Application of Motor Transport to the Movement of Freight 290079
AFTER defining the function of transport as the transfer of persons and things from one part of the earth's surface to another in the minimum time and at the minimum cost, and dividing modern transport into human, animal and mechanical, the author proceeds to describe the part played by commercial motor-vehicles in the Country's economic structure.
Since food and drink are necessities of life, the first examples of motor-truck transportation discussed include the haulage of milk, bakery products, livestock, produce, vegetables and fruit. These are followed by the use of the motor-truck in local and long-distance general hauling, retail delivery service of dry-goods and chain-store supplies, the oil industry and for the transportation of express matter. A section follows on the use made of this form of transportation by public utilities and municipalities. The coordination of railroad and highway transport is discussed at some length, the topics covered including store-door delivery, railroad-terminal trucking and a comparison of volume of freight handled by the railroad and the motor-truck.
In connection with the latter a table is presented showing that, for hauls of 39 miles or less in the vicinity of Cleveland, the motor-truck handles more than half of the freight moved but its efficiency gradually decreases with increasing distance until, for hauls of 100 or more miles, only 2.3 per cent is handled by the motor-vehicle. The saving amounting to $2,860 per month that was made by the Long Island Railroad through the substitution of one tractor and six trailers to eliminate the use of peddler railroad-cars is described, as is also a supplementary off-line freight service that has been developed by the Pennsylvania Railroad. Use of containers by the railroads for less-than-carload and for bulk freight is described, and a brief discussion of the use of the motor-truck in conjunction with airplane transportation follows. One or more illustrations of the vehicles used in various types of transportation discussed supplement the text.
In conclusion, the author points out that the movement of freight by motor transport is still in its infancy and the biggest problem is the application of this new transportation tool to present-day requirements, intensive and comprehensive use of the motor-truck in the short-haul areas of large cities and its coordination with the railroads. He does not feel that the extensive use of motor transport by the railroads, the full development of the container method and the universal establishment of store-door-delivery service will force the independent truck-operator out of business. Modern transportation facilities are a vital factor in the progress, security and comfort of every country, and the motor-vehicle, because of its inherent mobility and comparative low cost, has a most important place to fill.