What Is the Destination for Motor Transportation? 350105
UNJUST legislation in the middle of the 19th Century retarded the introduction of road locomotion. The Motor Carrier Act, 1935, calls for extreme regulation, patterned after railroad control.
The many differences between the two services prevent like treatment without strangling the virtues and economies of motor transportation. The difficulty of attempting to regulate it is due to the fact that most “fleets” consist of one truck which is owner-operated and only 9 per cent of all trucks are of the For-Hire type.
The present predicament of the railroads is due chiefly to general conditions brought about by the depression, the result of over-regulation, and in not keeping in step with the advancement of other industries. The passenger automobile accounts for some loss of revenue, but its use is taken for granted. It therefore seems strange that the other forms of rubber-tired vehicle are not accepted in the march of progress.
The Motor Carrier Act has passed the Senate with slight changes and now awaits action by the House. Most State Legislatures continue to introduce measures which would unduly restrict motor transportation. The N.R.A. Trucking Code had a very salutary effect on the industry and made possible the gathering of statistics which had heretofore been unobtainable.
The railroads and their affiliated companies utilize motor transportation to the extent of approximately 48,000 trucks, tractors and trailers.
Uniform codes are desirable in the interest of convenience and safety, and are making headway under the sponsorship of national, impartial organizations.
