As I See It
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By S.T.R.
Tome, the most striking thing about this Commercial Motor Show, none the less so because I have remarked it at previous Exhibitions, is the absence of any vehicle which, in its design, reflects the needs of the local parcels carrier or the tradesman whose principal operation is houseto-house delivery. Most of the cost of this class of work is entailed in delays in making collections and deliveries, and a good deal of that time is occupied by the driver in ascending to and descending from his seat on every call.
I thought, a couple of years ago, that we were on the verge of such development when Commer introduced the Pug. That went a long way towards the ideal, hut not far enough. What / expect to see is a van with the cab floor within 9 ins, of the ground, with no door, or at least a door that kicks open and swings. Some day we shall have such a vehicle.
Body Design Does Matter.
If it can be accepted as reasonable' that the exhibits reflect to a large degree the requirements of risers, then, so far as goods vehicles are concerned, they give the lie to the suggestion that the type of body is of no consequence, that a box on wheels is the be-all and end-all of the goods carrier.
An outstanding feature of the Show is the variety and ingenuity of the bodywork. ' Hardly second comes the obvious preference for distinotive shapes. lettering and exterior decoration.
" What difference does this make to the cost of operation? " is, perhaps, a fair rejoinder. The answer is that if a vehicle, by reason of its attractiveness, brings about an increase in its owner's business, that is contributory. to the cost of operation.
And, in the same street, as it were, is the tendency to make the frontal appearance of vehicles pleasing. Here, again, the connection between this tendency and cost of operation is necessarily the indirect .one, namely, the publiCity Value of an attractive machine. It is an asset most difficult , n42 to calculate and its value must necessarily differ according to conditions.
The utility of the low-loading vehicle for ordinary commercial traffic cannot have been considerable ; at least, such machines have vanished from the Commercial Motor Exhibition. It is most likely that the actual vehicle operating cost was found to be more than was justified by the savings expected to popularity of this type with furniture removers and the like.
The mechanical horse appears now to be on the way to acceptance by all classes of user. In the beginning it was only the big operator who appreciated its economy. Now small operators, engaged on work over short leads and of a kind in which it is feasible to use several trailers with the one motive unit, are employing this most economical class of machine.
Further on the point of savings in operating cost, this type of vehicle is particularly useful for the short-distance haulage, in congested areas, of fairly heavy loads, although there may be no opportunity of interchanging trailers.
Weight reduction in both chassis and bodywork has gone yet a little farther. Some of the exhibits seem to have reached the limit in that respect, although, as a matter of fact, some of us thought that at the previous Show.
Provided that this reduction is not gained at the sacrifice of essential strength and reliability, it is all to the good. Every pound reduction in the weight of the unladen vehicle reacts to the benefit of the operator, either in allowing him to add a little to his payload without contraAning weight restrictions, or in reducing the gross laden weight and thus conducing to savings in petrol, oil and tyres.
Simplified Mechanism.
One of the measures which has made these weight reductions possible, the simplification of the mechanism of the chassis, with a corresponding reduction of parts and joints, is undoubtedly a step in the right direction. After all maintenance is one of the most important items in operating cost and this reduction in the number of 'points at which wear may take place must contribute to economy in respect of that item.
While on the subject of maintenance, some reference should be made to matters affecting the cost of maintenance which are often overlooked. Take, for example, the tendency—quite a commendable one in the rhajority of cases-to adopt some particular scheme of decoration for vehicle exteriors.
These works of art, as many of them are, definitely involve additional expenditure on maintenance, because they must be revarnished• fairly frequently, otherwise the essential brightness of the picture is likely to be dimmed and its utility more than corre
spondingly diminished. .
The only way to ensure that this cost is kept to a minimum is to insist upon first-class material in the ,initial stage and to maintain that as a principle, in the subsequent varnishing.
The same recommendation applies with equal and possibly greater force to the interior appointments of coaches. Beauty may be skin deep, but if that adage applies to the interior fittings and decorations of coaches, the owner is soon going to regret that he did not spend a little more in the beginning, with the object of carrying that beauty a little below the surface.
The expense of maintenance occurs, too, in connection with schemes of upholstery. Some of the more modern
materials, although much dearer in the ff 'pine. .Show savings lir the long run, ' because they -retain their initial resilience • for • mach. lisrigee periods: .. . Still On the 'subject of maintenance, -the factor of accessibility to chassis parts is one which' even new is not •fully -understood. It should,if • we consider the practical point of view, be applied only to. those -parts of the chassis mechanism which need fairly frequent attention. .
• Accessibility to the major -components, engine, -gearbox and the like, is not, in my view, of primary importance: An extra half-an-hour or so added .to the time needed. for 'overhauling .an engine is neither here nor -there and; if another more important advantage accrues from some .diminution in this. accessibility, that . is abundantly justified. .
Electric Come-back.
The electric vehicle, • completely absent from the Exhibition for some years, has now reappeared in compara tive force. This is, in effect, what might only have been expected. because there has been recently a considerable increase in the 'popularity of this type of vehicle.
That popularity will be maintained and possibly even intensified, provided that operators strictly confine the use of electrics to work well Within their capabilities.