WHEELS OF PROGRESS

e [Music] [Applause] [Music] oh [Music] transportation is the business of moving things and people from one place to [Music] another in Colorado a Rancher raises cattle for Market they're fed with hay and concentrates made from alphalpha grown by a farmer in Kansas the seed for the Kansas farmers Al Alpha crop is grown in California and the Colorado cattle are processed into beef in Chicago to make hot dogs to be sold at Coney Island [Music] down in Texas they grow cotton that will be woven into cloth in North Carolina fashioned into dresses in Los Angeles and worn by young ladies who buy hot dogs at Coney Island equipment for harvesting the alala seed crop in California was manufactured in Indiana the Machinery that transformed the beef into hot dogs at the Chicago packing plant was built in Ohio and an Illinois Firm made the loom for the North Carolina Mill that wo The Gingham worn by the pretty girl at Coney Island this constant exchange of goods without trade barriers is the very Foundation of our highly successful free enterprise system from all parts of this great country flows the endless Avalanche of things things to be bought by the farmer in Kansas the cotton growers in Texas the dress designer in California and people all over the nation this tremendous exchange of goods this constant movement of merchandise is Possible only because of the development of efficient and economical systems of Transportation when the pilgrims landed in America the primary means of transportation were by canoe and raft along the natural waterways as the number of settlers to the new world increased Overland Transportation became a necessity to develop the colonies and push back the Frontiers natural waterways were extended by man-made canals then the railroad spanned the continent and opened up a new era of growth the nation developed steadily to the turn of the 20th century then came the automobile this amazing mechanical Contraption was destined to give man Untold freedom of movement to revolutionize transportation Main Street was paved and pushed out into the country industry and agriculture were quick to see the flexibility of the Horseless Carriage and converted it into motorized carriers to transport things as well as people but the lack of improved highways in the 1900s restricted their use to short Hall handling of goods as highways were improved and extended the long hul Motor Carrier came into its own and today all parts of this country are connected by a highly organized efficient systems of Highway Transportation one of the most extensive of these systems will have several hundred great motorized carriers rolling at one time rolling 24 hours a day 7 days a week transporting cargo is vital for our personal and National welfare things upon which our very existence depends here is schedule 452 out of Oakland California loaded with defense materials where a plant some somewhere in the middle west schedule 99 has just left Denver with a shipment of wearing apparel from New York soon these Fifth Avenue dresses will be gracing the Streets of San Francisco and shortly children east of the Mississippi will be playing with the toys that are part of this cargo from Los Angeles schedule 351 coming into Salt Lake City is loaded with army material for overseas its arrival at the terminal is reported by a teletype to the central dispatch control board in Denver the nerve Setter of this 11,000 Mi Highway transportation system an indicator on the control board is moved to conformed to the teletype information another line hole rigged leaves the terminal in Chicago and the control board is adjusted to show this [Music] departure schedule 180 just arrived to Kansas City and add this one 283 three out of St Louis for Los [Music] Angeles yes Lloyd how many units on the road today 182 90 Westbound and 92 eastbound okay and Lloyd there'll be three extra schedules out of Oakland tonight they had a heavy pickup today okay yes it was a busy day for Oakland a fleet of 50 trucks have been making pickups and deliveries at hundreds of plants and warehouses throughout the Bay Area America's tremendous production capacity is made possible because of the speed and flexibility of motor Transportation one of the key men in today's modern industrial system is the traffic manager who maintains the smooth flow of goods and materials to and from his plant Dependable truck transportation permits the traffic manager to keep inventories down and to make prompt deliveries of finished goods the success of any long haul operation begins with the efficiency of its terminals Goods have to be handled with care and accuracy they have to be moved promptly this long haul operation provides one line service spanning 2/3 of a continent 13 strategically located major terminals serve shippers direct to and from the Midwest and Pacific coast and by connecting lines to all parts of the United States efficient handling of in andout Bound Freight requires effective supervision the first step taken is to install an intercommunicating system to the load control office from here is directed the flow of goods from incoming line hall rigs to outgoing delivery units from incoming pickups to departing East Bond schedules goods from New York and St Louis consigned to Oakland and Alam shipments from Chicago and Kansas City destined for San Francisco and San Leandro westing house electric got a westing house on two from the time a shipment is picked up until until it is delivered its location is known and it is kept moving shipments from the fleet of pickup trucks are unloaded sorted and moved across the terminal floor to their respective outgoing trailers to assure accuracy in handling each individual shipment is placed on a pallet even though it may consist of but one piece the loading supervisor is an important Cog in this vast movement of goods he has to plan the careful loading of fragile merchandise so that it won't be damaged in transit he has to distribute and restrict the weight of