Highway Transport Commitee Council of National Defence, Bulletins 1-5

Highway Transport Commitee
Council of
by US Government

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Title: Highway Transport Commitee Council of National Defence,
Bulletins 1-5
Author: US Government
Release Date: July 20, 2006 [EBook #18878]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ASCII
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APRIL 2, 1918 BULLETIN NO. 1
RETURN-LOADS BUREAUS TO SAVE WASTE IN
TRANSPORTATION
HIGHWAYS TRANSPORT COMMITTEE COUNCIL OF
NATIONAL DEFENSE WASHINGTON, D. C.
RESOLUTION PASSED BY THE COUNCIL OF NATIONAL
DEFENSE.
"The Council of National Defense approves the widest possible use of
the motor truck as a transportation agency, and requests the State
Councils of Defense and other State authorities to take all necessary
steps to facilitate such means of transportation, removing any
regulations that tend to restrict and discourage such use."
WASHINGTON GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 1918

COUNCIL OF NATIONAL DEFENSE. HIGHWAYS TRANSPORT
COMMITTEE. WASHINGTON, D. C.

RETURN-LOAD BUREAUS TO SAVE WASTE IN
TRANSPORTATION.
RELIEF FROM RAILROAD DELAYS AND EMBARGOES.
Through the cooperation of State Councils of Defense, Chambers of
Commerce, local War Boards, and Motor Clubs, the Council of
National Defense, through its Highways Transport Committee and its
State Councils Section is building up a system for more efficient
utilization of the highways of the country as a means of affording
merchants and manufacturers relief from railroad embargoes and delays
due to freight congestion.
This system already is in successful operation in Connecticut and is

being extended throughout the country.
The purpose is to take some of the burden of the short haul off the
railroads and put it on motor trucks operating over the highways. Very
considerable quantities of merchandise and materials of all kinds are
now being carried by trucks operated by private concerns in their own
businesses and by motor express and haulage companies. In a majority
of cases, however, these trucks, after delivering a load, return empty,
whereas there are shippers who would be glad to avail themselves of
the opportunity to send a load back on such a truck to its home town if
they knew it was going back empty. On the other hand, the truck owner
would be equally glad to secure a return load because the charge made
for hauling it would reduce his own haulage cost.
To bring the shipper and truck owner together serves the interests of
both. It doubles the efficiency of the motor truck, enables business men
to make prompt shipments or secure deliveries in a day instead of
several, relieves the railroads of much short-haul freight, and thereby
releases cars for necessary long-distance haulage of munitions,
equipment, and other supplies for our Army in France, and for
foodstuffs, fuel, etc., for the civilian population at home.
CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE BRING SHIPPER AND TRUCK
OWNER TOGETHER.
The logical agency for bringing the two interests together is the local
business men's organization in each locality--the Chamber of
Commerce, Board of Trade, or by whatever name it is known. They are
in direct touch with the manufacturers and merchants in their respective
communities, they know the present difficulties of shipping and they
have the facilities for most quickly and systematically putting the
shipper in touch with the man who has the facility for haulage.
The method of doing this is by the establishment of a Return-Loads
Bureau--an information department that acts as a clearing house for this
particular purpose. Once initiated, the work of such a bureau can, in
most cities, be carried on by a single employee of the Chamber,
probably in addition to his other duties. If necessary or desirable, a

small charge can be made to the truck owner or the shipper for the
service to cover whatever expense may be involved in starting and
maintaining the bureau. But the plan affords an opportunity to be of
such additional service to members of the organization and to business
interests of the city generally that the increased support which may be
gained through it should offset the cost incurred. Apart from this is the
opportunity it presents to be of patriotic service to our country by
increasing its transportation facilities at a time when the safety of the
Nation depends absolutely upon transportation.
Shortage of railroad cars and locomotives created a shortage of coal
during the winter. Lack of coal slowed down production of steel, which
in turn delayed ship construction. Insufficient coal for bunkering ships
created a critical