OVERNIGHT SENSATIONS
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• Delivering parcels is big business: Securicor, a company not normally noted for outlandish or reckless claims, reckons that Britain's parcels market is worth around £1 billion a year.
Not surprisingly, the competition is fierce. Most of the top operators have major financial backing. For example, National Carriers — Roadline is part of the National Freight Consortium; Parceline is backed by the giant Australian conglomerate Mayne Nickless; Lex Wilkinson is now part of America's leading parcels operator, Federal Express, which plans a European parcels system; TNT Overnite is part of TNT; Independent and Tuffnells are now pooling their resources as sister companies in the Transport Development Group; while Datapost is the Royal Mail's express parcels arm.
This month Parceline is opening a new £6 million parcels sorting hub at Smethwick in the West Midlands as a testament to the increasing sophistication of the parcels business. Most of the major operators believe that one central sorting centre, or hub, keeps parcel rehandling to a minimum and simplifies truck routeing.
PARCELS RUBBLE
There is no sign of the parcels bubble bursting. On the contrary, it seems to be growing with at least three new express parcels operators due to join the market this year. Connect UK, System 24 and Amtrak will all add to the overcrowded feel of the UK parcels business, and all will be striving to set up nationwide networks using franchised outlets. Signing up franchised carriers to cover different parts of the country is not a new idea having been used before by operators such as Network Overnight.
All of these developments and investments count for nothing, however, if the carrier cannot deliver on time at a For our fourth annual survey of parcels operators we used AA Lock Transport of Headcorn, Kent, as our delivery base.
competitive cost. You have to be able to deliver the goods, and for the fourth successive year Commercial Motor has put the operators to the test to see if they can keep their promises.
Our formula was the same as in the previous three years: we went to one end of the country and anonymously sent, or attempted to send, 12 packages by 12 different carriers to the other end of the country. We began by ringing each of the 12 different carriers between 9am and 10am and asking for an immediate collection for next-day delivery.
Last year when we requested next-day delivery we did not pay a premium for a morning drop. This year we asked each carrier if they could deliver the parcel as early as possible the following day because the package was extremely urgent. We left it up to them to see if they would offer a premium service.
THE PARCEL
We normally send some sort of automotive component because car and truck companies are regular users of the next-day parcels market, especially when a part is needed in a hurry to cure a breakdown. Last year we sent MercedesBenz water pumps. This year we went lightweight and despatched a dozen identical air filters which when wrapped weighed exactly 210g apiece and measured 270x250x650rnm. Each filter was protected inside its own cardboard box, though the overall package was flimsy enough to register whether or not the parcel had been roughly handled.
Indeed, some of the carriers handled the parcels so roughly the filters were badly crumpled, with graphic results.
THE CARRIERS
None of the 12 carriers were told that the parcel's progress was being monitored by Commercial Motor.
TNT Overnite, the industry's most prominent name, came first on the list. TNT virtually pioneered private parcels carriage in the UK and the group's trailblazing style in all departments of the transport industry makes it an obvious starting point for the annual survey.
The Royal Mail's Datapost operation is our other touchstone. Datapost is a high profile parcels company and if anyone can be expected to have the organisation behind it, Datapost can.
Securicor was included again this year. It impressed us in our 1985 survey but put last year's parcel on the wrong service and delivered late by mistake. We thought we should give the boys in blue another chance to shine.
Like Lex Wilkinson, Parceline is in the hands of a new owner and we decided to put both of these carriers to the test to make sure that their standards are not
W_ were also keen to see if Parceline's new £6 million sorting centre would help it keep to a tight schedule. The company's bright green and black Merc vans are becoming an increasingly common High Street sight, and we wanted to find out whether this highly visible service is as good as it might appear.
Elan, Interlink, City Link and Network Overnight were all included to give a flavour of the smaller operators. Interlink has been the Commercial Motor "best buy" for the past two years so we had to give the firm the opportunity to repeat its success. Network Overnight failed to collect last year because its local driver could not make the pick-up; we decided to give the company another chance. City Link was involved again because it uses British Rail's Red Star railway service and only does the driving at either end of the route: it is the only carrier in the survey to use a rail instead of road trunking network.
National Carriers-Roadline was brought into the test because it is part of the National Freight Consortium and has been undergoing a long series of structural and administrative changes in the past 18 months. The NFC is also contemplating a new name in the near future, and in Scotland already has its own Scottish Parcel Services operation to give it a local identity. National Carriers also uses a trunking network with no central sorting hub, which is unusual for such a large concern. We wanted to see how well it would fare over a long distance.
Independent was included as a large operator with a long-established system, and United Parcels was brought in to test the parcels arm of the vast international United Transport group.
THE ROUTE
This year we decided to get tough. We flew up to the Fraserburgh depot of bodybuilders Gray and Adams on the north-eastern tip of Aberdeenshire. The town has a few light industrial companies, a large fishing fleet, and it stares straight out into the North Sea.
Though Fraserburgh is in some ways remote, it is also quite a large town only 74km north of the oil boom city of Aberdeen. Gray and Adams' depot, on the main road into town, is very large and easy to spot.