the load to conform to axle and gross weight limits overalls for Salt Lake City Coffee for Denver Hardware for Witchita cable for Kansas City baby food for St Louis Business Machines for Chicago and drugs for New York when the last item is loaded the shipment is cleared by the load Control Office some of these trailers will travel direct to the East Coast or intermediate points pulled by power units of connecting lines East of Chicago and St Louis another unit is loaded a small portion of the hundreds of millions of pounds carried annually by this single line equal in weight to transporting the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco to Chicago Goods representing the shipments of more than 100,000 customers the loaded unit is then taken to the scales where it is weighed axle by axle as a final check that it is within legal limits the door is sealed the line hall rig is ready to roll Dependable motor Transportation demands constant coordination of men and machines the men behind the wheel in the trucking industry represent the best of professional drivers responsible experienced men who have earned the right to be called the nation's safest drivers from the time this man leaves his dispatcher's office safety is his watch word and safety means never take a chance although his rig has been inspected and serviced he goes through a careful departure check off just like an airline pilot checking door lock and seals lights and reflectors tires air and electrical connections fifth wheel latch and in the cab fuel oil level and pressure windshield wipers brakes and other vital Parts everything is in order now it's up to the driver and at every Terminal Gate he sees this final reminder think drive safely control smoke and noise be courteous Beyond these Gates you are Pacific Inter Mountain Express interested in this man's care are caros and Equipment worth thousands of dollars and his company's [Music] reputation any hour of the day or night across 2third of a continent drivers are transporting goods to their destination here crossing the Mississippi is Jerry Blake driving the schedule out of Chicago whose departure we saw reported by teletype into Denver he is one of nine drivers who will take it to the West Coast even though Blake is miles from a terminal he is under constant supervision this instrument a tachograph records on a permanent chart his speed which never must exceed 50 m hour his stops and the time at which they were made Jack mccab the relay driver between Jean and Cedar City is rolling through Utah with his load of toys from Los Angeles the highway patrolman values the skill of this professional driver this exchange of salutes is a token of mutual respect and the driver appreciates the constant vigilance maintained by every traffic officer to make America's highways safer he's approaching one of his designated check stops made approximately every 50 miles with his rig completely off the highway he climbs down to make a thorough check of his equipment and to take a few moments of relaxation mccab was selected from the best of professional drivers because of his ability and his appreciation for safety precautions just as the major league ball player represents the best in his profession this driver is the big bager of the highways Joe Billings the driver of schedule 452 out of Oakland is climbing Doner pass with a Shipman of Defense material for the Midwest plant today this is one of the scenic spots along one of our major transcontinental highways just a little more than 100 years ago in 1846 36 members of the tragic Don party met their deaths here because of the lack of Dependable Transportation Joe's a familiar sight a motorist in trouble even though schedules are important it is company policy for its drivers to stop and render Aid to motorists stranded on the open Highway all drivers are experienced in first aid both to humans and Automobiles and in most cases they are able to get the motorist quickly on his way the very responsibilities of the professional driver demand that he possess High mental and moral qualifications driving ability and experience and top physical condition this driver was selected from a large group of applicants this careful selection and training is largely responsible for the many national and Regional safety awards won by company drivers he had to pass a thorough physical examination and he is rechecked annually his vision must be approved his reactions fast and he must have the mental ability to back up his physical qualifications and Driving Experience this careful screening is necessary because he must be able to operate safely and efficiently equipment far more complicated than the familiar passenger automobile this driver has driven 12 years without a chargeable accident and he has much more to do than merely watch a speedometer at shift gears he operates his powerful diesel engine with an eye on the tacer RPMs engine revolutions per minute are his guide to handling his rig to meet changing highway conditions before Joe was allowed to drive the rig alone he had to make checkout rides over his route with a supervisor his training never ends because he continues to attend driver training and safety meetings Joe's livelihood the successful delivery of the ship Goods depend upon his safe defensive driving he's always on the alert for the unexpected the professional driver knows that the price of careless driving is paid for in human lives that's why he's ever alert for the movement of pedestrians especially young children he knows youngsters act impulsively he has two of his own to avoid driver fatigue relay stations are located so that each driver never exceeds an 8 Hour run a rest period of a minimum of 8 hours is mandatory before taking out a return schedule at the end of Joe's trip he will check in and complete his log a relief driver is ready to take over and keep the freight moving the tachograph chart is removed and a new one is inserted here on this small disc is a complete record in black