New York State War Council Office of War Training Bus and Truck Operators Training Course Administration Files

Arranged by topic.

During World War II, limiting truck and bus use was a crucial part of home front efforts to conserve resources, such as fuel, rubber, and metal, needed for the war effort. These efforts tried to balance conservation with the recognition of the integral role that trucks and buses played in the nation's economy. The Office of War Training implemented a program aimed at educating drivers through trucking company managers.

The United States Office of Education awarded a grant to the New York State Education Department to provide one-week training sessions to "essential transport operators" in cities around the state. The program was primarily for managers who, after training, would develop training programs within their organizations to encourage driver safety and efficient driving habits. Courses given included Driver Selection and Training, Preventive Maintenance, Safety, Conservation of Equipment, Customer and Public Relations, Developing Better Employer and Employee Relations, and Teacher Training.

This series contains correspondence, pamphlets, and instructors' manuals documenting the Office of War Training's administration of this driver's education program to improve both truck and bus driver safety and the conservation of resources. Much of the series contains routine correspondence regarding the program's administration (registration, requests for material), but also found are instructors' manuals and syllabi, including tests, and promotional flyers for this and similar programs in other states.

Other records in this series document the training institutes held in Albany, Buffalo, New York City, and Syracuse. These records usually include: lists of student names and final scores by section; lists of student names and addresses (business, home, or both); students' employers; students' position; and number of drivers and/or equipment for which students are responsible.

Folder list is available at the repository.

This series was originally accessioned as box 172 of old collection #77, accession -71.

There are no restrictions regarding access to or use of the material.