Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1952-02-17
truckers Ask Permit
To Haul Explosives
through D. {. Street,

~SAeSA.e~-S-<~~-~
concern at the District Building
yesterday.
Engineer Commissioner Bernard
L. Robinson said he was unaware
that the ICC was considering lib
eralization of its regulations gov
erning movement of explosives.
He intends to check on the ICC
case, Gen. Robinson said. to make
sure that District safety rules are
not affected. Traffic Director
George E. Keneipp also promised
to keep the city heads advised
about the pending ICC action.
Movements Requested.
At present the District strictly
regulates the movement of explo-
sives through the city, requiring
individual permits for each move
ment by truck. City regulations
would prevail regardless of what
the ICC rules in the case, but a
drastic increase in the number of
requests for permits to move ex-
plosiyes through Washington
could be expected. District Off
Gals said.
Behind the ICC hearings is a
controversy which has ragged for
years to restrict the movement of
high explosives over public high
ways.
About 80 large trucking firms,
throughout the United States have
asked the ICC to authorize them
to haul high explosives. Nine of
the companies have requested per-
mits for routes that would go
through Washington.
The fight against the truckers
is. being led by the railroads and
the American Automobile AS.
ISOLATION. Before World War II.
almost all explosives moved in
the United States were carried
by the railroads.
Some Used During War.
Only a few truckers had per-
mission to carry explosives. Dur
ing the war, the ICC authorized
some truckers to carry munitions,
usually short hauls from rail-
road terminal or a pier. Sub.
sequently the trucks began coma
peting for the long hauls.
The railroads claim that despite
this wartime authority, they still
carried 81 per cent of the freight
including explosives-moved in
the United States during World
War II. III
The truckers found recent sups
port in the Defense Department.
Before ICC hearings on the mat
ter, Defense Department repre-
sentatives stated that permanent
authority to carry explosives by
truck would be helpful in certain
emergencies when rail transpor-
tation was too slow.
The controversy boils down to
a question of safety. Involved also
is the old conflict between the
railroads and truckers for BUSH
ness. r
Objection Listed.
Opponents Of the truckers re-
quest list these objections: Truck
haulage of explosives presents the
constant hazard of explosions
which would be particularly
dangerous in crowded commune
ties and on traffic bottlenecks like
bridges and tunnels. Additional
truck haulage of explosives de-
mands additional safety precau-
tions for which money and man
power are not available. Such
= haulage would add to the hazard
of already overcrowded streets and
highways.
The controversy goes back to
1947 when one trucker, Kiss & Co..
of Kansas City, asked that its
temporary permit to haul ex-
plosives during the war period be
made permanent. All such per-
mits had expired in 1916 with the
termination Of the War Powers
Act. &
The ICC held a hearing and
rejected the Kiss application. The
Kiss company appealed to the
courts and last April the Supreme
Court ordered a new hearing.
Other Truckers Apply.
With this ruling-and the De-
Tense Departments stand in favor
of granting the authority-other
truckers swarmed in with similar
applications for permits. Approx
mately so applications were filed
but since then all but the remain
ing 80 have been withdrawn.
The ICC heard the Kiss case
again in Chicago last September.
Last week, further hearings
opened in Washington to give the
other applicants a chance to prove
their fitness to handle explosives.
That is the stage the case has
reached at the moment. Hearings
will continue this week.
The District at present has strict
police regulations governing the
handling of explosives.
Any shipment of more than So
pounds of explosives requires al
permit from the chief of police.
Trucks must stay out of the down.
town area. One through truck
route goes through the downtown
area (specified zone one in the
regulationS) but second skirts 1t.
Must Mark Trucks.
Explosive trucks must be marked
by letters or a red flag with the
word explosives. Drivers can't
leave such trucks unattended and
they can't go into repair shops
while loaded. Lengthy regulations
also govern shipments Of small
amounts of explosives used in
construction work and firms ham
ding such explosives.
Police Inspector joint Agnew
said not many explosives are
shipped through the District by
2 - -. 4