Show THE FORGOTTEN MEN guardian of uranium li lifeline eane by D L BLAKE editor editors s note the interest interests understanding and courtesy shown by the green river ore earners carriers made the gathering of facts and material for this article a pleasure the in formation and time given by the owners and employees of the following ore carriers leroy dennison kent john son frank J haft hatt kenneth silliman and hal R worthen is gratefully acknowledged appreciation and thanks are he here re expressed to all who had a part in making this article ble we there is a paradox in this uranium business the man most often seen by the public in a working capacity seems to be the forgotten man of the industry the early dawn is marked by his thunderous passage his course is betrayed at the days end by a stubborn film of grey dust blanketing persons homes streets and vegetation alike without his con stant service the value of the rich uranium mines would be ml nil yet heis he is seldom noticed or mentioned the star billing and the glory go to the prospector that colorful individual who forsakes civilization for a while to make his lucky strike somewhere in the desolate hills and canyons hoping to return to the bright lights with a fortune in his but the ore earner carrier the husky guardian of uranium s lifeline from mine to null is without doubt the industry s unsung hero when or where have you seen his problems reported his achieve ments chronicled or his needs list ed in print the problem of just getting his vital P S C U permit is no small item its possession is a vital necessity since one cannot legally haul ore without it to get it he must prove to the state safety commission of utah that there is an actual need for more carriers since the burden of proof is on the petitioner the prospective carrier must watch for the opening of new mines for an increase in mining mill production or any other condition that would justify the addition of more earners carriers established carriers oppose the admission of new ones and present evidence to show that they are ready and well able to take adequate care of all the business available so time and money must be expended by the permit seeker one local carrier report ed that it took him several weeks and 00 in lawyers fees to ob tan his P S C U permit which in itself costs only a 25 00 filing fee the purchase of trucks is the next item of immediate necessity the cost of one small ore truck with a hauling capacity of 12 tons A al this ore truck and pup I 1 are on the highway going through green river utah the cost of purchasing a new outfit like this is said to he be more than 12 00 r A 1 f X 4 W ix 1 ea LR 17 t ism here is a small ore truck unloading its uranium ore in the railroad car at green kiver river utah tires alone on this truck cost in the neighborhood of 1500 00 is approximately 9 00 A small trailer or pup able to carry about 7 additional tons of ore requires another 3 00 A large diesel truck capable of hold mg 18 tons will set the carrier back about 21 00 of course if one is really sen ous about making a profit in the business he is going to need a fleet of trucks to work not just one several ore carri carriers ers have reported that at least 4 trucks are necessary if the carrier is to oper ate economically econom cally and efficiently licensing the newly purchased trucks is another immediate ex pense that must be met with cash on the barrel head before a single ton of ore can be moved if the trucks will not be going across state lines the license cost is only about 00 for each small 12 ton truck while the cost for the larger ones runs between 00 and 00 in the state of utah if the carrier has to make hauls out side of his home state it is easy to see where license costs can more than double ore trucks cannot roll without drivers hiring a driver in itself is not hard but a poor or ed driver is an expensive invest ment and only multiplies the carrier biers s problems and expenses A good driver adds dollars to the profit side of the ledger A truck is the good drivers baby and he treats it like one the careful and experienced driver will see that the truck he drives is kept clean well oiled and greased at all times he will see that small repairs are attended to as they come up rather than wait for a major breakdown he knows that the actual cost of breakdowns may cost him the loss of 4 or 5 pay hauls road conditions are of vital im to the ore carrier there are numerous new roads on the colorado plateau and many mine roads leading to the highways have been undeniably improved graveled and graded yet one of the most acute needs felt today and not only by the ore hauler either is better roads ore carriers working in the temple area say that this locality has one of the tough est road problems in utah they report that the routes are corn coin ively level but so rough that they are truck killers and that cars are literally torn apart by the corduroy roads and dust filled chuckholes the steady vi bration caused by road rough ness finally crystallizes the metal parts and causes costly break downs they say of course rough roads campli cates the tire problem by greatly reducing the already short life of the truck tire carriers carrien say that a truck tire costs from 00 to even the small trucks have 10 wheels this brings the cost of a set of tires plus the necessary 2 spares to more th than a n 1500 1 00 since the average h life f e of ore truck tires is only about 3 or 4 months one can see that th this us constitutes one of the major ex benses for carriers and creates one of their greatest headaches gasoline and oil expenses to keep the trucks rolling must also come in for its share of consider aaion one carrier estimated that on a fifty mile haul he was spend ing about 5 00 per trip for gaso line and oil of course most hauls are longer than that some are miles or more prices paid to the carriers at green river utah for hauling ura mum ore are based on what is known as the temple mountain haul these were reported as being from 36 00 to 54 00 per load for a small truck 75 00 for a loaded truck and pup and about 61 00 for a loaded semi trailer of course all expenses must be paid out of the above amounts the driver receives from 9 00 to 24 00 per haul depending on the distance he has to take the ore to the railroad or mill for example the haul from north temple mountain to thompson utah consumes about 6 hours time and the driver is paid 12 00 while the trip from tan seeps to monticello utah takes 12 hours for which the driver re ceides 24 00 to succeed as a guardian of ura mums lifeline on this new fron tier of the atomic age takes a pretty solid citizen the facts listed and information relayed in this article indicate that his capital investment is heavier than one night think that he must understand d der e r s stand t a n d business procedures human nature have a mechanical know how and be enterprising enough to meet and conquer whatever obstacles arise to plague an ore carrier |