"The Council of National Defense approves the widest possible use of themotor truck as a transportation agency, and requests the State Councils ofDefense and other State authorities to take all necessary steps to facilitatesuch means of transportation, removing any regulations that tend to restrictand discourage such use."
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 itsState Councils Section is building up a system for more efficientutilization of the highways of the country as a means of affordingmerchants and manufacturers relief from railroad embargoes anddelays due to freight congestion.
This system already is in successful operation in Connecticut andis being 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.Very considerable quantities of merchandise and materials of all kindsare now being carried by trucks operated by private concerns in theirown businesses and by motor express and haulage companies. In amajority of cases, however, these trucks, after delivering a load,return empty, whereas there are shippers who would be glad to availthemselves of the opportunity to send a load back on such a truckto its home town if they knew it was going back empty. On the otherhand, the truck owner would be equally glad to secure a return loadbecause the charge made for hauling it would reduce his own haulagecost.
To bring the shipper and truck owner together serves the interestsof both. It doubles the efficiency of the motor truck, enables businessmen to make prompt shipments or secure deliveries in a dayinstead of several, relieves the railroads of much short-haul freight,and thereby releases cars for necessary long-distance haulage ofmunitions, equipment, and other supplies for our Army in France,and for foodstuffs, fuel, etc., for the civilian population at home.
The logical agency for bringing the two interests together is thelocal business men's organization in each locality—the Chamber ofCommerce, Board of Trade, or by whatever name it is known. Theyare in direct touch with the manufacturers and merchants in theirrespective communities, they know the present difficulties of shippingand they have the facilities for most quickly and systematicallyputting the shipper in touch with the man who has the facility forhaulage.
The method of doing this is by the establishment of a Return-LoadsBureau—an information department that acts as a clearinghouse for this particular purpose. Once initiated, the work of sucha bureau can, in most cities, be carried on by a single employee ofthe Chamber, probably in addition to his other duties. If necessaryor desirable, a small charge can be made to the truck owner orthe shipper for the service to cover whatever expense may be involvedin starting and maintaining the bureau. But the plan affordsan opportunity to be of such ad