APRIL 2, 1918 BULLETIN NO. 1

RETURN-LOADS BUREAUSTO SAVE WASTE IN TRANSPORTATION

HIGHWAYS TRANSPORT COMMITTEECOUNCIL OF NATIONAL DEFENSEWASHINGTON, D. C. 

RESOLUTION PASSED BY THE COUNCIL OF NATIONAL DEFENSE. 

_"The Council of National Defense approves the widest possible use ofthe motor truck as a transportation agency, and requests the StateCouncils of Defense and other State authorities to take all necessarysteps to facilitate such means of transportation, removing anyregulations that tend to restrict and discourage such use. "_

WASHINGTONGOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE1918

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 ofCommerce, local War Boards, and Motor Clubs, the Council of NationalDefense, through its Highways Transport Committee and its State CouncilsSection is building up a system for more efficient utilization of thehighways of the country as a means of affording merchants andmanufacturers relief from railroad embargoes and delays due to freightcongestion. 

This system already is in successful operation in Connecticut and isbeing extended throughout the country. 

The purpose is to take some of the burden of the short haul off therailroads and put it on motor trucks operating over the highways. Veryconsiderable quantities of merchandise and materials of all kinds arenow being carried by trucks operated by private concerns in their ownbusinesses and by motor express and haulage companies. In a majority ofcases, however, these trucks, after delivering a load, return empty, whereas there are shippers who would be glad to avail themselves of theopportunity to send a load back on such a truck to its home town if theyknew it was going back empty. On the other hand, the truck owner wouldbe equally glad to secure a return load because the charge made forhauling it would reduce his own haulage cost. 

To bring the shipper and truck owner together serves the interests ofboth. It doubles the efficiency of the motor truck, enables business mento make prompt shipments or secure deliveries in a day instead ofseveral, relieves the railroads of much short-haul freight, and therebyreleases cars for necessary long-distance haulage of munitions, equipment, and other supplies for our Army in France, and forfoodstuffs, 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 localbusiness men's organization in each locality--the Chamber of Commerce, Board of Trade, or by whatever name it is known. They are in directtouch with the manufacturers and merchants in their respectivecommunities, they know the present difficulties of shipping and theyhave the facilities for most quickly and systematically putting theshipper in touch with the man who has the facility for haulage. 

The method of doing this is by the establishment of a Return-LoadsBureau--an information department that acts as a clearing house for thisparticular purpose. Once initiated, the work of such a bureau can, inmost cities, be carried on by a single employee of the Chamber, probablyin addition to his other duties. If necessary or desirable, a smallcharge can be made to the truck owner or the shipper for the service tocover whatever expense may be involved in starting and maintaining thebureau. But the plan affords an opportunity to be of such additionalservice to members of the organization and to business interests of thecity generally that the increased support which may be gained through itshould offset the cost incurred. Apart from this is the opportunity itpresents to be of patriotic service to our country by increasing itstransportation facilities at a time when the safety of the Nationdepends absolutely upon transportation. 

Shortage of railroad cars and locomotives created a shortage of coalduring the winter. Lack of coal slowed down production of steel, whichin turn delayed ship construction. Insufficient coal for bunkering shipscreated a critical congestion of freight in Atlantic port terminals andin railroad yards hundreds of miles inland. A certain part of thiscongestion was due to short-haul shipments of freight within cities andoriginating in near-by points, 10, 20, or 50 miles from the cities. Muchof this short-haul freight can be carried on the highways by motortrucks. It can be picked up at the door of the shipper and delivered atthe door of the consignee, entailing only two handlings. It can bedelivered the same day it is shipped, whereas the same shipment by railwould require several days if not a week or more. And the shipment cango forward by motor when a rail freight and express embargo precludesshipment by rail at all. 

DEPENDABILITY OF MOTOR-TRUCK HAULAGE PROVEN. 

The practicability and dependability of motor-truck haulage not onlywithin cities but between neighboring cities have been demonstratedfully. Hundreds of local and intercity motor express lines are insuccessful operation in widely scattered sections of the country. TheReturn-Load Bureau system has been installed in England, where it is nowconsidered unpatriotic to run a truck without a load. Manchester, England, for example, and all the surrounding cities have theirReturn-Load Bureaus and have reciprocal arrangements whereby theyexchange information regarding available trucks and loads. Consequently, any Chamber of Commerce in a city whose merchants are adversely affectedby rail embargoes and delays, freight congestion, or lack of sufficientand direct rail transportation, and where there is any considerablenumber of motor trucks, will not be embarking upon a doubtful experimentin establishing such a bureau. 

