FARM MOTOR TRUCK OPERATION. 23 
of a truck covering fire, theft, liability, and property damage is quite 
costly, but most farmer truck owners do not carry such insurance. 
Ordinarily the total expense for the omitted items (exclusive of in- 
surance) would be but a small part of the total cost of operating 
the machines. The average truck cost per mile traveled for each of 
the different sizes of machines, according to the itemized figures 
already given, would be as follows : 
Cents. 
i-ton trucks 7. 8 
f-ton trucks IT. 8 
1-ton trucks 13. 
U and 11-ton trucks ID. 5 
2-ton trucks 20. 7 
COST OF HAULING WITH MOTOR TRUCKS. 
The cost of hauling with a motor truck is determined by the cost 
of operating it, the charge made for the driver's time and labor, the 
size of the load hauled, and the percentage of time the machine 
runs without a load. In computing the cost of hauling with trucks 
the charge for the driver is based upon an allowance of 25 cents 
per hour for his time while loading, driving, and unloading the 
truck. The average time required for hauling, including loading 
and unloading, as given by the truck owners in 1920, was 0.14 hour 
per mile of travel for the J-ton and f-ton trucks, and 0.15 hour for 
the 1-ton and larger sizes. The charge for the driver, therefore, 
would be 3.5 cents per mile traveled by the J-ton and f-ton trucks, 
and 3.8 cents per mile traveled by the 1-ton and larger sizes. The 
total cost per mile run. then, would be as follows : 
Cents. 
i-ton trucks 11. 3 
f-ton trucks 15. 3 
1-ton trucks 16. S 
11 and lj-ton trucks 23.3 
2-ton trucks 24. 5 
It is stated on page 13 that the trucks reported on in 1920 had 
return loads on about 26 per cent of the trips made by them. This 
means that on the average the trucks haul loads when going from 
and returning to the farm on 26 out of every 100 round trips, and 
run without a load on 74 one-way trips. To obtain the actual cost 
per mile of haul, the cost of operating the truck, and the value of 
the driver's time, for the 74 trips with no load must be charged 
against the 126 trips with loads; that is, every 126 miles of haul 
must bear the expense of 200 miles of travel, or every 63 miles of 
haul must bear the expense of 100 miles of travel. The cost per 
mile of haul as given below is obtained by multiplying the total 
cost per mile run by each size of truck by 100 and dividing the 
product by 63. 
On the basis stated, the average cost per mile of haul with trucks 
of different sizes would be as follows: 
Cents. 
i-ton trucks 17. 9 
|-ton trucks 24. 3 
1-ton trucks — 26. 7 
li and li-ton trucks 37.0 
2-ton trucks 38. 9 
