Oregon Timber Transport Operators records, circa 1951-1957

The Oregon Timber Transport Operators (OTTO) was formed in February 1951 as a non-profit educational organization to address public concerns about the safety of logging trucks on the state's highways after news coverage about fatal accidents and unsafe drivers threatened to bring punitive measures from the Oregon Legislature. The organization's purposes included research into truck operation, maintenance and safety; promotion of safe and courteous practices by drivers of logging and lumber products trucks; and consultation with state and federal agencies on the problems of transporting logs and lumber products on public highways. OTTO was led by an elected board of governors and had three membership classes: active (truck owners), drivers, and associates. The group opened an office in Portland, established service districts, and hired a safety engineer, Jack L. Curtis, and a secretary, Kay M. Hill. When OTTO found it difficult to obtain needed financial support, major logging and lumber industry organizations supported an effort to establish Forest Products Industry memberships based on production, while keeping driver memberships more modest. By 1953, the organization was conducting district safety meetings to promote driver training, as well as equipment inspections. It appears that operation of OTTO was turned over to the Willamette Valley Logging Conference in 1957.