,,april #b1 #aiah                       
,,bulletin ,,no4 #a  ,,return-,,loads   
,,bureaus ,,to ,,save ,,waste ,,in      
,,transportation  ,,highways ,,transport
 ,,committee ,,council ,,of ,,national  
,,defense ,,washington1 ,d4 ,c4         
,,resolution ,,passed ,,by ,,the        
,,council ,,of ,,national ,,defense4    
,the ,council of ,national ,defense     
approves the widest possible use of the 
motor truck as a transportation agency1 
and requests the ,state ,councils of    
,defense and other ,state authorities to
 take all necessary steps to facilitate 
such means of transportation1 removing  
any regulations that tend to restrict   
and discourage such use4  ,,washington  
,,government ,,printing ,,office #aiah  
,,council ,,of ,,national ,,defense4    
,,highways ,,transport ,,committee4     
,,washington1 ,d4 ,c4                   
,,return-,,load ,,bureaus ,,to ,,save   
,,waste ,,in ,,transportation4          
,,relief ,,from ,,railroad ,,delays     
,,and ,,embargoes4  ,through the        

cooperation of ,state ,councils of      
,defense1 ,chambers of ,commerce1 local 
,war ,boards1 and ,motor ,clubs1 the    
,council of ,national ,defense1 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 congestion4  ,this system       
already is in successful operation in   
,connecticut and is being extended      
throughout the country4  ,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         
highways4 ,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 companies4 ,in a majority of    
cases1 however1 these trucks1 after     

delivering a load1 return empty1 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
 empty4 ,on the other hand1 the truck   
owner would be equally glad to secure a 
return load because the charge made for 
hauling it would reduce his own haulage 
cost4  ,to bring the shipper and truck  
owner together serves the interests of  
both4 ,it doubles the efficiency of the 
motor truck1 enables business men to    
make prompt shipments or secure         
deliveries in a day instead of several1 
relieves the railroads of much          
short-haul freight1 and thereby releases
 cars for necessary long-distance       
haulage of munitions1 equipment1 and    
other supplies for our ,army in ,france1
 and for foodstuffs1 fuel1 etc41 for the
 civilian population at home4           
,,chambers ,,of ,,commerce ,,bring      
,,shipper ,,and ,,truck ,,owner         
,,together4  ,the logical agency for    

bringing the two interests together is  
the local business men's organization in
 each locality--the ,chamber of         
,commerce1 ,board of ,trade1 or by      
whatever name it is known4 ,they are in 
direct touch with the manufacturers and 
merchants in their respective           
communities1 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 haulage4  ,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 purpose4 ,once     
initiated1 the work of such a bureau    
can1 in most cities1 be carried on by a 
single employee of the ,chamber1        
probably in addition to his other       
duties4 ,if necessary or desirable1 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 bureau4 
,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       
incurred4 ,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         
transportation4  ,shortage of railroad  
cars and locomotives created a shortage 
of coal during the winter4 ,lack of coal
 slowed down production of steel1 which 
in turn delayed ship construction4      
,insufficient coal for bunkering ships  
created a critical congestion of freight
 in ,atlantic port terminals and in     
railroad yards hundreds of miles inland4
 ,a certain part of this congestion was 
due to short-haul shipments of freight  
within cities and originating in near-by

 points1 #aj1 #bj1 or #ej miles from the
 cities4 ,much of this short-haul       
freight can be carried on the highways  
by motor trucks4 ,it can be picked up at
 the door of the shipper and delivered  
at the door of the consignee1 entailing 
only two handlings4 ,it can be delivered
 the same day it is shipped1 whereas the
 same shipment by rail would require    
several days if not a week or more4 ,and
 the shipment can go forward by motor   
when a rail freight and express embargo 
precludes shipment by rail at all4      
,,dependability ,,of ,,motor-,,truck    
,,haulage ,,proven4  ,the practicability
 and dependability of motor-truck       
haulage not only within cities but      
between neighboring cities have been    
demonstrated fully4 ,hundreds of local  
and intercity motor express lines are in
 successful operation in widely         
scattered sections of the country4 ,the 
,return-,load ,bureau system has been   
installed in ,england1 where it is now  
considered unpatriotic to run a truck   

without a load4 ,manchester1 ,england1  
for example1 and all the surrounding    
cities have their ,return-,load ,bureaus
 and have reciprocal arrangements       
whereby they exchange information       
regarding available trucks and loads4   
,consequently1 any ,chamber of ,commerce
 in a city whose merchants are adversely
 affected by rail embargoes and delays1 
freight congestion1 or lack of          
sufficient and direct rail              
transportation1 and where there is any  
considerable number of motor trucks1    
will not be embarking upon a doubtful   
experiment in establishing such a       
bureau4   ,,no ,,responsibility         
,,assumed4  ,a ,return-loads ,bureau can
 be established by a ,chamber of        
,commerce without creating any legal    
liability to the shipper or assuming any
 other responsibility4 ,the function    
pure and simple is to advise the shipper
 where and when a truck can be obtained 
to haul his goods and to advise the     
truck owner where a load can be         

