GROWTH of mechanical transport since nineteenth-century days, when the steam engine was attached to ships and vehicles, is traced in this historical review. It was appropriately presented in observance of engineering achievements which have taken place during the past hundred years. The author records that development of the internal-combustion engine, replacing steam, led to the appearance of the automobile at the turn of the century.
The horseless carriage increased travel speed, setting up immediate demands for more comfortable travel. Good roads, improved tires, new engine and body designs have followed without interruption for more than 50 years, ,with the supply of applied ideas never approaching public demands for still greater improvements.
The author summarizes the situation as it exists today, giving many pertinent facts regarding the growth of the trucking industry, its relation to highway facilities and passenger-car travel, together with possibilities for future developments along better lines.