OCR Text |
Show E CARS HELD " EJISYJ ROADS Propagandist for Large Trucks Discusses Respective Merits of Different Sizes Thfre if prohnbly no moro vital nor Widely discussed topic of Interest In the motor truck industry just now than the relation of heavy duty trucks to road wear. Much opinion has h?n expressed to the effect that large capacity ca-pacity vehtrles. b virtue of their greater weight are in some njeasur--responsible for excessive road deterioration. deteri-oration. Pome interesting and pointed facts in this conection were brought out recently In an interview with K. 10 Fulton of the International Motpr com pan . DOUBTS PRESENT POLICY ' No one realizes better than the motor truck manufacturer." said Mr Fulton; "the necessity of putting into force legislation which will preserve tin roads and enable this countrj to approach more rapidly its ultimate j'Uate of highway perfection. It is I doubtful, however, whether the policy I which Is now pursued of restricting large capacity trucks will be effective In accomplishing this end There are lui two possible waj of preserving I the roads through legislation either tho total tonnage of traffic pisMnK ; over the roads must be reduced or .the road wear per ton of material I transported must be decreased Barring Barr-ing th- hr-i duty truck in an attempt 'to save Hi-' ro.-uj i, me first method I the elimination of this most economical i of motor transportation units tends to make the cost of hlghwav transportation transpor-tation prohibitive. If eliminating the! 7 -2 ton truck would divert the freight formerly carried in those units i to some entirely different transportation transporta-tion agency then its elimination would l reduce road wear. The other carriers are not even able to cope with the traffic already In their own legitimate sphere Therefore, If this freight Is i to be moved at all It must go ovei the highways in a larger number of light vehicles regardless of the increased in-creased cost of such transportation. "Appirently the object 0f prohibiting prohibit-ing the 7 1 -L" ton truek Is to decrease total tonnage over the highways. Let us see how it works out. The average truck of ono ton capacity weighs by 1 itself approximately 2 tons On the i other hand, in a 7 1-2 ton truck Is less than one ton of vehicle weight for . .. h ton of freight capacity This means that in transporting 7 tons of material In one-ton trucks. 21 tons of traffic (total weight of vehicle and cargo) will pass over the roads whereas where-as If transported in a 7 1-2 ton truck I the road will hae to bear only 14 tons) j of the traffic. In other words th. I tonnage formerh shipped In 7 1-2 tun (trucks would have to be decrcasod 33 J per cent, before there would be any actual reduction In the volume of tru.j tic. Furthermore to even approach ' tho economy of the heavy duty irui It in bulk hauling the light vehicle must resort to excessive road speeds which have been definitely proven to be more destructive than increased weight. "Although it might bo advisable atl" i ii T.)HJLm-r-La.j.njj-jt'ii mjujb the present time to decrease the ton-nage ton-nage transport! d over highways, It is i not possible to do so because there jls no other agent capable of taking I over this traffic Thus the only alternative alter-native Is to direct legislation toward reducing the road wear per ton of mail" ma-il" rials transported." |