NO RESPONSIBILITY ASSUMED. 

A Return-loads Bureau can be established by a Chamber of Commercewithout creating any legal liability to the shipper or assuming anyother responsibility. The function pure and simple is to advise theshipper where and when a truck can be obtained to haul his goods and toadvise the truck owner where a load can be obtained. It has been foundin England that very often, when such a relationship has beenestablished between the shipper and the truck owner, an arrangement ismade between them for regular service, and they do not need to call onthe bureau for further assistance, thus lightening the work to beperformed by the Chamber. 

It is left entirely to the shipper and the truck operator to make theirown agreement as to the rate to be paid for haulage, liability of thetruck owner or driver for safety of the goods in transit, and so forth. It is expected, however, that the Chamber of Commerce will exercisereasonable judgment and precaution, inquiring into the reliability oftruck drivers and endeavoring to correct any abuses that may arise. 

HOW TO START A RETURN-LOADS BUREAU. 

No difficulty and no great amount of work are involved in establishing aReturn-Loads Bureau. All that is necessary is to follow the example ofConnecticut where through the initiative of the State Council ofDefense, Return-Loads Bureaus have been established in 15 cities. TheCouncil addressed letters to the Chambers of Commerce, inviting theircooperation in the movement. Return post cards were printed and mailedto motor-truck owners in the different cities. On the reverse side ofthe cards was a brief questionnaire to be filled out by the truck ownerstating whether or not he would carry "back loads" for reasonablecompensation, whether he would rent his truck at full capacity orpartial capacity, number of trucks owned, number of hours a day or daysa week the truck would be available under the return-loads plan, itscapacity in tons, etc. As these reply cards came back, they were filedin a 3 by 5 card index drawer, arranged by cities and by routes out ofthe respective cities. It developed from this canvass that there were inthe 15 cities more than 700 trucks of 1-ton capacity or more availablefor such service and that they operated over 49 main routes. 

Names and addresses of truck owners may be obtained from the automobileregistration bureau in the office of the secretary of state or thecommissioner of motor vehicles, as the case may be. 

DUPLICATE RECORDS IN NEIGHBORING CITIES. 

Duplicates of this master file were furnished by the State Council ofDefense in Connecticut to the Chamber of Commerce in each of the 15cities, together with a map showing the location of each Return-LoadsBureau and all of the truck routes, numbered serially. Thus, the head ofthe bureau in each city knows just what trucks are available in theother cities and the routes over which they operate. 

It is desirable that the State Council of Defense, where one exists, should indorse this movement, but it is not necessary that the Chamberof Commerce in any city should wait for it to do so. It is perfectlyfeasible for the Chamber to initiate the work itself in its owncommunity and then propose to similar chambers in neighboring cities todo likewise and establish an exchange of information. 

Having ascertained what trucks are available for hauling, the next moveis for the Return-Loads Bureau to circularize the merchants, manufacturers, and other business enterprises in the community, advisingthem of the establishment of the bureau and asking them to report to itwhenever they have any goods or materials which they wish to havehauled, either within the city or to near-by cities or villages. Thesereports may be made by telephone or on postal cards. Blank cards of asize (as 3 by 5 inches) suitable for filing may be supplied to shippersin quantity by the bureau for the purpose. 

LIST RETURN-LOADS BUREAU IN TELEPHONE DIRECTORY. 

The telephone company should be asked to list the Return-Loads Bureauunder the title "Return Loads" in the local directory and truck ownersand shippers be notified that by calling "Return Loads" or the telephonenumber of the bureau they can learn where a load may be obtained tocarry back to the city from which the truck brought a load or where atruck can be obtained to carry the goods the shipper desires delivered. 

Publicity should be given in all the local newspapers and in those ofneighboring cities of the establishment of the bureau, so that allinterests may immediately begin making use of the facilities afforded. 

It will be found that there are two classes of business to be handled bythe bureau--regular and irregular. In many cities there are motorexpress lines operating on daily schedule over regular routes and thereare shippers who have regular shipments to make. Having brought thesetogether once, further service of the bureau will be unnecessary so faras these particular parties are concerned. Then there are manycompanies, firms or individuals that own trucks which they use only intheir own business but which stand idle part of the time or which fromtime to time deliver a load in a neighboring city and return home empty. There are also shippers who have depended on the railroad but inemergency wish to make a quick shipment. It will be necessary to keep adaily record of these and cross off the truck or the shipment as soon asit is learned that the truck has gone back to its home city and is nolonger available or the shipment has been completed. 

