Out-of-hours deliveries resumed: but who pays?
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First night report by S. Buckley As Inst T
TAGE two in the operation of out-of-hours deliveries to the grocery 1.3 trade in the London area commenced on Monday. Designated "Operation Moon drop", the scheme is sponsored by the Freight Group of the Transport Co-ordinating Council for London, and so has the backing of the Greater London Council.
"Monday night's deliveries seem to have been made quite smoothly", commented Mr. J. Robertson, secretary of the Steering Group, on Tuesday. He confirmed that on Monday 25 firms were engaged in delivering groceries to approximately 115 shops and six warehouses.
1 asked just what practical benefits scheme participants derived from official backing by the GLC. Several—replied Mr. Robertson. The GLC had provided the centre for organization and information while as a local authority it was in an excellent position to liaise with the Police on security—an important element in an out-of-hours delivery scheme.
In particular, as regards this second stage, the GLC would itself provide the computer and meet the other expenses in connection with the cost evaluation which was the prime purpose of the exercise.
The GLC has arranged (CM, December 15) for two record forms—one for the suppliers' vehicle and the other for the receiving shop or warehouse—to be processed in a computer.
This would be a comprehensive evaluation, said Mr. Robertson, as to whether, at this stage, night deliveries were economical and if so, how the costs were made up. The evaluation would also help to identify the various factors which determine the success or failure of night deliveries and promote increased productivity generally. The evaluation would continue for about six months.
As to the timing of this second stage, Mr. Robertson said that 1968 might well prove to be a turning point in the progress of night delivery schemes. In March 1967 the GLC highways and traffic committee had proposed an urgent programme for a further 200 miles of urban clearways by July 1968. It was also installing more meters in the inner London parking area. Obviously the implementation of these plans must compel, still further, a substantial change in traditional delivery times and practices in the Greater London Area.
But almost inevitably, as with any "first night", there were teething troubles. "Lack of communication" was the reason given for these shortcomings by Mr. M. S. Muddell, of the Union of Shop Distributive and Allied Workers, who is a member of the Steering Group. Although he supported the principle of out-of-hours deliveries he was concerned that the cost could not be put on the retailer. It was the wholesaler and carrier, along with the general public by way of reduced traffic congestion, who benefited from such schemes.
There was also a real personnel problem to be resolved if the retailer was expected to accept out-of-hours delivery on a permanent basis. While admittedly it was an internal problem for the retailer, the manner in which it was resolved—if it was resolved at all on a satisfactory basis— would have direct repercussions on the wholesalers and any carriers participating in this scheme.
Indeed, Mr. Muddell told me that the scheme could well break down if more concern were not given to problems at the retail end. The very success of supermarkets—the main retailers in the scheme— depended on low profit margins which did not justify additional night staff except possibly at the largest units with 40 staff or more.
But most retailers were smaller and for the purposes of security it was often necessary for the manager—already working long hours—to be in attendance with a warehouseman to accept out-of-hours delivery. While the zoning scheme restricted these to one night a week in each of four London areas, many managers were already committed to one late shopping night a week.
Returning to the first point Mr. Muddell said that while the retailers participating in this scheme were to be commended for their forward thinking, sufficient attention has still not been given to the lines of communication down to the personnel who would actually be involved. It was a shortcoming which would have to be remedied if the scheme was to prove a success.
The Traders' Road Transport Association has been directly involved in the planning and development of the out-of-hours delivery scheme from the outset. A spokesman confirmed to me on Tuesday that while obviously such schemes had the TRTA's full support it should be stressed that any out-of-hours delivery scheme could never be the panacea for all delivery problems in the area.
For the foreseeable future there must inevitably be large numbers of retail outlets which could never participate economically in such schemes. But that did not preclude the possibility of a substantial increase in the number of participants in the present scheme.
From inquiries made regarding drivers' wages arising from night delivery, it would seem that there is as yet no set pattern if only because the scheme is still in a development stage. It would be economically ideal to double-shift the vehicles involved in night delivery and, likewise, the drivers. Indeed, purely as a transport exercise this could be the only way of justifying it economically.
But the present rate of night deliveries by many of the participants would hardly justify such a procedure. If and when it did, operators would be only too glad to take advantage of such an opportunity.
Overall, therefore, the basic need for out-of-hours deliveries is plain to everyone familiar with urban traffic congestion. But when it comes to deciding who is to be inconvenienced to allow for a reduction— but certainly not an elimination—of traffic congestion and still more who is to pay the additional cost, it was obvious from my inquiries this week that there are still many problems to be resolved.
The present situation is well summed up by Mr. P. E. Stott, chairman of the Freight Group and GLC traffic commissioner, when he said recently that, in this context, enlightened self-interest was so much better than compulsion. He thought we were coming to the point when people realized that something had to be done about traffic congestion. In the field of retail distribution concentration on selling by clay and receiving by night could increase its productivity.