Catalogue description Emergency Road Transport Organization

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Details of MT 55
Reference: MT 55
Title: Emergency Road Transport Organization
Description:

This series consists of files of the Road Transport Divisions of the Ministry of War Transport relating to the operation of the Emergency Road Transport Organization, together with circulars issued to Regional Transport Commissioners and Area Road Haulage officers, and minutes of conferences of the Regional Transport Commissioners.

The series also contains minutes and papers of the following committees: the Committee on Road Safety in War, 1941 to 1943; the Committee on the Use of Home Produced Fuels in Internal Combustion Engines, 1940; the Motor Vehicle Maintenance Advisory Committee, 1941; the Road Haulage (Defence) Advisory Committee 1938 to 1939; and the Road Haulage Consultative Committee, 1940 to 1948.

Some papers concerning the London Passenger Transport Board are included
Date: 1935-1954
Arrangement:

The papers in this series have been selected from those created in the Road Transport divisions and have been listed in their original subject and file reference order
Related material:

Other records relating to the Emergency Road Transport Organisation are in MT 50
Held by: The National Archives, Kew
Legal status: Public Record(s)
Language: English
Creator:

Ministry of Transport, Road Transport Division, Emergency Road Transport Organisation, 1939-1941

Ministry of War Transport, Road Transport Division, Emergency Road Transport Organisation, 1941-1946
Physical description: 493 file(s)
Immediate source of acquisition:

In 1972 Department of the Environment
Administrative / biographical background:

The Ministry of Transport and the the Road Transport (Defence) Advisory Committee established the Emergency Road Transport Organisation in September 1939.

Under the Road Transport divisions of the Ministry the organisation operated on a regional basis, each region being under the control of a Regional Transport Commissioner and sub-divided into districts, sub-districts and groups.

The structure enabled control to be maintained of war-time needs like the rationing of fuel for commercial transport; the transport requirements of the fighting and defence forces; the economic allocation of transport; zoning of foodstuffs and essential commodities; allocation of materials for repair and maintenance of vehicle fleets and the arrangement of transport facilities for the vastly altered peak-hour travel which came about with the building of new factories.

In each region there were Regional and District Advisory Committees consisting of representatives of the operators of commercial road vehicles and including representatives of railways and labour. Consultative Committees were set up by the Commissioners in areas likely to experience passenger transport difficulties due to redistribution of industry and labour.

Co-operation was maintained throughout with other ministries, e.g., with the Ministry of Food and the Board of Trade in connection with food zoning; with the Ministries of Supply and Labour and National Service regarding the allocation of materials and labour; with the Petroleum Board for the rationing of diesel oil and petrol for goods vehicles.

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