Motor Road Transport For Commercial Purposes
(Liquid Fuel, Steam, Electricity)

INTRODUCTION ix as is stated in the book—prices have changed so enor- mously during the past few years, the publication of results and not mere estimates should prove invaluable, not only to those about to embark upon mechanical transport, but also to those who are now running fleets of vehicles. The latter class of user may possibly find much that will help him to reduce appreciably his running expenses, or to supplement his existing fleets with vehicles of another type for handling economically certain of his loads which are now carried uneconomically. The tables of charges for fleets actually in operation cover a large variety of conditions, and are plain unvarnished facts. Presented as they are without bias, they form a most useful contribution to the literature of road transportation. The schedules are not reduced to one common basis for comparison. The accounts are set forth as kept by the owners, and as they stand it should be possible for .most users to find some, at any rate, of the costing systems on a line with their own method of keeping accounts, and thus be able to check their figures. The chapters on steam and electric vehicles should appeal particularly to those who, at the present time, fear the effect of the rapidly rising price of petrol. Problem of the Roads. In this short introduction I have dealt with one side of the question only, and that is the transport side. It must be remembered, however, that there is another side, i.e., the roads. If there are no roads there is no road transport; paucity of roads handicaps its development; good roads and plenty of them lead to reduced running costs. But roads can neither be made nor maintained without considerable expenditure.