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Road-transport Facilities for Livestock
Page 80
Page 81
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The Pioneer Work of a Well-known Carlisle Concern which Introduced the First Tiered Cattle Carrier for Road Use. Useful Advice to Operators
THE passing of 14 years makes it increasingly difficult to remember whether it was the spectacle of drove after drove of foot-sore animals trudging to market or the congestion and inconvenence caused to other road users by reason of this spectacle, which induced the writer to introduce the now-ubiquitous road cattle truck.
No practically minded person will detect anything ingenious in the conception or execution of the idea, but in view of the tremendous progress made since those days, it seems odd that when we produced the first version—a two-tier Chevrolet truck, with capacity for 40 to 50 sheep or three dairy cattle —we could not find a livestock carrier sufficiently attracted by its advantages either to replace or relieve temporarily his horse-drawn floats.
A situation had arisen which we had not anticipated and we were obliged to operate the machine. The enthusiasm with which the local agriculturists received our service abundantly compensated us for the scepticism of the carting contractors, and in anhort time two c26 additional vehicles, each of twice the capacity of the Chevrolet, could not supply local demands. •
Many good things in this life find a means for destroying themselves and short-distance agricultural haulage, from the operator's point of view, became one of the "many good things." With the coming of the slump in agriculture, cheap and efficient transport became indispensable to its very existence, and so the farming community encouraged with all its might the establishment of small transport businesses in almost every .village and hamlet in agricultural Britain. Then came the state of overlapping and wasteful competition and the inevitable cutting of rates to a level which was uneconomic, at any rate to those who strove to maintain a high wage and vehicle-efficiency standard.
About this period, revenue to the value of something like six or eight millions of pounds was being derived annually in Britain from long-distance livestock transport for wholesale butchers, breeders and dealers. As yet untouched by road operators, we were attracted to this field as our second phase, not by a spirit of adventure, but of necessity. A complete change of operational layout was then imperative. Much larger and better. vehicles were obtained. Our staff, of which day and night reliefs became necessary, was considerably increased. The careful selection and training of drivers and drivermechanics became indispensable, and facilities for expeditious servicing and overhauling chassis and the building and servicing of bodywork were installed.
No greater proof of the superiority of motor road 'transport for livestock is necessary than the fact that the amount of such traffic is governed by the capacity of existing vehicles to handle it. The obvious advantages of point-topoint delivery, with a minimum of manhandling or walking, the speed at which such delivery can be effected and the many advantages derived therefrom (elimination of fatigue in the case of store stock, reduction of weight loss in fat stock, fresher appearance and consequent greater value in the market, etc.), elimination of road congestion, reduction to a minimum of transport mortality by reason of the attention which is available during transport and, in addition to many other points, as an example,. the fact that efficient organization enables stock to be carried from John o'Groats to London within the time limit of fasting which is laid down by the Ministry of Agriculture. These few points alone should convince one that it will be a long time before this method of livestock haulage can be
superseded. For those of my readers who may beprompted to include cattle transport in
their normal haulage-contract work 1 would mention the importance of specialized knowledge and experience needed for the successful operation of livestock vehicles.
The most capable lorry driver would find himself quite at a loss if called upon' to load his vehicle with a number of frightened sheep, any of which might, as the result of his inexperience, break a limb or collapse from nervous exhaustion during the process. Lessdocile creatures, such as spirited young bulls, may easily wreck the bodywork of a cattle truck unless handled with considerable skin. For such reasons, country-bred lads have to be trained as cattle-truck drivers in whom farmers and .others engaging the vehicles have every confidence,
Importance of Sound Maintenance.
The complications connected with the organization of a large livestock-haulage business are too numereus t4:, permit of discussion in a short article; but one may well emphasize the vital. need. for carefully conducted vehicle-maintenance arrangements. In view of the fact that each of our own vehicles covers about 1,500 miles .weekly, detailed attention to all matters affecting truck reliability and safety is given in the few hours that can be spared when they run into the Carlisle headquarters for picking up or depositing loads.
A. quick wash-down, followed by a careful mechanical inspection, precedes the routine adjustments to brakes, steering and suspension. A small but adequately equipped workshop on the premises provides for all running repairs, some of which may be needed out of normal working hours. Overhaul work, also conducted on the premises, consists of stripping the vehicles down to the bare chassis and effecting any change of units that rriay be necessary. Opportunities occur for major-overhaul work in June and July, when there is a brief full between the time when the supply of fat sheep is exhausted and the new season's lambs are getting ready for sale.
Features of the Ideal Cattle Truck.
Although much has been achieved from the operation of existing vehicle types for cattle transportation, those available at present are far from ideal in many respects. Economical operation and reliability are, of course, essential factors to be taken into account but, for the reasons stated above, machines for this work must possess the smooth-running qualities usually associated with luxury coaches. Suspension systems that permit undue swaying of the body or harsh riding. occasion, at the worst, mere discontent amongst fare-paying passengers; whereas they may bring suffering and financial disaster in their train where cattle transportation is involved.
Personal experience with many types of truck leads me to the conclusion that the average goods chassis still leaves much to be desired, and even when high-grade passenger models have been converted and used by my concern they have not satisfied eyery requirement. Apart from such refinements as will guarantee absolutely shock-free travel under all conditions, the chassis really needed for this highly specialized transport must accommodate bodywork of enormous capacity, such as those of the three-tier variety, with a reasonably low centre of gravity when fully loaded.
It is naturally difficult to persuade inanufacturers to depart from conventional chassis layouts, especially to satisfy what may appear to be a somewhat limited market. I am ftnnly convinced, however, that the ultimate type of chassis for this purpose will take quite an unconventional form, possibly with the power unit located at the rear and driving a back axle of the cranked type, so that the loading line can be arranged conveniently and the tiers, up to three in number, will not necessitate high bodywork 'which calls for big detours where low bridges exist. The introduction of specially designed vehicles for carrying large consignments of livestock under ideal conditions would, I believe, open up still greater possibilities for mad transport, so that rail traffic could be reserved for more suitable loads.