Return Loads to Increase Transport Resources by Avoiding Waste of Empty Vehicle Running.

'Return Loads' to Increase
Transport
by Avoiding Waste
of Empty Vehicle Running., by
US Government

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Title: 'Return Loads' to Increase Transport Resources by Avoiding
Waste of Empty Vehicle Running. Highway Transport Commitee,
Council of National Defence, Bulletin 3
Author: US Government
Release Date: November 11, 2006 [EBook #19757]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ASCII
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AUGUST 1, 1918
BULLETIN NO. 3 (FOR SHIPPERS)
"RETURN LOADS"
TO INCREASE TRANSPORT RESOURCES BY AVOIDING
WASTE OF EMPTY VEHICLE RUNNING
HIGHWAYS TRANSPORT COMMITTEE COUNCIL OF
NATIONAL DEFENSE WASHINGTON, D.C.
[Illustration]
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.
HIGHWAYS TRANSPORTATION AS A WAR-TIME MEASURE

ONE OF THE SOLUTIONS OF THE SHIPPER'S "SHORT-HAUL"
PROBLEM.
To increase the highways transport resources as one of the means of
strengthening the entire transportation system of the country, and for
the purpose of avoiding the waste incurred by running transport
vehicles empty, return-load bureaus are established. These bureaus are
a means of bringing together the shipper having goods to move and the
operator of an empty vehicle which is possibly running to the point for
which the goods to be shipped are destined.
With the cooperation of State councils of defense, chambers of
commerce, local war boards, and other organizations the Council of
National Defense, through its Highways Transport Committee and its
State Councils Section, is building up a system for the efficient
utilization of the highways of the country as a means of strengthening
the Nation's transportation resources and affording merchants and
manufacturers relief from necessary railroad embargoes and delays due
to freight congestion.
State Highways Transport Committees are being organized in all States
of the Union. The primary functions of the State Highways Transport
bodies are the development of the five outstanding activities to which
instant attention is being given by the Highways Transport Committee
of the National Council of Defense, as follows:
Return Load Bureaus, Rural Express, Cooperation with Federal
Railroad Administration, Educational, Transport Operating Efficiency.
These activities encompass, briefly, and in the order named, the
following:
Elimination of empty running of trucks by bringing together shipper
and truck owner in such way as to provide full loads wherever possible.
Rapid development, over fixed routes, of daily power-vehicle service,
with definite schedules of stops and charges and provision made for
gathering shipments both on outgoing and incoming trips.

Substitution of adequate truck service that the intracity and short-haul
service of rail carriers may be relieved and partially supplanted; the
relief of congested terminals, and an effective store-door delivery plan.
Organization of a campaign to place highways transport work
throughout the States in its proper light before the public, that the
support of the people in favor of national policies may be made certain.
To this end an outstanding feature of the work will be enlistment of the
support of all users of highways transport.
Making transportation more efficient through encouragement of such
use of highways transport as will eliminate making trips with part loads,
the loss of time in loading and unloading, and unnecessary delays in the
handling of receipts.
By taking part of the burden of the "short haul" off the railroads and
placing it on motor trucks operating over the highways, millions of tons
of merchandise and materials are transported satisfactorily and the
railroads are given much needed relief. The motive power and cars thus
freed from short-haul work can be employed in very important
long-distance service. The Railroad Administration has indorsed motor
transportation for this work and reported that this form of relief will
make it possible for the railroads to operate more effectively under the
present traffic congestion; hence shippers using the highways are
assisting in the solution of transportation problems and rendering a
patriotic service. It is also to be noted that if shippers use the highways
for short hauls and thus relieve the railroads of a burden, they assist in