Highways and Highway TransportationChatburn, George R.
History
Highways and Highway Transportation
Chatburn, George R.
Roads; Transportation
It should be remembered that certain kinds of goods, such as
household, lend themselves readily to truck shipments. With this class
of goods expensive packing and several handlings are eliminated. Such
is true of much merchandise which can be delivered directly from the
store of the seller to the door of the buyer; to many varieties of
manufactured goods which are sold within comparatively short distances
of the factory. Each case should be worked out for itself and all the
various kinds of transportation used that prove to be practical and
economical. Where large concerns like packing houses are supplied with
railway tracks right to their doors, shipping in car load and train
load lots is not only more economical but absolutely necessary where
such large quantities are transported in refrigerator cars. But for
distribution to towns near-by the truck is much more convenient and
economical. It is impossible to say for so-many-miles it is cheaper to
ship by truck, because each commodity must be considered individually
in connection with the character of the roads, the conditions of
weather and climate, and the time of delivery. While the case of
shipping household goods alluded to above proved very successful the
next one might meet inclement weather, the truck might have to remain
out in the rain and some of the goods become damaged, as was the
case of one such shipment that came under the writer’s observation.
A single swallow does not make a summer, but the trend is no doubt
toward much longer truck trips. And as the roads and vehicles become
stabilized and standardized this will be even more evident. For
example, milk collected at stations 50 and 60 miles from the large
cities can be hauled in to market in large tank cars which are built
somewhat on the thermos or vacuum bottle principle, the milk arriving
at its destination cooler and in every way better than if hauled in
small containers. The truck has a large field open for its especial
qualities. Let it confine its operations to these and rail competition
will not injure it.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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