and white of Joe's run from start to finish Bill Kelly the new driver makes his own check off inspection when it is completed Bill climbs into the cab and the rig continues [Music] Eastward company driver supervisors are on the highways at all times their Chief function is the supervision and training of drivers but they too are equipped to stop to render Aid to distressed motorists the modern for high Motor Carrier system is a splendid example of the smooth integration of men and machines a tested team that keeps the constant interchange of goods flowing AC across our nation highway safety is Possible only when a good driver is teamed with mechanically perfect equipment schedules can be maintained only if costly Highway failures are avoided the best way to avoid accidents and breakdowns is to anticipate and prevent them that's the function of the Denver maintenance shops nearly 400 men and the latest in modern shop facilities are combined in a preventative maintenance program that has been given National recognition by the trucking industry drivers and Shop supervisors keep a dual record of each individual tractor and trailer when a unit arrives in Denver the equipment log tells the story of what must be done every trailer going through Denver enters the wash rack for cleaning clean down even to its license tag few motorists who dread it whenever registration time rolls around should pay this one $2,500 license fuel and Highway use taxes came to more than $1 million last year after the trailer has been washed it will be thoroughly inspected Tires and Brakes will be checked before continuing its Journey Denver is the turnaround point for all power units from Los Angeles and Oakland those from the East return to Kansas City where other power units take the trailers into St Louis or Chicago each tractor will average 220,000 m in a single year periodic preventative maintenance is the reason for this mileage if the tractor is due for routine inspection it will travel down one line to be steam cleaned and washed brakes inspected and tires checked headlights adjusted and front wheels aligned and the chassis lubricated if some minor engine trouble has been reported it will go down a similar line to a dynamometer where the trouble will be diagnosed and corrected when a tractor is rolled up 150 ,000 Mi it receives the full Denver treatment a complete overhaul this is an automotive assembly line in reverse the tractor is dismantled section by section cab and radiator assembly engine and transmission till only the skeleton framework remains but within 48 hours this tractor will be back on the highways this speed is made possible because a reconditioned engine and other assemblies are ready waiting in the stock rooms the assemblies removed from our tractor will be reconditioned and rebuilt to go into other tractors the first step is to dismantle the parts and clean them in tanks of hot cleaning solution the parts are then examined and sorted some go to the scrap Heap others marked for rebuilding and some showing nowhere are sent direct to the stock room for reissue this is the age of specialization and individual assemblies are are rebuilt in special departments This Modern maintenance plant operates 24 hours a day to keep the fleet in top mechanical condition Specialists rebuild cylinder heads Pistons connecting rods tachographs generators starters regulators and other assemblies these rebuilt fuel pumps and injectors are carefully inspected before they are sent to the stock room with all this preliminary work completed it's a routine assembly job to put the reconditioned engine together this rebuilding work goes on all the time that's why there's an engine ready for installation whenever it's needed meanwhile other departments are busy building frames and other assemblies and in this huge shop skilled mechanics machine parts to microscopic tolerances here tires and wheels are inspected for safety the worksheet calls for this tractor to be out and rolling within 48 Hours it is completely rebu built and has received its beauty treatment a new paint job this rejuvenated tractor has been inspected in service it's ready to pull its load of goods the equivalent of six times around the globe before its next major scheduled overhaul it is ready to pull needed shipments to their destination over all types of Highways through all kinds of weather here's 8:00 weather report how does it look everything's good from Chicago to Salt Lake but it's raining on the coast and Snow's beginning to fall at down our pass the Long Hall schedules keep rolling experienced drivers familiar with every mile of their route keep them rolling over every kind of terrain through all kinds of weather rolling across the continent to their destination transporting military material for shipment overseas toys for the youngsters on the East Coast vital parts for the Midwest defense plant and dresses for the women of San Francisco today more than 25,000 American communities depend solely upon the motor truck for their very existence from Long Hall terminals such as this one at St Louis connecting carriers will fan out in all directions to transport needed Commodities to these dependent communities the trucking industry is an active partner with the motoring public in the development of our highways it pays onethird of all highway use taxes collected for the construction and maintenance of adequate traffic arteries highways essential for the ever increasing flow of goods goods for food shelter Recreation communication clothing fuel entertainment and the dissemination of newes modern Highway transportation is essential to our individual welfare our National Defense our very existence it brings us the food we eat the clothing we wear the things we use the highway and the motor carrier are two of our great economic assets assets that must continue to be developed and maintained at the highest point of safety and efficiency if our American way of life is to continue to grow and prosper la [Applause]