Commercial Motoring from the Inside.
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Article III.
Contributed by " Homoc."
Vans and Lorries.
The initial work which a self-propelled van or lorry is asked to deal with when first obtained by firms who possess
a quanlily of transport is often that which was originally effected by two or three-horse vans on their ordinary rounds. This, it can be safely predicted, will soon be found less suitable than devoting the motor to work for which it is specially adapted. The ideal class of motor which can be set to do the work of short horse deliveries is the lightest type of motorvan. If the purchase be the medium or heavier type of motorvan, it is best employed for long-distance journeys, utilising the horse transport for the shorter distances. The mechanically-driven van or lorry has always shown itself to the best advantage in this class of delivery, and this statement will be borne out by the majority of users of such vehicles.
Employment of motors in this direction will bring increased trade in their wake. Their potentialities are not by any means properly appreciated, even by users, since it is impossible to discover the actual increased percentage of trade which is brought by their use. It is not only the advertisement by means of a motor vehicle with a firm's name on it, running through a certain district, that produces orders, but it is the extraordinary facility which enables delivery to be effected in a prompter, and hence more businesslike manner which produces such results. A motor vehicle is essential for any -firm supplying general goods, and often very beneficial in many ways to special trades which are highly rated on the railways. This point will be evident—if considered.
If the spread of the population in each town is taken into consideration, numbers of people who once lived in the centre having settled in outlying districts, it will be seen that to cater for such extended areas should be the aim and object of all business firms whose trade permits itself to be thus increased without enlarging establishment charges. The results from this outside source should yield almost gross extra profit to the supplier, since the cost of longer motor delivery is not proportionately greater than short horse delivery. As in all businesses the one desire of the seller should be increased turnover, and this can be obtained in no small degree by the employment of a commercial motor vehicle. When deliveries are effected in out
lying districts where delays occur in unloading, it suggests itself to any clear-headed business man to arrange for a traveller to be carried on the motor, so that during the period of unloading he can be actively employed in securing lurther business in that particular neighbourhood for his firm. When the owner of a motorvan, therefore, in considering the costs of running, asserts that there is a wasteful delay in delivering, this point can be brought before his notice. In many trades, like the furniture trade, where it is in the interests of the firm to send men to unload and put the goods into position, railway fares and time are saved.
The hackneyed. advice which is often given to a wouldbe user of a motorvan, that it should be loaded raproly, that it is advisable to load up a van to the fullest degree, and that the quicker one delivery is effected the sooner the van gets to work again, and other common-sense points, are subjects which, to people of ordinary intelligence, must be getting somewhat stale. It likewise stands to reason that no firm carrying goods which will perish by rain would employ an open lorry without any covering; neither would a firm of brewers carrying barrels of beer require a hig-hlyfinished box-van to carry its goods. Most firms are fully alive to their own ordinary business requirements, and transport managers will invariably have plenty of ideas on subjects allied to their own trades. A great assistance to such men is a neatly-finished painted sketch, with the name of the firm appearing in its usual style of lettering, showing the appearance of the vehicle as it would be when completed, so that it can be laid before the principals. This often goes a long way with non-technical people, such as directors and the like usually are.
Co-operative Plan of Running.
A few remarks can here be safely made regarding the system of employing vans or lorries which has not hitherto been found in practice, i.e., two or three firms with a joint service of one or more commercial motor vehicles. Many firms have given days when they deliver supplies to certain districts once or twice per week or fortnight, to a point some 30 or 40 miles distant. In that particular town, there are probably other firms with whom arrangements could be made to obtain a return load. This co-operative method of transport would in such cases be most beneficial. It suggests itself that the original capital outlay should be divided up amongst the two or three firms, or one firm could purchase the vehicle and convey the other firms goods at given rates. This co-operation in purchase would result in the conveyance of goods at cost to the firms in question, and be more satisfactory than the latter. If only friendly negotiations of this character could be started, others from similar districts would follow suit. It is a great pity that there do not exist to-day companies hiring motor vehicles for all trades. It is certain that, were such companies in existence, utilising really up-to-date vehicles and carrying out their work in an efficient manner, it would not only be a very profitable business to the jobbing company, but would enable many firms to commence using motor vehicles, prove their utility, and become the owners themselves later on.
