HINTS FOR HAULIERS.
Page 22
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An Occasional Chat on Subjects and Problems of Interest to those Who are Engaged, or About to be Engaged, in Running Commercial Vehicles for a Living,
THERE you are ! What did I tell you/ I said that it was not at all safe to transfer our
, tables of working costs to marble tablets, because the price of something or other was sure to Ater so soon as we did. What I prophesied has come to pass. The price of petrol has dropped 6d. a gallon, so that our quality, instead of being 3s. 3-id. per gallon, is now 2s. 91-d.
Now, I should like to spend this week's article on indicating how the various tables are affected, so that each reader could correct, those that he has for himself. On the other hand, I wanted to continue a series of articles which we started-last week but one, by describing how maintenance expenses should be collated. The editor, however, is in sympathy with neither of these aspiratiOns. He wants me to consider the light van, and its appeal to the haulage contractor, so that particular matter has to form our main subject this week.
I am, however, going to get my own way to a certain extent, for i propose to commence by indicating, in respect of the 10 cwt. van how far its running costs are affected by the new petrol price. .
If reference be made to our standard table, which appears on page 729 of the issue of January 11th, it will be noted that the total cost of running a vehicle of this size and capacity is 7.10d. per mile, and out of that total petrol accounts for 2.63d. One easy way to arrive at the new figure—and this method is, of course, applicable to all the various tables and not merely to the one under consideration—is to multiply the existing figure by 33i (the new price in pence) and divide by 391 (the old price in pence). Those who are mathematically minded will realize that a shorter way of doing this same thing is merely to multiply by 0.85. Those who are not-mathematically minded will have to take my word for it. In our particular case 2.63 multiplied by 0.85 is 223, which will be the average cost per mile for petrol alone of the 10 cwt. van. As lubricating oil, and also paraffin for cleaning (which is included amongst the many items which goto make up maintenance costs) are declining in price in sympathy with petrol, it is safe to assume that there will be a total economy, as regards the 10 cwt. van, on these. two items of 0.1d. per mile; so that the total saving effected by this reduction will be id. a mile, the new total of running costs being 6.60d. instead of 7.10d.
As regards the hire charges for this type of vehicle, these will only be affected, according to our method of charging, in respect of the charges per mile run. Instead of charging 80. the rate will now be 8d. per mile, the rate per day, week, Or hour remaining the same as before.
There are few haulage contractors who will start out on their careers with a 10 cwt. van as their sole vehicle. Rarely will it be found profltape to do so. A one-tonner, however, is a different matter altogether, and there are many cases in which substantial businesses have been built up from a beginning with a Ford one-tonner, or a car of the , same make converted to carry one ton. Naturally, the most popular vehicle for this class of work is the Ford, chiefly, no doubt, because of its low first cost, which enables a man with a small capital to make a comparatively easy beginning. It is for that. reason that I name this type of machine and not because I have any personal preference for it. In any case I am concerned, not with the different makes and types, but with hauliers' vehicles in general.
e22 The most fruitful field for the employment of a vehicle of this capacity is in country districts, in which it is rapidly replacing the old horse-drawn composite lorry and brake so familiar as the favourite vehicle of the country carrier in an.d around market towns. The one-tonner is, on the average, suitable for this purpose, particularly if fitted with a roomy 'body suitable for the sort of general merchandise
which the country carrier is expected to deliver. The principal difficulty of a beginner in this line of business, as my letter-bag shows, is that of compiling a fair scale of charges. He is liable to be asked to, accept for delivery• anything from a live pig or a washtub down to a packet of pins or a new hat for the baby (hat only for the baby, not necessarily the packet of pins!) For many of his parcels he will have to make a charge which will be determined, more or less, by commonsense. If he is asked to call at a babylinen shop for this hat, he cannot very well charge a fee of 6d.. if-the item itself is not going to cost more than 4s. or 5s. The. pins he will most likely deliver free, in the hope and expectation of further orders of a more remunerative kind to follow. Threepence will probably be what he will get for the hat. The dolly tub is not a difficult matter. It can quite fairly be charged for according to weight, since its bulk is only apparent, the inside being available for use as a receptacle for small parcels during the journey. But-as for the pigs!!! Actually, it will only be after a. few months experience that he will be able to determine the rates which will pay him, and what follows is suggested mainly for a preliminary trial by means of which he
• can feel his way to a more satisfactory basis. The
mileage will most likely be low, not more than 20 or 30 a day, so that, according to our scale of charges, if he can obtain a return of £3 10s. a day he should be satisfied. In assuming his charges, weight should form the main basis, with a little judicious adjustment according to bulk and the difficulty of handling. It will, probably, be found possible to take 3s. 6d. ,a hundredweight. as a general charge, adding to that 6d. per package to cover handling. This 6d. will, as a rule, afford the necessary margin to cover the in creased expense on smaller parcels. The weight charge is approximately equivalent to id. for every 3 lb. This means that, with the ad. surcharge, the minimum. price will be 6d., which he will charge for parcels of less than / lb. weight. Above that the price will be 3 lb. for id. plus ad. per parcel. For example, a package weighing 9 lb. will be 3d. for the weight, plus ad., total 9d.. A package weighing 36 lb. will be ls. for the weight, plus 6c1., total Is, ad.
If we assume that a, carrier can collect 80 parcels
in the market, suppose they are something like the following :--A pig, weighing 1i cwt., actual cost according to scale 5s. 9d.' but on account of difficulty of handling it would be fair to rate this at 8s. Assume an oil-stove and a couple of other heavy packages weighing cwt. each. They will each cost 2s. 3c1., total 6s. 9d. Tweiaty ordinary packages, averaging 24 lb. each, total 23s. 4d. Sixteen others averaging 18 lb. each, 16a., and 40 small ones at 6d. each, 20s., total E3 14s. ,1d, There is in this a surplus of 4s. Id. over the £3 10s, which we stated should be regarded as a minimum. If the haulier finds that, in the particular district in which he is working, there are not sufficient packages to enable him to bring the return up to this figure, then he will have to revise his rates accordingly.,