'Return Loads' to Increase Transport Resources by Avoiding Waste of Empty Vehicle Running. — A Reader’s Guide

Wartime Context and Institutional Framework

The bulletin opens with a resolution from the Council of National Defense approving 'the widest possible use of the motor truck as a transportation agency' and urging state authorities to remove restrictive regulations. This places the document squarely within World War I mobilization efforts. The Highways Transport Committee, created under the Council, is building a nationwide system through state committees. The text names specific partner organizations: state councils of defense, chambers of commerce, and local war boards. The language is procedural and directive, reflecting a top-down coordination model.

The bulletin does not describe the actual operation of return-load bureaus in detail; instead, it outlines their purpose and the organizational structure meant to support them. The excerpts show no data on empty mileage or cost savings, only the assertion that such waste exists and should be avoided.

Five Activities, One Emphasis

The bulletin enumerates five 'outstanding activities' requiring instant attention. In order: return-load bureaus, rural express, cooperation with the Federal Railroad Administration, educational efforts, and transport operating efficiency. Each is given a one-sentence explanation. Return-load bureaus aim to 'eliminate empty running of trucks by bringing together shipper and truck owner.' Rural express involves fixed-route daily service with schedules and charges. Cooperation with the railroad administration suggests substitution of truck service for rail where possible.

The educational and efficiency activities are not elaborated in the excerpts. The bulletin's structure implies that return-load bureaus are the primary innovation, while the other activities support broader highway transport utilization. The brevity of these descriptions suggests the bulletin is an introductory or policy document rather than an operational manual.

Catalog Subjects vs. Actual Content

The catalog assigns subjects 'Transportation, Automotive,' 'Roads,' and 'Trucking.' The excerpts confirm these are relevant: the bulletin promotes motor truck use and discusses highway transport. However, the catalog omits the document's explicit wartime framing and its focus on organizational coordination rather than technical aspects of roads or vehicles. The subject 'Roads' is not addressed in the excerpts; no discussion of road construction, maintenance, or design appears. 'Trucking' is present but only as a general category—the bulletin does not discuss truck types, loading techniques, or driver management.

The secondary topic 'history-modern' is accurate given the 1918 date. A reader expecting technical civil engineering content will find instead a policy brief on logistics efficiency. The bulletin's value lies in its snapshot of wartime transportation planning, not in engineering detail.

Readers interested in early twentieth-century logistics or World War I home-front mobilization will find this bulletin a concise primary source. It illustrates how government committees attempted to solve freight congestion through coordination rather than infrastructure expansion. For those seeking technical data on trucking or road design, other publications from the same period would be more useful. The document's brevity and clear organizational focus make it accessible, but its lack of operational specifics limits its practical application.

I found myself thinking about that 1918 bulletin on return loads, how every empty mile felt like a small failure of imagination. It made me recall another wartime volume from the same shelf, Aërial Navigation A Popular Treatise on the Growth of Air Craft and on Aëronautical Meteorology — A Reader’s Guide, where the sky itself became a highway to be mapped. Both share that earnest, hopeful arithmetic—counting miles and winds, never wasting either.