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Issue L000: 6 May 1924

Conunercial Motor s r,000th issue carried a review headed headed: "Glancing lack a Thousand Weeks, by !dward S Shrapnell-Smith CBE 4 InstT (Editor of The :ornmercial Motor from March 905 to August 1917)".

He wrote: "There were some xciting times in those interestrig years. going to press late, then the 'copy' was at times lackrig. Things are more regular and taid now... with so much hap'ening in the many established ranches of our great industry, d less to be created, even vented. Those were the days of e triumph of the steam wagon. virtually 'ruled the roost' of the eavy traffic world... These vehi es ran on steel tyres. skidded errily on stone setts, buried eir wheels in the absorbent estone roads of the period and used most of their purasers—to say nothing of their akers—to lose much money in change for good experience `1 recall with spasmodic shivs the fittings which were sold brakes! Wooden blocks as lins in some cases; unsuitable etals in others: narrow drums all. The shoe-brake, to screw wn upon the tyre, still survived delude. Of trailer brakes I can erely record that they were en worse...

"Pneumatics have also come , to the point that a two-ton d can be run on them at id per le 'all in' for the tyring. No ater contributions have been

• de to the development of cornrcial motoring than by our ends of the rubber trade... out rubber tyres very many our country highways must by w have become unusable." n the subject of fuel (in se days primarily petrol) rapnell-Smith warned that

e problem of fuels is one of most complex as well as the st composite. May it not be 1 us for all time? The only ctive means of control may rtly be found in the use of pressed coal-gas and proer-gas outfits. We shall see...

•

"As at all times since Noi was printed, we are faced by the great uncertainty of price. It is an admitted source of anxiety, and I... cannot end up on a more vital feature than one of warning: that the fuel-price element is no bogey, but a real danger. Price cannot, apparently, be stabilized; hence the petrol vehicle owner never knows where he is... it is one direction in which steam scores. The market price of coal does not jump by increments of 25%, and coal is in the homeland."

And if complaints about fuel prices sound familiar, consider Shrapnell-Smith's comments about funding for the roads: "The State's niggardliness is inexcusable. Roads are at least as important a national service as the Navy. The Navy is not specifically charged against the mercantile marine and the ports! Why, therefore, the roads against the primary beneficiaries?"

Road haulage may be a pariah now, but 'twas not always thus. Shrapnell-Smith wrote: "Finally, it is noteworthy that His Majesty King George, in May of 1920, became patron of the Commercial Motors Users Association. There are many other leaders who have shown equally sound judgement, but His Majesty's patronage counts greatly in State and departmental relations."

Almost 8o years ago CM S technical team was, as now, keeping operators up to date with the latest developments which would not be out of place in issue 5,o oo:

+ Gas trucks: Renault won a French government-sponsored trial of gas-fuelled CVs with a contender burning "producer gas" made from charcoal at 20% the cost of petrol (though it was noted that "the increasing use of heavy [diesel] oils in heavy industrial vehicle engines somewhat counteracts this advantage".).

4. Drawbars: A featured rig based on a 3.4-ton AEC—the truck and trailer bodies both measured r4ft long by 6ft Gin wide and 6ft loin high.

▪ Demounts: A demount body system for urban deliveries which needed no outside loading equipment.

• Forklifts: An all-terrain electric model had been developed with a capacity of two tons.

+ Walking floors: "A self-loading lorry" was described incorporating an engine-driven conveyor and elevator that could load a wagon from a dock or direct from ground level. And a serious technical piece by one Dr T Blackwood Murray DSc, MinstCE, argued that front axle brakes were a waste of space. He concluded: "There is no doubt that the commercial vehicle technical press could perform a great service for the industry by... preventing any unfortunate landslide towards such an unnecessary complication as four-wheel brakes on commercial vehicles."

Issue 2,000: 16 July1943 under the leadership of G Mackenzie junner,

FRSA, MIAE, MinstMet, CM was on as much of a war footing as the rest of the industry and noted: "We have not considered it advisable to devote space to records of what we have achieved.., we already find it difficult to accommodate in the pages at our disposal sufficient matter concerning current and future events."

However, a few paragraphs were devoted to reminding readers that "...despite claims to the contrary from other quarters it was the first journal to be devoted exclusively to the commercial vehicle.., what is more important is that from the commencement it became firmly established and has steadily increased its influence as the most powerful representative organ of the commercial-vehicle industry."