We had decided that the parcels were going to be shipped right down the length of the country to the depot of A A Lock Transport in the small Kentish village of Headcorn, 20km south of Maidstone. Lock's premises are much harder to spot than Gray and Adams' base, being tucked away at the top of an unmarked drive at one end of the village.
Neither of the towns are particularly close to a motorway though both of the depots are on major A-class trunk roads.
The object of the test was to identify the carrier which would best handle our consignment: we would be checking on who delivered the following day, as guaranteed, and who would be the quickest, the cheapest and the gentlest.
THE COLLECTIONS
We began telephoning the carriers at 9am precisely from an office adjacent to Gray and Adams reception area. We told each of the 12 carriers the same story: that we were visiting Gray and Adams on business and needed to get a small, lightweight package back to our depot in Kent as soon as possible the following day. We told the carriers that we did not have an account with them and because we were only visiting Fraserburgh for the day, we would pay in cash to the collecting driver. We had chosen to go to Scotland on a Thursday, so the carriers had the minimum amount of margin of error. Lock's depot is open Saturday mornings but is closed for the rest of the weekend, so the carriers more or less had to make a following-day drop.
The first call to be made went to TNT Ovemite and we got through at 9.04arn. Like nearly all of the carriers used in the survey, TNT's nearest depot was in Aberdeen. "Thank you for calling TNT, how can I help you?" was the initial gambit. We were transferred to the traffic office who took the call in a quick, efficient and friendly manner. TNT quoted a price of £12.75 over the phone for a cash call and it was all over by 9.07am. A smartly uniformed driver called in at 11.30am, driving a TNT-liveried Ford Cargo 1313, and duly took £12.65 in cash — 10 pence less than the quoted price. It was a speedy pick-up and though the driver did not give us a receipt or consignment note, despite a request for
one, he did have change with him.
Scottish Parcel Services at Aberdeen, part of National CarriersRoadline, was our next call, at 9.08am. "There is no point in us coming out to Fraserburgh just for one parcel," we were told bluntly. "We do have a driver based in Fraserburgh but he is away again until tomorrow. I can't get in touch with him until at least 4 or 5pm this evening. He is not radio controlled so I will have to wait until he gets home." We were asked if we could call into NC-R's Aberdeen depot with the parcel ourselves and when we said no, we were told "well, I'm awfully sorry but it is hardly worth it." We were forced to leave it at that and were left with little sense of regret on NC-R's part.
Independent came next, and again we got the cold shoulder: "I won't be able to get up to Fraserburgh in time for the pick-up," we were told. "Our trunk leaves Aberdeen at 1.30pm and all my drivers are out and won't be back until at least 12.30pm. Sorry, I just cannot make it."
Securicor, at 9.20am, came like a breath of fresh air. "Yes, OK Sir" was the simple reply to our request from the group's Aberdeen branch. Securicor said its Swifty service would reach Headcorn first thing the following morning for a cost of £15 plus VAT. The company's driver arrived at 12.56pm and took 217.25 in cash. He was one of only two drivers to give us a proper receipt on the day, was helpful and had enough change with him. He shot off in a grille-protected Securicor blue Transit van.
Elan was our next contact, at 9.38am. The telephonist was doubtful about getting the package back in time for the overnight
trunk from Aberdeen: "We will give it a shot," she said, and told us that the collection would probably be midafternoon. Elan told us it could not quote a price on the telephone and that its drivers are not allowed to collect cash. The company said it would send an invoice to "our" depot at Headcom. The collection was made at 3.50pm and a proper consignment note was left behind though its amount column was blank.
United Parcels referred us to the Multifreight office at Stirling. "Sorry," we were told, "Fraserburgh is right out of our area. We don't do next-day deliveries from that area." It was as simple as that. It was now 9.45am.
The Federal Express-Lex Wilkinson call was a challenge. We rang their main number at 9.53am and were referred to the company's Glasgow depot: "I don't think we can do an overnight delivery for you from Fraserburgh," FedEx said. "By the time the driver gets back to Glasgow you would have missed the overnight trunk. If you were going to the Manchester area you might just make it." Then things changed. "Hold on Sir, I think we've got a delivery in your area today. We should be able to make it before 3pm, no problem." We were quoted a price of £13.75 plus VAT and told to give the driver a cheque for £15.81. The pick-up did not actually take place for another 28 hours. Fed-Ex called in at Fraserburgh on Friday at 1.40pm, after many of the other parcels had already arrived in Kent.
Interlink said yes at 9.59am and asked for a cheque for 213.45 plus VAT, making 215.47. The call was over quickly and efficiently. lnterlink said that it had
three drivers in the Aberdeen area that morning and that there should not be a problem — but the pick-up was not made until 5.45pm that evening.
Parceline was efficiency itself at 9.34am, and the company said it would have to invoice us at Headcom "or wherever you like, Sir." The collection was swift, and Parceline was the first carrier into Gray and Adams at 10,50am, using a smart black and green Mercedes 307D van.