Correct Maintenance and Depreciation Charges.
if a firm can be persuaded to deal with maintenance and depreciation under running expenses, on the basis of a fixed sum per mile run, to which reference was specially made in the previous article, and not to take a large percentage sum, irrespective of mileage run, it immediately becomes possible to tackle such work as dock work, and to prove economical running costs; here, by-the-by, petrol lorries are not prohibited, providing they do not fill up or empty petrol out during the time they are standing in the sheds, or on the quays. Once the subject is thoroughly grasped by business men, these items will not be so overcharged as they have been hitherto, and this will result in the undertaking of more short-distance work.
One has to ask the reader's latitude in referring again to this matter and dealing with it more in detail than appeared in Article II, but, as will readily be seen, the subject is of such importance that space utilised in this manner need not be considered wasteful. To get to the bottom of this question of maintenance and depreciation charges, let us take in relation to actual outgo and necessary allowances, a hypothetical case of a A-ton lorry. In the manner advocated by the writer, there need only be one fixed item, viz., driver's wages—this amount has to be paid whether the vehicle is standing still or moving; petrol, calculated roughly at 61 miles to the gallon, works out at, say, id. per mile; tires, on a maker's mileage basis at 2(1. per mile; lubricating oil and sundries, say, at ACI. per mile; maintenance, obtained in the manner suggested in the previous article, viz. manufacturer's maintenance contract at, say, .42 per week for two-thirds of the maximum mileage permitted (soo miles maximum), equals 340 miles, hence 'id. per mile for maintenance. A manufacturer's rate for maintenance of a vehicle of this size, in a known instance, is 305. per week; but, to be on the safe side, this has been increased to £2. Finally, with depreciation at, say, lid. per mile, based at zo per cent. on 4:600 divided by 340 miles per week, we get a total of 61d. per mile, plus the cost of driver's wages, which would be more or less per mile, depending on the mileage run, neglecting in the calculation such constant items as insurance, garage, and interest on capital. Now, to prove our case, we will take the usual system of " running costs " accounts on a short-mileage proposition. Here, we have to deal with three constants instead of. one, viz., driver, maintenance, and depreciation, arid, assuming the vehicle runs short distances of, say, 120 miles
per week, the maintenance, if per week were charged irrespective of mileage run, would work out at 4d. per mile, and depreciation at 20 per cent. on 1;600 would equal
6s, per week, which would result in a depreciation mileage cost of approximately 4id. per mile. It will thus be seen that the extra " running costs" calculation will equal std. per mile run, nearly doubling the actual cost. This must naturally kill any proposition, however sound it may be, and it tells so heavily against this class of shortdistance transport for motors that it spoils what should be legitimate business.
In comparing this class of short-distance motor work with horse work, it should further be easy to prove that the horse-drawn transport is the most wasteful when standing still, since the horse ages, whether it is working or not, is digesting its food—in other words, it consumes fuel whether it is standing still or moving. Both these factors are the reverse with a motor, which neither ages nor consumes fuel when it is standing still. The difficulties existent in furthering the commercial motor movement are so -Teat that it seems inconceivable that business men should not see this flagrant error and amend their ways.
I can hear some well-meaning critics raising the old hogev of " what is the life of a commercial vehicle," but my answer to that is that, if a vehicle will run 20,000 miles per annum for 2, 3 or 4 years, with a given amount of wear, it will run I0,000 miles per annum under similar conditions and with practically the same wear for double the amount of time. The question of fashion does not arise with a commercial vehicle. Improvements will come along, but, whatever these improvements are, they should not be of so drastic a character as to render the vehicle of to-day in any way obsolete for a considerable period; hence, if a vehicle only does a small amount of work, its life will be proportionately longer, and the depreciation should be, in a similar manner, less. If an agent or manufacturer kept a chassis in stock and did nothing with it for a year, its value, according to the present-day system of calculations, would only be four-fifths its original price at the end of the year !
