The motor truck having proved that it can compete advantageously with the railroad for short hauls is already in business. One con cern in New York city does a truck and freight business to any point within 400 miles. It oper ates great trucks regularly to Boston, Balti more and cities in central New York and Penn sylvania. The running time between New York and Philadelphia (100 miles by road) is 12 hours; and to Baltimore, 188 miles, 22 hours. The operating cost is said to be 18 cents per ton mile, as against 24 cents for same work by horses and wagons. While this is far higher than railroad cost, yet it saves handling, and as goods mostly have to be trucked at both ends of a railroad route, this item is a clear saving. It is thought that the system must prove perma nent for haulage around large cities up to 150 miles.
A considerable number of electric motor trucks have been built, and they operate very satisfactorily. Their traveling range is limited to about 50 miles, after which the batteries have to be recharged. The electric light and power companies, which charge the batteries, have not generally cared to cater to this busi ness, so the electric trucks are not common, though they have been adopted by some large concerns.
A large heavy road motor truck is a good deal like a locomotive to care for. Before starting on a tour the driver must look it all over to make sure that everything is in work ing order. In making down grades he must remember that he has a great weight behind him and cannot lock the brakes and expect to stop. He must slow down his engine and use it as a resistance, and apply his brakes gradu ally. The use of heavy motor trucks involves trailers, which may be likened to small open freight cars designed to be drawn by the big truck, serving as a road locomotive. This com bination gives us the long-sought independent train that can run on any fairly good road. It is beginning to be used, and will betore many years be common on certain American high ways given up mainly to trucking, for this heavy traffic surely means that the highways of the future must be separated, that fast driving automobiles and slow-moving heavy trucks with trains of trailers may not have to occupy the same route and interfere with each other.