Germany's National Socialist Transport Policy and the Claim of Modernity: Reality or Fake?

The construction of the extensive motorway network by the Nazi regime has often been seen as a textbook example of a thorough motorisation policy. But the motorway construction took place under a transport policy that favoured public railroads at the expense of private road haulage companies. A strict regulation of freight rates prevented road hauliers from competing with railroads and gaining a greater share of the freight market. The division of administrative and planning competencies between the motor-minded enthusiasts around Hitler's road builder Fritz Todt and the railroad lobby in the Ministry of Transport contributed to a contradictory motorisation policy. Not even the design of the German motorways was favourable to commercial road hauliers. The German Autobahn was built primarily for cars and ignored the needs of the trucking industry.