INTERCHANGE INFORMATION ON IRREGULAR WORK. 

A system of daily interchange of information regarding this irregularservice should be arranged with bureaus in other cities, so that a truckoperator in Hartford, for example, who has a load to haul to New Havencan learn from the bureau in Hartford before starting where and on whatday or at what time he can secure a load in New Haven to take back toHartford. He may find that by delaying his own shipment a day or bymaking it a day earlier he can get a return load, whereas otherwise hemight have to return light. Shippers, therefore, should be urged to giveas much advance notice as possible of shipments they wish to make. 

Within a short time this system will extend to long distances. Recentlya company in New York called up the Chamber of Commerce (before anyReturn-Loads Bureau was established there) and stated it intended tosend a motor truck to Vermont to bring back some machinery and wanted toknow where a load could be secured to take to Vermont or at least aconsiderable part of the way. Another company called up and said it hada truck coming from Philadelphia with a load and wanted to get a loadgoing back. Motor express lines are already operating on daily schedulebetween New York and Philadelphia, between Hartford and New York, andbetween Boston and Hartford. 

It is the purpose of the Highways Transport Committee to bring about, just as quickly as possible, the organization of Return-Loads Bureaus inall the cities where it will be beneficial and to establish reciprocalrelations among them on the plan of the Connecticut system. 

SECURE COOPERATION OF MOTOR-TRUCK DEALERS. 

Motor-truck dealers can be of great assistance to the Chambers ofCommerce in promoting this movement and in helping to get the bureausstarted. They are in direct touch with truck owners, know the routesover which trucks are operated, condition of the roads, railroadshipping difficulties, etc. It is recommended that the Chambers ofCommerce call on them to appoint a representative committee from amongthem to cooperate with it. They can furnish a great deal of usefulinformation and will be a valuable factor in disseminating informationregarding the work of the bureau and making it 100 per cent useful. 

(Copy of a bulletin is reprinted below, which was issued to its membersby the Chamber of Commerce of the United States, Riggs Building, Washington, D. C. )

MOTOR-TRUCK TRANSPORTATION. 

RETURN-LOAD BUREAU. 

The motor truck is a part of the transportation equipment in everycommunity. Its use more nearly to capacity will help solve localproblems. 

More complete use means loads both ways. A motor truck usually carries agood load to its destination, whether the destination is in the samecommunity or in another city. Too often, however, the truck makes thereturn trip with no load. Every time this occurs there is waste of atleast half the capacity of a truck to do work in transportation. 

Owners of trucks do not wish half the earning power of their vehicles tobe lost. Manufacturers and merchants with goods piled up and awaitingshipment do not like to see empty trucks pass their doors. Both need alocal clearing house for information about the trucks that are availableand the shipments that are ready--i. E. , to bring together loads andempty trucks. 

Such a clearing house the local commercial organization can easilyprovide. It will not ordinarily entail any special expense. It willpromote cooperation in the community. It will render a very real servicefor which business men will be thoroughly grateful. 

Return-Load Bureau is a convenient name for a clearing house. The bureaushould ascertain the established lines of trucks that run regularly onfixed routes and the part of their capacity that is not being utilized. It should then obtain information from all owners of trucks used forprivate hauling, getting statements about the capacity of each truck, how far its capacity is used, between what points the capacity isunused, if the unused capacity can be made available for other personsat a reasonable price, etc. Besides gathering this information thebureau can make known to everyone that whenever a truck is to make atrip without a load the bureau will respond to a telephone inquiry byendeavoring to give the name of a person who wants to send a load overthe route in question. Efforts can be made also to have drivers whobring loads by truck from other points telephone to the bureau in orderto get return loads. 

At the same time the bureau can enlist the cooperation of business menwho may have shipments to make. 

In order that any driver or other person from out of town may quicklyascertain if there is a return load for him, each bureau should bespecially listed in the telephone directory. 

With incidental questions the bureau will not usually need to deal. Forexample, it can leave the compensation that is to be paid to negotiationbetween the parties. 

In England Return-Load Bureaus have proved of great assistance. Theyhave been most developed in the United States by commercialorganizations in Connecticut. Experience has demonstrated that theassistance they can render is very real and important, and that they canbe organized advantageously in many communities where they have not asyet been tried.