Old Vehicles are Unprofitable - 11 - F commercial-vehicle owners really appre ciated
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the loss involved in laying up a machine for a day or two, on account of some derangement, the result of fair wear and tear and the outcome of old. age, they would be less Inclined to cling to out-of-date transport equipment than they are at present. That maximum weekly mileage means minimum cost is widely known: it is generally overlooked, however, that an occasional day in the garage is a most potent cause of low annual mileage. Vehicles which, as the outcome of age and infirmity, have developed a tendency to occasional days off, should be disposed of and replaced by new. The monetary value of the regular service of a modern machine makes its cost well worth while, apart from the extra mileage which can be got from it because of its greater efficiency. The argument can best be illustrated by a concrete case. A 6-tonner, running 500 miles per week, costs lOid. per mile. If its mileage be reduced to 300 the cost per mile becomes 00. A modern machine could most likely be run at least 700 miles per week at a cost of only 90. per mile, showing a tremendous economy over the sick and ailing out-of-date vehicle.
It is, however, more pertinent to consider the matter from the point of view of the value of the machine to its owner, rather than the mere cost of operating it. At a moderate estimate that value is double the cost, say, Is. 9d. per mile. At that rate the loss of 200 miles of use is equivalent to 117 10s. The gain of the same dimension is about £17 10s., so that the difference between an old 6-tonner and a new one may be worth £35 per week to its owner.