said, however: TT
Is not proposed to use these GER