The lead article, "Natural vs Synthetic Rubber", opened: "America is at work on synthetic rubber; frantically at work, and the greater the American effort the greater may be the eventual damage to the rubber plantations of Malaya, the Netherlands East Indies, Burma, and the other countries that have held the world to rubber ransom for so many years."

Predicting that synthetic rubber would be cheaper than the real thing after the war, CM mooted the idea of rubber-surfaced roads: "Such a scheme appears to be fantastic, uneconomic, impossible; so once was the prospect of ownership of a motor by a working man; now a million of them own cars... Patches of roads finished in this manner were to be seen in one or two parts of London, particularly in front of hospitals, where the rubber was found to be most advantageous in deadening the noise and vibration caused by heavy traffic."

Issue r, 000 recorded the success of producer gas trials; issue 2,000 noted that such vehicles (given a boost by wartime petrol rationing) could be left running when unattended because they could be awkward to start again quickly. Petrol and diesel engines had to be immobilised when unattended under wartime regulations. However, gas vehicle operators taking advantage of this concession were warned "to see that the hand brakes of such vehicles are maintained in a fully efficient manner... The Ministry is to issue instructions to vehicle examiners to pay special attention to this matter."

From Australia came news of a petrol-powered tipper converted to run on 'compressed town gas'. Three gas cylinders were bolted to the rear of the cab with two more on the chassis: power output was down by zo% at 50tnph.

Two more warlike vehicles were featured: one from each side.

New to the Allies was the Humber MkIII armoured car, based on the pre-war four-wheeldrive Ranier tractor. Power came from a rear mounted four-litre six-pot petrol engine rated at 27hp with an emergency maximum of 9ohp, driving through a four-speed box. CM wrote: "It was the use of these well-tried

components which undoubtedly assisted greatly in the rapid devel. opment and production of the new fighting vehicle."

From the Wermacht came the NSU Kettenkrad light tracked vehicle with motorcycle front forks and wheel. Like the Humber it was based on a prewar driveline; in this case a 1,500cc Opel Olympia petrol engine developing 36hp. CM noted: "It is stated that swamps, ice and snow are well within its compass and the reliability factor is very high."

On the home front, the Bishop of London was busy dedicating a "Church Army mobile entertainment coach and chapel" based on a 1935 Dennis Ace 2o-seater equipped with a folding altar, piano, movie screen, projector and PA system.

Looking forward to the postwar world, CM repeated its regular call for an effective propaganda campaign promoting road transport to an ignorant public: "The story must be presented in the right way—in a setting attractive but dignified, interesting and compelling, romantic yet impressive... it should result in the gaining of considerable support in the future fight which awaits the industry... Road transport, as compared with other industries, and particularly the railways, is in a lamentably weak position politically..." Sounds familiar?

And, on the subject of history repeating itself, Issue 2,000 included a feature headed: "Building up a practical after-thewar rates schedule". Standing costs, from the CM Table of Operating Costs, included wages at £12 14S rod a week (1360 at 2002 values), with a total running cost (for a diesel-engined r6-tonrier) of £25 25 (1715) a week. Assuming 48 weeks' use a year, and a required profit margin of 15%, it was calculated that the vehicle would have to earn i115 (13,270) a week.

Issue 3,000: 15February 1963

The Beatles were about to lead Britain into the swinging sixties, but in Issue 3,000 CM (now edited by Alan Harvard, AM InstT) was more concerned about that other sixities icon, Dr Beeching, and his plans for the railways: "Already Dr Beeching is understood by some to be wanting to close down half the railway stations, perhaps four-fifths of the freight depots and collection centres... however one fact seem certain— Mr Marples [the Transport Minister] will do all he can to back the railways' bid for the big, long-distance freights.

"The Minister is convinced that not only will road haulage take over the 'penny packet' traffic, but that it will be happy to do so. Whether or not the industry will stand by and bless the Doctor's drive to capture a large slice of the 'big stuff' is another matter."

And following recent snowfalls, Cyril Robinson of the RHA Eastern Area was less than impressed by "recent railway publicity that contrasted pictures of snowbound road vehicles with a train speeding along a track where apparently very little snow had fallen... But for the fad that we, as road transport operators, are, in the main, very humble men, we would make it our boast that in many cases road transport has come to the aid of the railways."