Hints for Overhauling.
One of the most important points that the owner of a commercial motor vehicle must bear in mind is that systematic overhauls must be done in the garage, and all necessary adjustments made immediately they are required. All parts should be periodically inspected, whether they require attention or not. This does not apply if the owner enters into a maintenance contract with the manufacturer, or a local garage, as in such a case the following work would also be carried out by the party maintaining the vehicle : the work should be divided up into various categories, of which the undernoted are typical.
DAILY WORK.—It should be the driver's duty to take a full supply of petrol in the ordinary tank, and a sufficient surplus to carry him through the day's work, if the destination be a long way away, so that the expense of purchasing the petrol outside is obviated : the engineer should superintend this, and see that it is done. All parts should be oiled up, and, so that nothing should be missed, it would be advisable to hand the driver a list of all the parts (with their positions) which want oiling. The radiator, of course, must be full of water, and the accumulators (where employed) should be tested to see if they are fully charged; it is well to go over the wiring, and to see that there are no loose connections. The lubrication of the working parts of the brake-gear is a matter of great importance, as once wear commences here it practically means re-bushing. Likewise, when chains are used, these must be greased, and the radiusrod joints lubricated. From day to day, various adjustments will be required, and drivers should make out a report of what is necessary to be done ; small adjustments and replacements must be carried out immediately the need for them becomes apparent. No driver is worth his salt who will not daily or nightly, as the case may be, make a thorough examination of the whole machine, in order to detect small troubles, and to ensure that they are immediately remedied.
NVEEKLY WORK.—The wheels should be jacked up and tried for side-shake. Chains and brakes should be adjusted. All nuts and bolts should be gone over, and care should be taken that they are all pinned or locked. The engine should be thoroughly cleaned down, and dirty oil removed, whilst the gearbox and all transmission parts must be inspected; also, the ignition may require overhauling and adjusting. Further, arrangements should be made that selected parts be taken down and examined in rotation, and a list of these should be made out, which the engineer should keep, so that he may not overlook any one part of the chassis. It is suggested that a good method of dealing with the chassis generally is to divide it up under ro or 12 headings, and each of these should be attended to on a given day. For instance : one week, one pair of cylinders might be removed and big and little ends examined; another week, one back wheel might be dealt with in a similar way, and the ball bearings or bushes, whatever they may be, inspected, and so on. In this manner, risk of breakdowns is minimised, as faults, which are bound to occur, are found out before they become serious. The steering is another part of the chassis which requires special supervision, as a breakage here might cause a serious accident; if periodically overhauled, any undue wear will be discovered in time. With regard to excessive tire wear, or undue wear to parts caused through excessive vibration due to bad roads, in the opinion of men who have studied this question very carefully, one may hope to find the solution of this evil in the eventual amelioration of the root of the trouble, namely, better roads throughout the country.
Bad Roads a Present Trouble.
For many years, manufacturers have been endeavouring to invent or produce a spring wheel which will overcome the difficulty of bad roads, but, so far, with little result, and, like many things of this nature, if it is ever perfected, it will probably not be wanted. If anyone will cast his eye back to the early days of cycling, he will recollect the very bad roads encountered all over the country, even just outside London. Bicycles, in the solid-tire days, sank tire-deep. in dust in summer weather. At that time, horse-drawn rollers were employed, and the loose nature of the road could stand practically no heavy-class traffic. Nowadays, however, roads which are laid down and properly rolled with heavy steam rollers are more generally coming into existence, and it is anticipated that the day is not far distant when the roads through the breadth and length of the land will be of such a nature that solid-tired motor vehicles will run on them with all-round comfort. Better-class traffic is bound to bring with it better-class roads, and the question of the upkeep of properly-built roads is by no means so great as the continual repairing of indifferent highways. The old roads were quite good enough for horse-drawn vehicles, but they are not good enough for motor transport. They are slowly being remedied, but a greater rate of improvement must shortly be enforced by a healthy public opinion.