EXISTING legal restrictions prevent the public from deriving the utmost benefits from the progress made in transport-vehicle and highway engineering. Legislative regulation has not yet affected the design of passenger automobiles in this Country, but curtailment of usage is evident in those States where gasoline taxes have reached exorbitant levels. The design and operation of motorcoaches, trucks and trailers has been affected, and the trend of motor-vehicle legislation presents a problem that is more acute than ever before in the history of the industry.
We have 49 different sets of State and District regulations, each differing in some ways from the others, most seriously as regards size and weight. If uniform regulations could be put into effect in all States, design and operating practices would be simplified and lower manufacturing and operating costs effected.
The author discusses in detail the effect on design of the limitations of over-all width, height, length of single vehicles and combinations of vehicles, number of units in a combination, speed and gross weight and weight per axle.
While agreeing with some of the recommendations made to the American Association of State Highway Officials by the Bureau of Public Roads, practical objections to some others are pointed out.