obtained4 ,it has been found in ,england
 that very often1 when such a           
relationship has been established       
between the shipper and the truck owner1
 an arrangement is made between them for
 regular service1 and they do not need  
to call on the bureau for further       
assistance1 thus lightening the work to 
be performed by the ,chamber4  ,it is   
left entirely to the shipper and the    
truck operator to make their own        
agreement as to the rate to be paid for 
haulage1 liability of the truck owner or
 driver for safety of the goods in      
transit1 and so forth4 ,it is expected1 
however1 that the ,chamber of ,commerce 
will exercise reasonable judgment and   
precaution1 inquiring into the          
reliability of truck drivers and        
endeavoring to correct any abuses that  
may arise4   ,,how ,,to ,,start ,a      
,,return-,,loads ,,bureau4  ,no         
difficulty and no great amount of work  
are involved in establishing a          
,return-,loads ,bureau4 ,all that is    

necessary is to follow the example of   
,connecticut where through the          
initiative of the ,state ,council of    
,defense1 ,return-,loads ,bureaus have  
been established in #ae cities4 ,the    
,council addressed letters to the       
,chambers of ,commerce1 inviting their  
cooperation in the movement4 ,return    
post cards were printed and mailed to   
motor-truck owners in the different     
cities4 ,on the reverse side of the     
cards was a brief questionnaire to be   
filled out by the truck owner stating   
whether or not he would carry back loads
 for reasonable compensation1 whether he
 would rent his truck at full capacity  
or partial capacity1 number of trucks   
owned1 number of hours a day or days a  
week the truck would be available under 
the return-loads plan1 its capacity in  
tons1 etc4 ,as these reply cards came   
back1 they were filed in a #c by #e card
 index drawer1 arranged by cities and by
 routes out of the respective cities4   
,it developed from this canvass that    

there were in the #ae cities more than  
#gjj trucks of #a-ton capacity or more  
available for such service and that they
 operated over #di main routes4  ,names 
and addresses of truck owners may be    
obtained from the automobile            
registration bureau in the office of the
 secretary of state or the commissioner 
of motor vehicles1 as the case may be4  
,,duplicate ,,records ,,in ,,neighboring
 ,,cities4  ,duplicates of this master  
file were furnished by the ,state       
,council of ,defense in ,connecticut to 
the ,chamber of ,commerce in each of the
 #ae cities1 together with a map showing
 the location of each ,return-,loads    
,bureau and all of the truck routes1    
numbered serially4 ,thus1 the head of   
the bureau in each city knows just what 
trucks are available in the other cities
 and the routes over which they operate4
  ,it is desirable that the ,state      
,council of ,defense1 where one exists1 
should indorse this movement1 but it is 
not necessary that the ,chamber of      

,commerce in any city should wait for it
 to do so4 ,it is perfectly feasible for
 the ,chamber to initiate the work      
itself in its own community and then    
propose to similar chambers in          
neighboring cities to do likewise and   
establish an exchange of information4   
,having ascertained what trucks are     
available for hauling1 the next move is 
for the ,return-,loads ,bureau to       
circularize the merchants1              
manufacturers1 and other business       
enterprises in the community1 advising  
them of the establishment of the bureau 
and asking them to report to it whenever
 they have any goods or materials which 
they wish to have hauled1 either within 
the city or to near-by cities or        
villages4 ,these reports may be made by 
telephone or on postal cards4 ,blank    
cards of a size 7as #c by #e inches7    
suitable for filing may be supplied to  
shippers in quantity by the bureau for  
the purpose4   ,,list ,,return-,,loads  
,,bureau ,,in ,,telephone ,,directory4  

,the telephone company should be asked  
to list the ,return-,loads ,bureau under
 the title ,return ,loads in the local  
directory and truck owners and shippers 
be notified that by calling ,return     
,loads or the telephone number of the   
bureau they can learn where a load may  
be obtained to carry back to the city   
from which the truck brought a load or  
where a truck can be obtained to carry  
the goods the shipper desires delivered4
  ,publicity should be given in all the 
local newspapers and in those of        
neighboring cities of the establishment 
of the bureau1 so that all interests may
 immediately begin making use of the    
facilities afforded4  ,it will be found 
that there are two classes of business  
to be handled by the bureau--regular and
 irregular4 ,in many cities there are   
motor express lines operating on daily  
schedule over regular routes and there  
are shippers who have regular shipments 
to make4 ,having brought these together 
once1 further service of the bureau will

 be unnecessary so far as these         
particular parties are concerned4 ,then 
there are many companies1 firms or      
individuals that own trucks which they  
use only in their own business but which
 stand idle part of the time or which   
from time to time deliver a load in a   
neighboring city and return home empty4 
,there are also shippers who have       
depended on the railroad but in         
emergency wish to make a quick shipment4
 ,it will be necessary to keep a daily  
record of these and cross off the truck 
or the shipment as soon as it is learned
 that the truck has gone back to its    
home city and is no longer available or 
the shipment has been completed4        
,,interchange ,,information ,,on        
,,irregular ,,work4  ,a system of daily 
interchange of information regarding    
this irregular service should be        
arranged with bureaus in other cities1  
so that a truck operator in ,hartford1  
for example1 who has a load to haul to  
,new ,haven can learn from the bureau in

