AT THE HEART OF THE ROAD TRANSPORT INDUSTRY.

Call our Sales Team on 0208 912 2120

Commercial Motors for Commercial Travellers.

10th January 1907
Page 1
Page 2
Page 1, 10th January 1907 — Commercial Motors for Commercial Travellers.
Close
Noticed an error?
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.

Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

There is every justification for a more general use of selfpropelled broughams and sample-carriers, in connection with the very heavy duties of the commercial traveller. Many of the uncertainties that were associated with motor vehicles a few years ago have been eliminated, whilst material reductions in running costs have been effected. The risk of excessive and unknown expense, coupled with a lack of ability to place reliance upon the mechanical portions of motor vehicles, have, in the past, deterred a number of trading houses from giving favourable consideration to the project of motor conveyance for their knights of the road ; but up-todate and enterprising manufacturers, factors, and merchants are beginning to realise that they cannot afford to allow their competitors to overtake them in the mailer of the economical and expeditious discharge of regular journeys.

A few of the points, in respect of which advances have lo be recorded, may, fitly, be indicated. From the standpoint of reliability, there are : improved ignition, generally magneto ; superior pneumatic tires, with effective non-skid treads, and simple quick-change rims to avoid delays from punctures ; powerful and durable brakes, in contradistinction to the one-time inadequate fittings; the introduction of superior metals, in conjunction with better design, and a resultingincreased life for the whole of the mechanical parts ; and, finally, the simplification of the control to 'a degree which renders the employment of a skilled driver unnecessary_ 11 we turn, next, to the question of operating costs, it is found that these have diminished, just as surely as the performance that is yielded has increased. Modern carburetters, coupled with perfect firing in the cylinders, have increased the mileage that may be obtained from one gallon of petroleum

spirit, whilst more scientific methods of lubrication have cut down the demands for oil and grease by more than half : expenditure under these heads, five years ago, was, relatively to the whole outgoings, small, owing to the larg,2 sums that had as a consequence upon faulty material and breakages, to be expended on repairs, but the cost of fuel and lubricants, to-day, amounts to, approximately, as much as 20 per cent. of the total running costs, and this greater proportion does render economies of importance. Again, tire bills, not many years ago, were prohibitive, whereas, now, it can be guaranteed that their total will not exceed Id. per mile for a car which is capable of carrying two persons and a reasonable quantity, say, four hundredweight, of baggage. Lastly,. owing to the improvements which have been named above, comprehensive insurance policies, which afford protection against accidental damage to the car, and damage to third parties, no matter from what cause arising, can be obtained at exceedingly low rates.

It has, therefore, come about that L:s Kis. a week is sufficient to cover the entire disbursements upon a typical car, inclusive of interest, depreciation, tires, fuel, lubricants, sundry stores, maintenance, cleaning and polishing while travelling, rugs, varnishing, and insurance. No charge for a driver is included in the foregoing cost, because, owing to the excellent manner in which hotels and garages, all over the country, cater for the requirements of the motorist, it is safe to assert that the average commercial traveller, who, admittedly, possesses a high degree of intelligence, will require no help after a short term of tuition the vehicle will undergo periodic inspection by the vendors, and risk of delay on the road will be, practically, non-existent. The great majority of hotels are prepared to store motorcars free of charge, whilst, in any event, the liberal total of ;65 tos. includes provision for an expenditure of los. per week upon cleaning and polishing, which should cover stablemen's tips.

We do not suggest that all commercial travellers will use motor vehicles. Neither do we believe that more than, possibly, 33 per cent. of their aggregate work will ever be carried on by self-propelled road vehicles. Where travellers have to take round with them a large bulk of samples, let alone the cases where they are obliged to rent stock rooms at various hotels, the motor vehicle will be inadmissible : were one large enough to be employed, the speed from point to point would be much too low. There are, however, an enormous number of instances where no means of conveyance can equal the motorcar, and cross-country journeys, where frain connections are awkward or infrequent, will be the first section upon which the motor should be unassailable, and, to all intents and purposes, universal. Against the ex penditure of tos. a week, for a total of 300 miles, it must be remembered that considerable savings will be effected under the heads of tips, whilst many more coils will be paid

in a given time. There will be no fares, or payments for excess luggage, and it remains for each company or firm to decide whether a maximum increase of Z-3 TOS. per week, which is the probable excess over a normal week's travelling by railway, will not be saved, many times over, in virtue of the greater amount of useful work that can be done amongst customers by a traveller who uses a motorcar.

The Prospect and Necessity for Motorvan Hiring Companies.

There is both room and a genuine demand for companies which will lay themselves out to supply motorvans on lure.

