Factors Affecting Efficiency in Transport
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AROUND £4,000m. per annum is spent on inland transport in this country. By any standards this is a substantial amount and represents an appreciable proportion of the national ,economy. At the other end of the scale, the local grocer with his small delivery van, although primarily concerned with that day's service to his customers, is contributing to this total expenditure on transport.
These two extremes highlight both the size and complexity of the problem of achieving higher efficiency in transport operations. But by the same token a relatively small increase in such efficiency (percentage-wise) would amount to an appreciable sum. So, despite the problems involved, the exercise, if successful, should prove of value not only to individual operators themselves but to the national economy as a whole.
It is significant that the very substantial increase in the application of work study and allied techniques in recent years has, in the main, been, applied to the manufacturing industry, although more recently attention has been given to the service industries, including transport.
The transport industry provides sdrnething of a contradiction when the application of work study is being considered in that as a large employer of labour the opportunities for increased efficiency would, at first sight, appear greater than in other industries. But, despite the high labour content, the inherent remoteness of many transport workers reduces or excludes the possibility of using efficiency techniques which have otherwise proved their worth under normal factory conditions.
Before evolving any plans for improved efficiency in a particular industry it is obviously necessary to analyse in detail the job under review as it is at present performed. But here again there could be a difficulty in considering transport operations in that the very familiarity of much of the work performed tends to preclude the analytical approach, which is essential when a review of current efficiency is being made.
Moreover, the apparently simple duties of delivering, say, a parcel can be affected—usually adversely—by a number of virtually unpredictable elements which would not apply under factory conditions. Thus, the vehicle waiting to load a parcel at a customer's premises may be held up for a variety of reasons, particularly as it is increasingly becoming the custom to have smaller stocks of goods on hand so as to conserve capital outlay. Again, traffic congestion and weather conditions are further imponderables,' whilst the increasing adoption of parking restrictions, one-way streets and the like can further upset delivery schedules.
Flexibility has been a key factor in the rise of road transport to its present position as the major form of transport in this country. This is an aspect which should not be lost sight of when considering reorganization with the object of higher efficiency. The very term efficiency *is self-evidently a desirable objective, but as with many other objectives—if considered in rigid isolation—it could, paradoxically, result in impairing previous standards of efficiency because the adverse affect of unforeseen repercussions more than counterbalanced the expected savings. Nevertheless, this possibility could arise only if the drive for efficiency was carried to an unreasonable extreme, and a periodicalreview of the current levels of efficiency is obviously an essential feature of any profitable organization.
When applying work study to road transport operation it will be noted that, in addition to the unpredictable elements already mentioned, there will be variations in streams and direction of traffic, the ebb and flow in the amount of traffic, both daily and seasonally, whilst—as applied to the professional haulier as distinct from the ancillary user-there will be variations in the make-up of the total quantity. Thus, in more advantageous circumstances the seasonal output peak of one customer will be accommodated by a temporary reduction in another. In less advantageous circumstances there could be a doubling-up of such peaks. But in either event, during such periods there will be a marked change in not only the quantity of traffic moved for those particular customers, but also in the pattern of operations as a whole.
In large transport organizations comprising several depots, the geographical location of these must again affect overall efficiency. In recognition of this, several surveys have been undertaken in recent years involving the use of electronic computers to determine the best site for such a depot. Because of the several variables involved in making even this decision there can, in fact, be no " ideal " site, but rather it is a matter of the best compromise on the basis of available information relative to traffic movement, sites or planning permission.
The emergence of a transport organization large enough to include several depots has been a major factor in the growing realization that traditional methods of traffic control are no longer sufficient, at least for such organizations. In fairness to traditional methods, it must be admitted that these have worked remarkably well in many instances, based on the local knowledge of foreman and driver in devising the best route and order of delivery for a particular journey. Indeed, particularly where the flow and weight of traffic varies substantially from day to day, there is often little alternative to such methods.
If, however, expertise in such traditional methods, including depot handling, results in a persistent antagonism to any new ideas, then obviously it will be largely by accident than by design that such depots or organizations remain efficient and competitive.
Earlier reference was made to the term efficiency. A feature of distribution in recent years has been the construction of many excellent warehouses and depots, both by manufacturers for the housing of their own products or by forward-looking hauliers meeting the growing demands from trade and industry for a comprehensive distributive service, including both warehousing and transport. But no matter how efficient such depots might bc when considered in isolation, it should not be overlooked that even the best transhipment depot still remains a man-made bottleneck in the journey of a consignment from the point of initial collection to its final delivery to the customer. Consequently, desirable though increased efficiency in the working of such depots is, the overall need to keep the number of such depots to a minimum, where they cannot be eliminated altogether, remains. In other words, the experience and possibly satisfaction derived from achieving higher efficiency in a recently opened depot should not be allowed to reduce the importance of this prime requirement.
Concerning journey time, the application of work-study procedure to long-distance working, particularly where full loads are collected and delivered, is comparatively straightforward. From the known load and type of vehicle employed and--usually—the regular routes involved, an acceptable, average time for the journey involved can be devised.
At the other end of the scale is parcel collection and delivery work, where often the walking time of the driver from parked vehicle to customer is a major factor in arranging the day's work. Because it often constitutes a large proportion of his working day, it correspondingly limits the number of parcels which can be handled and, consequently, the size of vehicle necessary for the job. Obviously, there would be little point in having, say, a 5-tonner on the job if, in fact, the time involved in delivering a 4-ton load brought the driver near to his maximum statutory hours or any other agreed limitation on hours worked.