Robinson also cited the mobilisation of "vast fleets ol tipping lorries as an emergency service to distribute the nation's coal"; and the way that hauliers had rescued coastal shipping "when the frozen river Yare prevented vessels reaching Norwich". He concluded: "I am pleased to have this opportunity of paying this public tribute to all our drivers."

The competition between rail and road was not the only familiar topic to the 2rst century reader. In his comment piece the editor pointed out that the government's export drive "will cause more goods to flow through the docks. Flow? Road transport opera. tors know the hollow ring of that word because traffic in Britain's major ports does everything except flow. In most cases King Congestion still reigns supreme."

Toll protests aren't new either, but in 1963 the protesters weren't necessarily road users: "The Firth of Forth area local authorities seelcing abandonment of the proposed tolls on the Forth Road Bridge are to meet the Secretary of State for Scotland," CM reported. They were to ask "that tolls should not be charged in view of the local unemployment position."

Another headline that could have come from issue 5,000, rather than issue 3,000, was: "United industry fights fuel ax". In this case it was PSV operttors with fleets totalling some .6,000 buses. It was suggested hat the Transport Minister himelf was probably ahead of his ime in his appreciation of public ransport.

Back to the future, and a report hat off-road dump trucks helpng construct the British tailways marshalling yard at Insley, near Sheffield, had been itted with smooth aluminium )oclies which increased their payoad by 23.5cwt.

Lighter... and faster. The techdeal editor wrote: "On Saturday t became legal for British goods 'chides to be driven at up to 1.omph outside restricted areas, .xcept for vehicles towing drawiar trailers, which are limited to omph, and except on motorvays, where as yet no speed limts apply."

Having warned that the ncrease would not translate into 33% reduction in average jourey times, and could simply be sed up in longer waits at turnund points, he gave the results a fuel consumption test at the ew limit with an ERF 64P 13 tonner "over a difficult 32-mile course in the north Midlands". The ERF completed the route 15% faster at the 40mph limit, in return for a 3.9% increase in fuel consumption. Our man concluded: "It would seem that there is a saving to be gained by taking advantage of the new limit—provided the time saved can be made good use of... Unfortunately, with our present inadequate road system it will obviously not be possible for all drivers to cruise for long periods at speeds in the region of 40mph."

CM s Janus column reminded CM readers that the HGV limit had only increased from 20 to 30mph six years earlier; the Ministry's own committee on road safety had been proposing a move to 40mph since 1958. However, the column concluded with a warning that "the new speed limit regulations may be the signal for a drive against the speeding lorry driver.., if he is found guilty of three traffic offences in three years he automatically stands in danger of losing his licence and his livelihood at one stroke.*

Issue 4,000: 22 January 1983

The spirit of the times is summed up by the following snippets on the very first page of CM s 4,000th issue (now edited by lain Sherriff, FCIT): • "A haulage strike has been called in the London area in response to a L3 final wage offet.."

• "NFC's first results as a consortium returned an iii.9m trading profit in the February to October period."

* "The FTA and government reinforced their opposite views about lorry bans last week. The FTA says they should be avoided and the government is still encouraging councils to introduce them."

• "National Freight has won its first contract for privatised refuse collection. Its long struggle to get into the growing market is taking Waste Management into Taunton."

And way before the days of agency transport managers, a Licensing Authority (as Traffic Commissioners were known then) warned an owner-driver that he could not nominate another operator as his transport manager, because transport managers have to be full-time employees.

It was 20 years ago today... and the industry's problems were about the same as they are now. A Belgian driver admitted to avoiding buying fuel here— because our fuel was much more expensive.

Hauliers in 2002 have become used to a 44-tonne limit; in 1983 CM engineering editor Graham Montgomerie wrote: "The biggest headache for operators looking forward to operating at 38 tonnes at the moment is deciding which vehicle combination to go for. Five axles will be required, but where should the extra axle be located?"

One of the stars of the Gist Brussels show was MAN's 12-17oF, which was expected to become the basis of a UKspec i6-tonner saving at least 7ookg of the weight of its predecessor. Sadly, our reporter found: But by comparison with almost all the others, the Leyland display was cramped and rather unattractive, and did little to help stimulate Roadtrain or Sherpa sales in Europe..."

Rather more up to the minute was Rubery OwenRockwell, which showed a lightweight composite spring incorporating carbon fibre. The report, by the way, was illustrated by pictures taken by CM s keen young staff pho tographer, one Brian Weatherley. We wonder what became of him...