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HAULIER
and
CARRIER
THE Editor has suggested that, this being the third and, perhaps, the most important of the Show issues of The Commercial Motor, my weekly contribution might appropriately have reference to that fact—that it might deal with problems arising for the haulier in connection with the Show.
I am in truth nothing loath to remember the existence of the Show : the difficulty is not to find a problem which should have attention in connection therewith, but to select one of the many which offer themselves for solution. It was while I was turning the matter over in my mind that I happened to read the "Loose Leaf" on page 324 of the issue dated October 27th. There I learned that as the result of placing large numbers of new buses in service in London the amount of maintenance work had been sa reduced as to make it Possible to dispense with the services of 200 of 3,000 employees at the Chiswick repair works of the London General Omnibus Co., Ltd.
There is, for those who know the whole subject, a whole article in that short paragraph. Those readers who are not so well acquainted with the matter need guidance, and this is where I write ray little piece.
That paragraph could be rewritten as follows :—The cost of maintenance of the new-type London buses is considerably less than that of the older pattern. If the figures for labour may be taken as an approximate indication of the proportionate reduction in the maintenance cost, then the economy is equal to 1-15th part of the whole (200 being 1-15th part of 3,000). If that cost is id. per mile, the decrease equals 0.65d. per mile.
D64 It is of interest to see just how much that might mean. Suppose each bus covers 50,000 miles per annum, then that saving is equal to in 10s. per bus and that, for 4,000 buses, is £54,000 per annum. Now, there is no need to question the accuracy of my figures, because I do not even suggest that they are correct. They are of sufficient interest even if they be in error to the extent of 50 per cent.
The point is that the above-mentioned economy is effected by using up-to-date machines instead of older ones. Bear in mind, too, that the older buses were by no means "duds." Their design and construction was the outcome of many years of experience of bus operation under conditions not greatly different from those now current. The method of maintenance is, too, the most up-to-date. [" S.T.R." has, apparently, not appreciated the fact that much of the first saving on bus maintenance is because new vehicles are being substituted for overhauls.—En.] The point to note is that mere replacement by new buses effects the considerable economies noted, and there is the first lesson for the haulier visitor to Olympia to have in mind. He should realize, too, that this substitution of new vehicles for older ones—and only moderately old ones—is likely to show direct economies in other ways. For example, there will most likely be a saving in fuel, tyres and oil consumption ; indeed, in every item of running cost, with the possible exception of depreciation.
Obviously that is not all. All hauliers, even those whose experience is moderate in duration, will bear me out that it is the indirect economies involved in the diminution of the need for maintenance operations that count. It 1£1 the need for laying off the vehicle while the work is being done and the loss of revenue resulting from that which is so costly.
But there are factors to have in mind other than those direct and indirect economies, the prospect of which might occur to most readers of this journal.
The year just drawing to a close has been a critical one for hauliers, whether their work be the conveyance of goods or the carriage of passengers. Their operations have all been affected by the Road Traffic Act. Fortunately the disturbance has not been so great as at one time was feared. What is not, however, appreciated is that there are ways and means whereby the provisions of that Act can be fully met with even less inconvenience than is involved when pre-Road-TrafficAct types of machine are in use.
The leading British manufacturers of commercial vehicles have devoted considerable thought to this matter and have altered their designs accordingly. The fruits of their endeavours are shown for the first time at the Commercial Motor Exhibition. Therein lies lesson 2 for the 'haulier visitor to the Show, and lesson 2 is, perhaps, of even greater consequence than No. 1, important as that may be thought to be.
Let us consider the matters affected by the Act. They are almost entirely comprised in weight and speed. If, therefore, as is certainly the case, new models of commercial vehicle, either for goods or passengers, offer certain advantages in the way of weight and speed which facilitate their operation under the Act, then the prospective buyer will have a double reason for investing in new machines and abandoning his old ones.
Complying with the Act.
He will have the direct and indirect economies already enumerated and he will have the advantages involved in the ownership of vehicles which, in their design, will enable him to comply more easily with the provisions of the Act and with profit to himself.
So far as weight is concerned, it protrudes itself as
consideration in two different ways. There is the important limitation of 21 tons as the maximum unladen weight of a pneumatic-tyred vehicle which may travel at 30 m.p.h. There is also the difficulty that, in many large-capacity vehicle 4; the limit of axle weight is reached when the machine is loaded to its rated capacity and may easily be exceeded even with that load, if the distribution of the weight happens to be unfortunate.
The first of these considerations is simple and straightforward. Either the vehicle is or is not over the limit. It behoves the buyer to watch that point most carefully when making his selection of a chassis and, perhaps, more particularly when giving his instructions for the body.
In the other aspect of this problem of weight the matter is not so simple, but it is here that the efforts of designers and manufacturers to afford maximum facili
ties under the Act are most evident. There are several devices which have been adopted to that end.
Of these the most noticeable is probably that exemplified in the placing of the front axle. In many 6-ton and 7-ton lorries it is to be noted that the front axle is set back a considerable distance from the front end of the chassis. That enables it to take the greater proportion of the load, relieving the rear axle of some of the weight which would otherwise be placed upon it and enabling a greater load to be carried without ex ceeding the limits of axle weight. •
Advantages of Trailing Axles.
Another way in which manufacturers are meeting the difficulty involved in weight limitation is in the addition of trailing axles. When the rigid six-wheeler was first Introduced it was visualized, partly, as one way of adding to the load capacity of the vehicle, but it was not then appreciated that that particular objective did not, of necessity, mean the third axle must be driven. Now, with the more rigid application of law relating to axle weights, the addition of a third axle which merely trails and does not take any part in the propulsion of the vehicle has advantages all its own.
Im another way manufacturers have aided the haulier by devoting particular attention to the matter of weight reduction. Their work in this direction is apparent throughout many new chassis, but much of it is to be observed in respect of engine design. Not that the engines themselves are greatly reduced in weight, but by improvements in combustion heads and arrangement of valves, it has been found possible to increase the power available for a given size of engine by as much as 25 per cent., and this without reducing the factor of fuel economy ; in fact, just the reverse in most eases.
This last characteristic is of importance in relation to the other aspect of the Road Traffic Act which should be had in mind, namely, that of limitation of speed. Hauliers should appreciate that this speed limit makes it essential that more powerful engines should be employed, because in that way it is possible to maintain higher average speeds without exceeding the maximum legal speeds.
With a powerful engine and an appropriate gearbox, hill-climbing can be effected at 30 m.p.h. instead of at something considerably less, and that is another way in which compliance with the Act is facilitated without detriment to the work which the haulier desires to accomplish.
I think I have shown that there are plenty 0 reasons why hauliers should visit the Show and many real and substantial reasons why they should give orders for new machines to replace their existing ones. S.T.R.