and road materials production that was dependent on rail transportation ground to a stop.
State highway officials on inspection tour of 1917 construction project in Michigan. Such projects were soon forced to stop when involvement in the war caused shortage of materials and manpower.
Truck assembly increased to meet the war needs.
As a direct result of the widespread protests over Priority Order No. 2, the National Council set up a Highway Transport Committee in Washington to represent the highway and highway transport interests, and appointed Roy D. Chapin, President of the Hudson Motor Company, as chairman. This Committee began its work November 29, 1917.
The National Military Truck Routes
The experience of the Allies had shown that enormous numbers of trucks would be needed in France to support military operations. The War Production Board decided to standardize truck designs to simplify parts supply and increase production, and they induced the motor industry to design two vehicles on which to concentrate production for the duration of the war. Class A trucks were to have a capacity of 3 tons and a speed of 14 miles per hour, while Class B trucks would carry 5 tons at 12 miles per hour. The Army placed an order for 30,000 of these trucks in September 1917.
Several months before the Highway Transport Committee was organized, Chapin advanced the idea that trucks destined for France could be driven from
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