 ,hartford before starting where and on 
what day or at what time he can secure a
 load in ,new ,haven to take back to    
,hartford4 ,he may find that by delaying
 his own shipment a day or by making it 
a day earlier he can get a return load1 
whereas otherwise he might have to      
return light4 ,shippers1 therefore1     
should be urged to give as much advance 
notice as possible of shipments they    
wish to make4  ,within a short time this
 system will extend to long distances4  
,recently a company in ,new ,york called
 up the ,chamber of ,commerce 7before   
any ,return-,loads ,bureau was          
established there7 and stated it        
intended to send a motor truck to       
,vermont to bring back some machinery   
and wanted to know where a load could be
 secured to take to ,vermont or at least
 a considerable part of the way4        
,another company called up and said it  
had a truck coming from ,philadelphia   
with a load and wanted to get a load    
going back4 ,motor express lines are    

already operating on daily schedule     
between ,new ,york and ,philadelphia1   
between ,hartford and ,new ,york1 and   
between ,boston and ,hartford4  ,it is  
the purpose of the ,highways ,transport 
,committee to bring about1 just as      
quickly as possible1 the organization of
 ,return-,loads ,bureaus in all the     
cities where it will be beneficial and  
to establish reciprocal relations among 
them on the plan of the ,connecticut    
system4   ,,secure ,,cooperation ,,of   
,,motor-,,truck ,,dealers4  ,motor-truck
 dealers can be of great assistance to  
the ,chambers of ,commerce in promoting 
this movement and in helping to get the 
bureaus started4 ,they are in direct    
touch with truck owners1 know the routes
 over which trucks are operated1        
condition of the roads1 railroad        
shipping difficulties1 etc4 ,it is      
recommended that the ,chambers of       
,commerce call on them to appoint a     
representative committee from among them
 to cooperate with it4 ,they can furnish

 a great deal of useful information and 
will be a valuable factor in            
disseminating information regarding the 
work of the bureau and making it #ajj   
per cent useful4     7,copy of a        
bulletin is reprinted below1 which was  
issued to its members by the ,chamber of
 ,commerce of the ,united ,states1      
,riggs ,building1 ,washington1 ,d4 ,c47 
,,motor-,,truck ,,transportation4       
,,return-,,load ,,bureau4   ,the motor  
truck is a part of the transportation   
equipment in every community4 ,its use  
more nearly to capacity will help solve 
local problems4  ,more complete use     
means loads both ways4 ,a motor truck   
usually carries a good load to its      
destination1 whether the destination is 
in the same community or in another     
city4 ,too often1 however1 the truck    
makes the return trip with no load4     
,every time this occurs there is waste  
of at least half the capacity of a truck
 to do work in transportation4  ,owners 
of trucks do not wish half the earning  

power of their vehicles to be lost4     
,manufacturers and merchants with goods 
piled up and awaiting shipment do not   
like to see empty trucks pass their     
doors4 ,both need a local clearing house
 for information about the trucks that  
are available and the shipments that are
 ready--i4 e41 to bring together loads  
and empty trucks4  ,such a clearing     
house the local commercial organization 
can easily provide4 ,it will not        
ordinarily entail any special expense4  
,it will promote cooperation in the     
community4 ,it will render a very real  
service for which business men will be  
thoroughly grateful4  ,return-,load     
,bureau is a convenient name for a      
clearing house4 ,the bureau should      
ascertain the established lines of      
trucks that run regularly on fixed      
routes and the part of their capacity   
that is not being utilized4 ,it should  
then obtain information from all owners 
of trucks used for private hauling1     
getting statements about the capacity of

 each truck1 how far its capacity is    
used1 between what points the capacity  
is unused1 if the unused capacity can be
 made available for other persons at a  
reasonable price1 etc4 ,besides         
gathering this information the bureau   
can make known to everyone that whenever
 a truck is to make a trip without a    
load the bureau will respond to a       
telephone inquiry by endeavoring to give
 the name of a person who wants to send 
a load over the route in question4      
,efforts can be made also to have       
drivers who bring loads by truck from   
other points telephone to the bureau in 
order to get return loads4  ,at the same
 time the bureau can enlist the         
cooperation of business men who may have
 shipments to make4  ,in order that any 
driver or other person from out of town 
may quickly ascertain if there is a     
return load for him1 each bureau should 
be specially listed in the telephone    
directory4  ,with incidental questions  
the bureau will not usually need to     

deal4 ,for example1 it can leave the    
compensation that is to be paid to      
negotiation between the parties4  ,in   
,england ,return-,load ,bureaus have    
proved of great assistance4 ,they have  
been most developed in the ,united      
,states by commercial organizations in  
,connecticut4 ,experience has           
demonstrated that the assistance they   
can render is very real and important1  
and that they can be organized          
advantageously in many communities where
 they have not as yet been tried4