)iversification is :he name of :he game
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ard times are forecast and hauliers ould be forced into carrying traffic 'filch is strange to their normal activity. Ine Yorkshire haulier has already dopted a forward-looking policy
r Johnny Johnson
IS a brave man who will consider esting his money in a new transport ;iness in these uncertain times, and same might be said for the small ilier who is prepared to invest in dal-purpose vehicles to enter a 1ierto unknown field.
2onfident in the future of his business with an unshakeable belief in ersificat ion, however, Clifford lson, who runs Wilsons Transport I in Boroughbridge, has just bought a ind new refrigerated vehicle although company has no previous experi ence of carrying temperature-controlled traffic.
The company has been established for many years and now runs a fleet of 21 vehicles. The main business has been general haulage within the United Kingdom but for the past few years this has been extended to Europe.
Thus, an attempt has been made to provide a "swings and roundabouts" situation so that a recession in one activity can be compensated if possible by increased traffic on the other.
At present, it is on the Continental haulage activity that Clifford Wilson sees an opportunity for expansion. But the ability to take advantage of expansion on the Continental haulage side has not been acquired easily. At the outset, Wilsons was no better placed than any other aspiring Continental operator so far as permits were concerned, and these had to be wrung from the quota one by one.
With the passage of time, however, it was possible to obtain an allocation of permits which relates to the number of past completed journeys till the company now has, not only single-journey permits, but also two Community licences known generally as tramping permits.
With the aid of the tramping permits it is possible to operate three services to France and Italy each week.
Backbone of the service is a contract which the company has for traffic from Italy to the United Kingdom. Wilsons is therefore in the position of having guaranteed loads back from the Continent and this contributes to the viability of the exercise.
Return loads
Obviously it is not too difficult to obtain traffic on the outward leg, but if vehicles have to return empty or time is wasted looking for back loads on the Continent, much of the profit is creamed off the journey. Securing return loads beforehand is a much more satisfactory arrangement. Although tramping permits do allow the operator to engage in ca age — picking up traffic for delivei the same country — they do allog loading of freight in a Commu member country other than the from which the licence holder or ates and delivering it in another met country.
The present operation which has built up involves a round trip of at 10 days. Traffic is carried to Auxert France and discharged after wl further traffic from France is loaded an Italian destination. Discharging leaves the vehicle free to pick up the c tract traffic back to the United K dom. The reason that it has becon 10-day job is that the movemeni freight traffic at weekend on the Cor ent is banned and this involves vehicle being immobile and the dr waiting till Sunday midnight be commencing the homeward journe: Incidentally, I was interested to It that, despite the proximity of the c pany's premises to the East Coast pc it has been found more expedient indeed economical to operate thro the short sea routes from the Sc Coast.
Part of the reason for this decisic that Seaspeed ferries bulk the numb( journeys from different ports by t vessels in calculating the discount all able. Other ferry operators, apparer will take into consideration only ti journeys through each port separat There is, therefore, a consider; advantage in ferry charges to be gait Operating on the Community tran Customs procedure and using the inlai Customs clearance facility at Leeds, t journey is completed with very lit' delay, contributing to the speed ai efficiency of the service.
With typical thoroughness, Cliffo Wilson has made himself familiar wi all those aspects of procedure and doc mentation relating to internation haulage. Always willing either to lea more or to confirm his own knowlec4 he attended the Road Transpc Industry Training Board course on t subject at Motec.
The result is that he is able to act as I own shipping and forwarding agent that he is assured that all the necessa arrangements are made and doc mentation available; another pi caution against avoidable delay.
The new acquisition of a refrigerat. vehicle has been the result of caret investigation. After establishing th sufficient traffic is available to justi the investment, Mr Wilson has math detailed study of the kind of temper ture which has to be maintained f particular traffics in relation to ambie temperatures likely to be encountered various countries. In this context ai giving consideration to difficulties ai constraints likely to be encountered has opted for a diesel-drivi temperature control unit.
Thus, this vehicle fits in with the cot pany's policy of expansion on the intc national side for it adds anoth dimension to the acquisition potential traffic.
For instance, the reduction of impoi of fruit by deep sea routes and the i crease in this traffic from the Europe; Economic Community countries h been most marked. Though the trafi need not necessarily be carried at co trolled temperatures, it is one on whii the new vehicle can be employed.
True to its policy of diversificatio the company also owns a warehousii complex comprising about 4,200 cu (150,000 sq ft) at Dalton, near Thirs This is strategically situated for distrib tion throughout Yorkshire and ti North and space of this nature will r doubt be in growing demand as drivel hours diminish in accordance with EE rules.
Like many other hauliers, Cliffo. Wilson anticipates that reduced drivel hours will see an upsurge in local di tribution by local hauliers and the Ion distance activity confined to the trur movement only.
Should this prediction prove correc then it appears that conveniently sit( warehouse space will be at a premiun