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.