Enterprise Under a Shadow
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By Alan Smith F.R.S.A.
TWELVE years ago, Mr. Harold Aitken left the Army and began to revive the haulage business which he and his father had previously run together. All he had was an A licence but no vehicle) and a £200 gratuity. Today, as head of W. T. Noble and Sons. Ltd., 165 Granville Road, London, N.22, he operates 16 vans performing up to 1,000 household removals a year and providing distributive services throughout the country for local industries.
Development of the company has gained impetus with the opening of a branch office in Manchester, but the drive behind Mr. Aitken's efforts. has lately moderated because of apprehensions over the possibility of renationalization.
One of his particular principles has been to pay special care to vehicle selection, but he, among many operators today, is now asking himself what good he would be doing in maintaining a firstrate fleet if it were to be filched should the Socialists be returned to power.
Apart from a Dodge P6 5-ton lorry which has been rebuilt three times, no n12 vehicle in the fleet is over five years old, and strict attention to maintenance ensures that they are kept in good condition.
An allied fear of Mr. Aitken's is that under the Socialist threat some lessresponsible hauliers may tend to skimp the servicing and repair of their vehicles. not only because they would fail to realize the advantage of prolonging vehicle life, but also because the money that would otherwise be spent in this direction could be made to appear on their accounts as profits. Compensation for goodwill, if it were paid, would therefore be higher. A danger to road safety arises out of the current political uncertainty.
Ordinary and special A-licences cover seven of his Bedfords and three Austins. Five of the Bedfords are petrol 5-tonners with Arlington 1,250-cu.-ft. bodywork on normal-control chassis; the sixth is a petrol 4-ton chassis with forward-control conversion and an Arlington 1,660-cu.-f 1. light-alloy body; and the other a normalcontrol vehicle with a Bedford six-cylin
dered oil engine and a C.A.P. 1,450-cu.-ft. body.
The Austins, which were supplied by Cam-Motors, Ltd., London, N.W,5, and have 5.1-litre oil engines and C.A.P. 1,350-cu.-ft. bodywork, represent the type chosen for future replacements and several are on order for delivery this year.
When new vehicles are obtained, the bodywork is based on the makers' chassis and standard cabs, as cabs integral with body have been found to be subject to more stresses than separate units. Bodywork of the Austins provides 18 ft. of platform length and a loading line of 3 ft.
Three translucent plastics panels are disposed across the roof, this arrangement being preferred to a single central longitudinal panel. Lightness of the interior, as afforded by these panels, is counted as a great advance in design. The Austins weigh 3 tons 7 cwt. unladen. All vehicles have been fitted with cab heaters and are repainted at two-year intervals, A Government Department and an electrical manufacturer are served by
four contract-A licence vehicles-the Dodge, a Bedford petrol normal control 1,400-cu.-ft. van with Express bodywork, and two Thames 3-tonners, The Thames are 4D oilers, one having 1,000-cu.-ft. bodywork and the other a body Of 1,300 Cu. ft. based on a Baico-extended chassis. Other units include an Austin Omnivan, a Thames 5-cwt. van and a Bedford breakdown tender.
About 40 per cent. of the company's work is made up of removals, but general haulage provides regular work. Six vehicles each make two return trips a week to Manchester. whilst others serve Birmingham and Scotland.
Their outward loads are made up largely of new furniture, electrical products, photographic machinery and disinfectants. In October last year an executive was installed at 182 Old Street, Ashton under Lyne, with the task of arranging return loads for the vans running to the Manchester area.
So zealous has he been that he not only fulfils this task, but also passes traffic to other London hauliers seeking return loads from the district, and hires locally based vehicles for further south-bound loads. Among the traffic originating from Manchester are foam rubber mattresses, shoes, dinghies and textiles. Return loads from Birmingham include hardware and domestic and commercial electrical appliances.
Besides those vehicles operating on regular hauls, others are reserved for journeys to wherever they may be required. The Manchester executive is posted a vehicle availability list each night so that he knows for how many of the company's own vehicles he will have to find loads.
There is limited storage space at his office premises, and part-loads delivered there by local customers can be stored while awaiting transport. Larger premises have been acquired and are being modified.
This Thames 4D has a 1,300-cu.-ft. body based on a Baico-extended chassis and averages 20 m.p.g. It is preferred to have the makers' standard cabs for pantechnicons as integral cabs have been found to be subject to undue stresses.
Warehousing Space
The London premises also have a useful amount of warehousing space, and next to the loading bay is a garage in which all maintenance work to vehicles except bodywork repairs is done. There are two fitters, either being on duty at any time of the day and night. Drivers' responsibility for the condition of their vehicles extends to checking oil and water levels, tyre pressures and washing vehicles with Stergene solution.
The day fitter finds his time filled by attending to whatever small jobs may arise, but major maintenance work is in the hands of the night fitter. Each night one of the vehicles is docked for servicing and inspection, and with vehicles covering 1,000 miles a week, each comes in at a convenient mileage interval about every fortnight.
Regent Havoline oil with a 25-per-cent. addition of Carburol, providing a high degree of detergency, is used and sumps of petrol vehicles are drained at 10,000mile intervals and of oilers at 8,000 miles. With petrol engines it has been the practice to fit Cords rings at 50,000 miles and install exchange units at 80,000 miles.
When new cylinder heads are fitted to exchange engines, extra-hard exhaust valves and seats are specified, as it has been found that this extends the period between the occasions when the cylinder head has to be removed from 10,000 to 30,000 miles or more.
The oldest Austin oiler in the fleet had its brakes replaced at 90,000 miles, but has so far required no attention to the engine. Michelin X tyres are preferred, a set on the Dodge having lasted for 90,000 miles before having to be taken off because of wall damage.
Dunlop Highway covers, which come as original equipment on the Austin vans, last for 80,000 miles. Tyresoles and Regent remoulds are obtained for vehicles engaged upon carrying light, bulky traffic.
Each vehicle in the fleet is costed separately by Mr. L. Jones, transport manager. He is also responsible for the allocation of loads and personnel. A book is made out and on two facing pages are the outgoings on one side and the earnings on the other for a calendar month. Depreciation is spread over five years for this purpose, and labour costs for maintenance are reckoned at 12s. 6d. an hour.
Comparison of the total figures on each page shows the profit. Overhead allotments are worked out for each vehicle by Mr. D. Bigwood, general manager, who deals with the company's accountancy.
Fuel-consumption rates are subject to regular scrutiny, and the following figures are abstracted from the records:. Bedford petrol vans. 10-11 m.p:g.; Bedford oiler, 15 m.p.g.; Thames 40, 20 m.p.g.; Dodge P6, 17 m.p.g.; Austin 5.1-litre, 17-18 m.p.g.; Austin Omnivan, 22-25 m.p.g.; Thames 5-cwt., 29 m.p.g. The. Omnivan is engaged on local work and a petrol mixture of one part premium grade to three of basic is being tried.