1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150 
Bird's eye view
Page 85
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
*Still unequal
Geoffrey Hallam, the genial managing director of Humber Warehousing Co. Ltd., was telling me last week that his very precise estimates of recent cost increases have turned up some pretty remarkable results. For instance, in the past 18 months, operating costs have risen by just on 20 per cent—and about a fifth of that is wages. He thinks there is at least one saving grace about the tremendous rise in industrial costs in the past year or two —his customers have suffered, too, and will in most cases be sympathetic if he has to go to them for a rates increase.
One thing that is worrying him is that, despite the new legal standards, and even with a fair amount of enforcement, there will still be a measurable difference in operating costs between the scrupulous operator who decides to stay always on the right side by a safe margin and the one who opts for a slightly more chancy, though generally satisfactory, situation. Mr. Hallam reckons the difference will be 5 per cent in annual vehicle running costs. And if enforcement turns out to he as inadequate as he fears, the difference could soon become much greater.
*On circuit
One innovation which chief executive Tony Galley has brought to the National Bus Company is the idea of rotating the board meetings geographically. He tells me that it has been very well received, and is also proving valuable to the board.
After two board meetings have been held in the imposing concrete and glass headquarters in London, the third is held in one of the NBC's operating areas and is turned into a three-day visit which enables directors and local staff to meet. It also enables some particular local problem or development to be given particular attention in the agenda, and the board members can take a personal look at local operating conditions.
*Solid state
One of the most frequent inquiries that comes our way is from architects and planners asking the size, turning circles and so on of large commercial vehicles, for which they are planning access in new building developments. We're always glad to help, if only to make our small contribution to getting better access for vehicles—and we always counsel the inquirers to be pessimistic and add a percentage for future vehicle growth, and then a bit more to be on the safe side. Even so, it is not always easy to convey the true requirement for, say, sufficient space for manoeuvring and reversing artics.
Now Jack Burrill, fleet engineer of Sainsbury's (and noted IRTE dinner raconteur!) tells me of a solution he's adopted. He's provided the architects and planners department with scale models of commercial vehicles which are accurate even to turning circle and cut-in. Now the planning boys can "play lorries" on their drawings and models to make sure the space is right.
*In league
I see that the Road Transport Society plans to change its name to the Road Transport League next year because the initials RTS have caused some confusion with other organizations. It will also be extending its scope, particularly to cover the needs of those enthusiasts who have an interest in international road transport.
The present membership subscription will be dropped, and replaced by a system in which members will pay to be supplied with news sheets covering different aspects of transport—e.g. passenger transport, road haulage, Government transport and emergency services. There will also be a vehicle index and a photographic library, while the present Society journal will be closed. Anyone interested in the new set-up should write to P. C. Galion, 29 Kirkdale, Sydenham, London, SE26
*Good project
It is very encouraging to know that small but significant new initiatives are being taken to stimulate road transport interest among schoolchildren. I've just been sent a couple of excellent dyeline prints of an AEC Sabre/ Plaxton Panorama Elite coach and Trevithick's 1801 Camborne road locomotive— the latter generally claimed to be the first locomotive to draw passengers on an English highway. The connection with schools is that Adrian Hall, of Liverpool, who sent them, has been trying to build up road passenger transport as a theme for a parent-teacher project. He's preparing drawings of p.s.v. from the Elizabethan stage coach to today's vehicles as part of the project.
1 applaud anything which starts children (and parents—a subtle refinement) thinking about transport as a career: there's been far too little effort in this direction. I'd like to see operators, for example, with decent premises and lively traffic flow, encouraging visits by local secondary schools. Careers masters are usually very grateful for such opportunities—and I include hauliers and ownaccount operators as well as bus operators in my request. Even if visits are not convenient, details of services operated and goods carried can be very "live" subject material for some school or class project. Children have imagination, and transport has a quality which factories lack in capturing the attention of the inquiring mind. Let's make the most of it—and I'd be glad to hear of any developments on these lines.