This question of hire is not, by any means, a simple one, and grave dissatisfaction has resulted, for all parties concerned, in cases where half-hearted attempts to work the

business have been made. A lack of qualifications, or of financial backing, or of both, has rendered nugatory the spasmodic efforts of the past, whilst a feeling 01 real C011.fidellee in commercial motors has not, so far, been established in the minds of the many hundreds of traders who, though unwilling to purchase, are ready to enter into luring contracts. Manufacturers of motorvans have done all that can be expected of them, when a demonstration trial, of six or more days' duration, has been given to any tradesman or other prospective buyer, but they have, at this point, sometimes, to face arguments such as : (a) that so brief a test is no guide to the durable qualities of the vehicle; or (b) that the performance achieved, while it is in the hands of a picked driver, is no guarantee that one of the intending customer's horse-van drivers will be able to do " anything like " as well. The constructor may, then, be placed in a quandary. lie has been to the expense of the trial, and he stands to lose a sale through what he regards as the unreasonableness of the parties whose trade he is endeavouring to secure. The potential buyer, on the other hand, feels that he has not the knowledge, any inure than has one of his ordinary drivers, to take immediate or supervisory charge of a motorvan, and, especially in cases where there is need for only a single motor, he fears to accept the uncertainties which he pictures to himself, The maker, on the other land, hesitates, and rightly, to go beyond his proper functions, and refuses to enter into hiring-cum-maintenance contracts. Thus, in these transition days of the motorvan trade, do we see left undone much new businees, which might, by the intervention of third parties, be transacted at once.

Amateurs, and other unbusinesslike individuals, have, unfortunately, to some extent, spoiled the ground by their failure to carry out premature and ill-considered promises, not a few of which have been made, provisionally at all events, to the managements of numerous furnishing houses and stores, both large and small. There will, from these and other considerations, at all times in the future, be room for the reliable motor contractor, and his early advent can but be of benefit to the motor manufacturer. How should it appeal to the shop-keeper or generat tradesman ?

Regularity of service is the key to the delivery side of any business, and the absence of this result with a certain number of motorvans, in various parts of the country, has 1.wen due, in the vast majority of cases, to downright and culpable neglect on the part of their owners, who have initialed a departure without devoting sufficient care to the change of detail involved. The scheme of transferring old employees, whether porters or horsed-van drivers, has been followed, with success, by some very important houses, of which we may quote Messrs. J. Schoolbred and Company, but scope for selection does not exist in all cases, and, more often the mechanism has been at fault, and the driver has damned the vehicle. Sales of motorvans, it is true, continue to be effected, week after week, by the many enterprising agents and builders whose announcements appear in the pages of " THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR," but, for each such contract, it is no exaggeration to say that disappointment befalls six other negotiations. We are convineei that these uneom

pleted and uncrowned dealings turn upon one factor, more than upon any other. This lector is the perception, by the tradesman-, that, if an accident should occur to his one motorvan, one hundred per cent, of his plant would be, at short, if any notice, rendered useless. Against the average economy and the advertisement, against the increased radius of action and the usual saving of time, he sets the disorganisation which, inevitably, must follow upon the with drawal from service, if only for a few days, of his lone van. He recognises that, if he Owns or hires horsed vans, his circumstances are better, and that, owing to the greater supply of the freer market, he runs less risk of being " let down " if he " sticks to horses for the present." The principals of large stores, in a lesser degree, are influenced, adversely to the prospects of the motorvan, by the same considerations, for with a few notable exceptions, they appear to lack the enterprise and application to devote the necessary time to the organisation of a motor-delivery department on substantial lines. They believe, and, probably, with every justification, that there are other branches and, departments of their duties where expenditure of brain force will be more remunerative, so they let motor delivery wait. Now, these are two of the cases where the inotorvan hiring company should step into the openings which exist : that of the man who wants a single motorvan, but fears the incidence of repairs, whether clue to accident or " wear and tear," and that of the larger firm whose partners are " too busy " to gauge the value of manufacturers' or agents' statements.

The prospects for inotorvan hiring companies, if conducted upon sound commercial lines, are bright : there is room for one, or more, in each of -our large towns where the population exceeds 200,000. Urandiose schemes, or big promotion expenses, or heavy " top charges " for management and directorial purposes, are not admissible : rather, there should be concentration upon particular areas, private subscription, and economical administration. A few years hence will be early enough for public issues with their natural return to those who have done the foundation work, and such companies, or syndicates, may be started, according to

locality, with capitals ranging from „'5,000 to : more than the latter amount is, as a rule, undesirable. They should not cater for all and sundry, or allow themselves to be influenced by the demands of casual patrons, as the necessary elasticity of organisation cannot be obtained durMg the first three years : neither does that class of occasional trade pay. The strength of such undertakings will lie in their ability to guarantee a constant service to clients, arid to do so by holding only a small reserve, say, one in eight, of their vans in hand for that purpose. They will have their own trained drivers, who will not damage the mechanisms, or be delayed on the road, through ignorance, and they will reap all the benefits of centralised storage, inspection, and maintenance. Lastly, they will be obliged to refuse much of the business that will be offered to them, and to rely upon the value of their guaranteed service for the charges they make. The fact that they will be prepared to bear the uncertainties, and to quote trachsmen fixed monthly, or annual, rates for the hiring services, inclusive of driver, stores,. maintenance, and insurance, will gain for them an extensive field of operations. As new motorbus companies have come into the field, to the great chagrin of the older companies, which are handicapped by their investments in plant that is, rapidly, becoming obsolete, so will motorvan hiring companies start with a capital advantage over horsehaulage contractors, some of whom are, naively enough, quite ready to swear that motorvans do not pay.

Tags


comments powered by Disqus