We called Datapost at 9.30. "Certainly Sir, what is your address?" was the prompt reply. Datapost was the only
carrier to specifically request postcodes. "That will be £14.40" we were told, and "our driver will be with you as soon as possible this morning." Datapost's phone manner was excellent and the driver duly took the money on arrival at 10.55am. He had difficulty giving us change and was the only driver who did not have a customer receipt who seemed concerned. He offered to come back that afternoon with a photocopy if needed. We demurred, saying we had to leave the depot as soon as possible.
City Link was called at 10.15am and quoted us £16 per consignment plus 80p per kilo plus VAT. The total came to 219.32 and the driver, who arrived in a saloon car at 1.28pm, did not have any change.
Poor old Network Overnight had the gremlins in for the day. Its Scottish sorting office number was unobtainable on the day of our test — the line had a fault on it. Despite several repeated attempts by Commercial Motor and by Network Overnight's head office personnel from Manchester, we could not make contact.
THE DELIVERIES
Only five out of 12 made it. During the night we flew back from Scotland and got down to Lock's Headcorn depot at 8.30am Friday morning.
We were already too late for Securicor which had made its drop at 8.15am. Securicor told us it could have made the delivery an hour earlier, but it presumed that no-one would be around. Securicor was the only carrier to take our "urgent and as soon as possible" bait by putting the parcel on its Swifty service which guarantees delivery before 9am the following day. The handling had been
excellent — the company even troubled to protect our parcel by wrapping it in extra tape and putting it inside a special Swifty protection envelope.
Next in was Datapost in a Ford Escort van at 9.43am. The delivery had been quick but the parcel looked a bit battered on the outside. When we opened up the parcel we found that the whole thing had been badly crushed. With two severe dents the filter was unusable.
Parceline followed Datapost at 10.14am, and again the parcel was crumpled and the filter inside was as badly crushed as the Datapost filter.
TNT pulled in as Parceline was leaving at 10.20am, using a hired box van truck in a plain white livery. TNT had treated the parcel with kid gloves — it was in an excellent condition and looked just as it had when first handed over the previous day. The TNT driver, like the others, got us to sign and print our names on his delivery sheet. He was the only other driver, so far, apart from Parceline's, to give us a copy of the delivery note.
At 10.55am a United Freightline van pulled into the yard carrying our City Link parcel. We had to sign slips for both United Freightline and City Link and got copies of both. The City Link parcel was in good order, but a little crumpled at the edges. The filter was perfectly useable.
Elan arrived at 10.15am on the Saturday morning and Interlink at 10.30am — on the Monday morning. Federal Express finally crawled in at 9.30am on the Tuesday morning, threeand-a-half working days after our collection phone call, including the Saturday morning as half a working day. All three back markers delivered their parcels in good order.
Interlink says that Fraserburgh is a 48-hour, "outlying" pick-up district and we should not have been given the impression that the company could have carried out a next-day delivery. Fed-Ex subsequently admitted that the parcel missed its Friday night trunk out of Glasgow and had to wait in Scotland until the next trunk heading south, which left Glasgow on the Monday evening. Fed-Ex offered to refund our collection fee, in recompense for the late delivery.
SUMMARY
This was the first year in which we were not repeatedly hassled to open an account with the carriers. The only company which tried to convert our business into a regular account was Elan, which rang up Lock Transport on the Thursday afternoon.
Everyone else accepted our call story that the delivery was a one-off, urgent cash collection. Parceline and Elan's insistence that we should be issued with an invoice was an irritating, but not insurmountable problem, though a week after the event neither of them had told us what we would be charged.
We continue to put great emphasis on the carriers' telephone technique when handling our calls. TNT, Datapost, Securicor and Parceline were all very good. City Link was also very friendly, but TNT and Datapost must be singled out as the most efficient and businesslike this year.
They both gave us a quoted price without prompting, got the addresses exactly correct on the labels and did not keep us hanging about for a second.
Fed-Ex's tangle was unfortunate, to say the least, and the attitude of those carriers which declined to try is best described as complacent and unprofessional.
BEST BUYS
Cheapest is not always best. We weigh up three vital ingredients when deciding on the winners — cost, speed and the condition in which the package arrives.
TNT stands head and shoulders above the rest of the field this year. The TNT delivery was cheapest bar one, third to collect, fourth to deliver and the best handler of them all. The TNT parcel looked as if it had not been touched by human hands. Our only criticism of the entire TNT operation is that the driver did not have a consignment note to leave with us at Fraserburgh.
Securicor comes next, despite its position at the more expensive end of the cost table. It did everything else superlatively and if you want to get a parcel anywhere first thing the following morning, expertly handled, Securicor must be a major contender: it gives TNT a very good run for its money.
Parceline and Datapost would both have been front runners, if they had not crushed the filters. Datapost has a very good sales manner and is well placed at the quick end of the delivery timetable and at the low end of the cost table.
City Link's complex car, van and Red Star rail system makes it comparatively expensive: Elan just seems to be costly for the sake of it.
El by Geoff Hadwick