Motor trucks in the logging industry are a comparatively recent development. As nearly as can be determined, the first use of a truck in a logging operation was made in this region by Palms and Shields near Covington, Washington, in the spring of 1913. Since that time various types of road construction suitable for heavy trucks have been devised and the use of the motor truck for logging has steadily increased until at the present time there are about six hundred trucks operating in the woods in the Northwest.
The first real progress in the use of the motor truck for logging purposes came with the development of the trailer. Although the motor truck has been brought to its present high state of perfection in eastern factories the problem of adapting it to the hauling of massive logs was solved in Seattle, Washington, with the perfecting of a trailer which could carry unprecedented loads and stand up under the speed attained by a motor truck. In the early attempts to design a trailer, it was found that too great tractive effort on the part of the truck was required if the trailer was patterned after older types with simply increased dimensions in all of its parts. Through successive improvements the modern form of heavy duty trailer was finally evolved. It has solved a serious problem by permitting the hauling of heavier weights with the aid of the trailer than is possible with the use of the truck alone. With the help of the trailer and an adjustable reach, the motor truck has successfully entered the logging field.
In the Pacific Northwest tracts of timber of sufficient area well situated for economical logging by old established methods are no longer plentiful. Almost every logging chance which exists today presents its own peculiar conditions and individual problems. An operator must therefore analyze the situation thoroughly before arriving at a decision as to the most economical logging methods that will apply in any particular case. Even in different sections of the same operation it is often necessary to use different methods. Since proper cost accounting systems are not usually kept by logging companies, particularly the smaller concerns, these companies often do not know that they are losing money upon one part of an operation because the success of the whole absorbs this loss.
Pioneer logging with a motor truck in 1913.
The use of a motor truck has proved to be practicable in many instances, and bids fair to become of increasing importance. It will therefore be advantageous for every operator to inquire into its possible applications. It should be emphasized, however, that the motor truck is not economically adapted to all conditions. There have been many failures. Each projected application of the motor truck in the logging field must be thoroughly analyzed and if a doubt as to its successful performance exists, expert advice should be sought.
TRANSPORTATION OF LOGS—RAILROADS VERSUS MOTOR TRUCKS
The principal methods of transporting logs are by rail, by motor truck and by animal power. The last of these methods is, for obvious reasons, impracticable in the Northwest, and so needs no further comment. While it is impossible to give specific details in a general discussion of this kind to show where the motor truck may be more economically suited to the conditions at hand than the railroad, a comparison of the fundamental principles involved should enable any operator familiar with logging to determine whether or not to use the truck for his particular chance.