You can dispatch a mess truck ahead of the convoy. It goes to
a preselected mess site, sets up a mess line, prepares the
food, and serves the meal when the convoy arrives.
Meals can be carried along in insulated food containers.
You can give bag lunches or other ready-to-eat meals to each
driver.
Transient messes are eating places set up along main routes.
They
are used to provide meals to convoy personnel operating over the main
routes.
The restrictions on rest halts also apply to meal halts.
Since meal halts usually extend for a minimum of 30 minutes, phasing
all march elements into one rest area in sequence may generate
control problems because of excessive gaps between elements.
You
must ensure that any areas (public or private, furnished free) used
for meal halts, rest halts, or bivouacs are properly policed before
the convoy departs.
Units using the facilities (public or private)
are considered guests and are expected to maintain sanitary
conditions.
Failure to comply with these instructions could result
in refusal of sites for future use and reflect adversely on the
military image.
REFUELING HALTS
There are several operational factors to consider for refueling a
convoy.
First, you must base refueling operations for a convoy on
the distances that a vehicle will travel on a full tank of fuel.
That's called the operating range. But remember, the operating range
of a vehicle will vary according to the condition of the road, the
vehicle, and the terrain.
A heavily loaded truck operating on poor
roads in hilly terrain will get less fuel mileage than a lightly
loaded truck operating on good roads in fairly level terrain.
Second, give thought to the age and condition of vehicles, the
different types of task vehicles, and driver habits.
Third, don't
forget about scheduling and safety.
Scheduling.
There are two important things you must remember when
scheduling refueling operations:
Always schedule refueling before any vehicle in the convoy
will run out of fuel.
However, be careful not to schedule
refueling too soon; this will cause unnecessary delays.
Always schedule refueling at meal halts and other extended
halts.
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TR1009
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