Unfortunately for any intending operator of a parcels delivery service, it is extremely difficult to determine in advance the time likely to be taken in effecting a new parcels delivery route. In contrast, the experienced parcels operator will have acquired sufficient local knowledge to make a reasonable estimate for work similar to that he has already been doing and accordingly calculate realistic charges: Ideally, commercial vehicles should be kept fully loaded. or as nearly as possible, throughout their working day, but in the case of parcels work the requirements of the customer often determines the pattern of work. Where such delivery is to shops and other commercial premises, it is common practice for such customers to demand delivery early in the clay, particularly if any of the goods are perishable or semi-perishable, and to require a second call late in the afternoon to collect their outward traffic.
Return empties also have to be accommodated. As a result, the academic objective of fully loaded vehicles has to take second place to the practical aspect of the job, including the all-important fact of meeting customers' requirements. Indeed, in some instances, it has been found in practice that more work can be done if collection and delivery are completely separated to the extent that the collection work is handled by a second vehicle, even though it would seem uneconomic for two vehicles to call on the same customers on the same day. But this is only one of many instances where practice can confound theory, at least as far as transport operation is concerned.
When reviewing the current Practice and efficiency of an existing delivery service in a particular area, the number of consignments moved both inwards and outwards would first need to be known, together with information as to whether there was any substantial carry-over from one day to another: in other words, the promptness of the delivery service..
A major factor would be whether a substantial proportion of the delivery or collection points were to relatively adjacent sliops or flats or, alternatively, were to comparatively isolated houses in rural areas. Obviously, delivery and collection time per consignment would vary substantially accordingly.
Restrictions on the times at which delivery or collection can be effected have always had an important bearing on this type of work. Where industrial premises are included
Objection Correction
1111? E Licensing Casebook in The Commercial Motor, "July 3, with regard to objections lodged against A. T. Booth (Manchester) Ltd.
Just to make things quite clear we did object to Booth's application from the North Western Area's As and Ds No. 1139, dated June 5. Also, our objection was dated June 9 and not June 5 as stated.
G. N. COOK, Director, Consett, C. Durham. Siddle C. Cook Ltd.
Tyre Life
youR recent article on Goodyear Super Single tyres (June 26 issue) was very interesting but could also create a wrong impression of these new tyres. It should be noted that the tyres on test had been imported from the U.S.A. and were being compared With dual 9.00-20 tyres of U.K. origin.
The writer's experience has been that North American tyres do._ give approximately double the life of a Britishmanufactured tyre and I'm sure that any of your readers who have owned a Canadian or American car will verify the fact that the mileage obtained from the original tyres is double that obtained from subsequent replacements. Perhaps the U.K. tyre manufacturers would like to explain why the U.K. haulier gets such a raw deal.
Market Harborough, Leics. J. G. SLAVEN, Managing Director, York Technical Services Ltd.
[A spokesman for Goodyear comments: In the absence of more specific information, we cannot agree that North Americanmade tyres give double the life of British-made tyres, size for size, but operating conditions vary greatly. For example, it is a fact that climatic conditions in the U.K. permit us to build tyres which size for size carry a greater depth of tread pattern than those in North America.
The British industry uses a very high proportion of Extra Extra Ply rating truck tyres operating at high inflation pressures in order to carry maximum permitted axle loadings. The North American industry generally uses a size larger, with lower ply rating, operating at lower inflation pressures and on wider rims.
Also road and traffic conditions have a tremendous effect on tyre mileages. The traffic density in this country causes c54 in the round, advantage can be taken of the period 7.30 a.m. or 8 a.m. till 9 a.m., which period would otherwise be lost if the work was limited to shops. More recently, five-day-week working, together with statutory restrictions on loading times, has further reduced the available time for productive work by the parcels operator.
As stated earlier, many traditional rounds of parcels delivery drivers have resulted from local experience built up over the years. But as a result of the post-War redevelopment schemes many of the rounds have had to be completely reorganized, and it is at this point the need for a more scientific approach arises.
Further consideration will be given to this next week.
high frequency braking and acceleration. Many of our roads are relatively narrow, cambered and winding, causing very rapid abrasive wear on tyre treads.
From our knowledge and experience, we are confident that U.K.-made tyres, will perform. as well as North American. tyres in similar operating conditions.]
Why No-hop Tandem Trailers
WAS most interested to read Mr. G. E. Woolridge's letter in your June 26 issue, and as the Dyson D.N.R. suspension led the procession of recently announced non-reactive bogies I feel I should make some reply.
In many ways Mr. Woolridge is perfectly right. Some manufacturers of rigid vehicles might well note this trend in the trailer industry for its main motivation is the search for better braking, and a non-reactive bogie definitely does help to achieve this.
"Brake hop " is caused by the brake torque on the two axles of a tandem bogie adding together so that during braking there is a tendency for one axle to be lifted off the ground. This, of course, reduces its effective braking capacity. The cure usually adopted is to couple the springs in a non-reactive manner, so that the brake torque on one axle opposes and cancels that on the other.
However, as long as the springs are called on to take brake torque they will "wind up" and this gives rise to what we call "spring chatter ".
Mr. Woolridge may be interested to learn that on our new D.N.R. spring bogie which we advertise as having " No hop-No chatter " characteristics, we use just the method that he suggests to eliminate spring wind up ". We have a central radius rod above each axle in addition to the two usual radius rods below, and couple the springs nonreactively as well. Apart from better braking and other advantages, in actual fact the new D.N.R. bogie is cheaper and a little lighter than the previous inter-connected spring pattern.
Our Aeroride air suspension bogie has always been "No hop-No chatter " and this has doubtless contributed towards its great success. Now we have introduced a conventional spring suspension with the same characteristics, and the results of the test reported in your March 17 issue ought to be very convincing proof that this is no "gimmick ".
London, E.C.2. A. MARENBON
Technical and Sales Director, R. A. Dyson and Co. Ltd.