"Artics" or Drawbar Trailers for Car Transporters ?
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ASURVEY of the growing use of car transporters was made by The Commercial Motor on March 25 and April 1, including comparisons of the cost of conveying cars either individually or by transporter. The two examples of costs were based on articulated outfits, one having a tractor unit in the quantity-produced class and the other in the higherprice range. A reader now asks for details of the cost of operating drawbar trailers on this type of work. So I will give detailed estimated costs of running two four-wheelers and trailers, in comparison with articulated outfits in corresponding price categories.
The request is particularly topical since the announcement of a total output of 120,690 cars in April, of which 63,321 were exportetl. This total, incidentally, compares with 100,464 in April last year, with the obvious implication of the need for both more and, if it were a practical and economic possibility, larger transporters.
Because the work is so specialized and is of comparatively recent development, some variation from normal costing methods is necessary. One of the main advantages which delivery of cars by transporter tan offer, compared with individual delivery on trade plates, is the superior condition in which they are ultimately handed over to the agent or customer.
It is, therefore, imperative that this advantage should not be nullified by the employment of second-rate drivers. Experienced transporter operators have found it worth while to pay higher wages than the normal for haulage workers and apply stringent tests before engaging staff. Average weekly wages for drivers may be 120 or more. Where drawbar trailers are employed, wages paid to mates are correspondingly higher and, in practice, the second man is often also a driver, with appropriate pay. By this arrangement, advantage could be taken of a longer driving day.
In the examples I give of the operating cost of four transporter outfits, I am assuming that the average weekly mileage will be 1,200, and that all are fitted with oil engines. The first example consists of an articulated outfit with the tractor unit in the quantity-produced class. It will be assumed that this costs £1,500. The semi-trailer is reckoned to cost a further £2,300 and can accommodate five cars. The total cost of the outfit is £3,800.
Annual Licence Duty 1110
The unladen weight will be around 7 tons, incurring an annual licence duty of £110, the equivalent of £2 4s. per week. This, incidentally, is based on a 50-week year to allow for two weeks when the vehicle may be off the road for major repair or drivers' holidays. Wages will be arbitrarily assessed at £20, whilst rent and rates will be reckoned at 13s. per week. Vehicle insurance would cost £90 a year, or £1 16s. a week. Interest, charged at a nominal rate of 3 per cent, on the capital outlay, adds £2 5s. 7d., giving a total for these five items of standing costs of £26 18s. 7d. The corresponding cost per mile, at 1,200 miles per week, is 5.39d.
• With fuel purchased in bulk at 3s. 10d. per gallon, and an average of 14 m.p.g., the fuel cost per mile would amount to 3.29d. Lubricants are assessed at 0.27d. per mile.
Tyre mileages on this kind of work could be expected to be higher than average and will be reckoned at 50,000 per set. With a set costing around £235, tyre cost per mile would amount to 1.13d. Vehicle maintenance adds 2.49d.
Depreciation is calculated at 2.97d. per mile. This is obtained by first deducting the cost of the original tyres from the total c42 price of the vehicle, together With an allowance for the residual value. In this instance, a balance of £3,090 remains, and assuming an average life for the outfit of 250,000 miles the figure of 2.97d is obtained.
Running costs per mile are thus 10.15d., which, when added to the standing cost per mile of 5.39d., yields a total operating cost of 15.54d. at an average weekly mileage of 1,200. Assuming five cars were carried, the cost per mile per car for the outward journey would be 3.11d., or double that figure (6.22d.) if the transporter returned empty.
The next example consists of a quantity-produced fourwheeled rigid vehicle with a drawbar trailer. Comparable with the tractor unit employed in the previous example, this rigid four-wheeler is reckoned to cost £1,500 in standard form. The hydraulic gear and transporter equipment would cost around £1,850, giving a total of £3,350 for the complete vehicle.
Similarly, a four-wheeled drawbar trailer, also fitted with accessories and couplings for transporter work, would cost a further £1,900, making a total for the vehicle and trailer of £5,250.
The cost of licences for both the vehicle and trailer is reckoned to be 25s. per week. Assuming that the mate is available to drive, if required, the cost of wages per week will thus be double that of the previous example, and amount to £40. Rent and rates are reckoned a little higher at 22s. but because of the method of calculating insurance premiums relative to drawbar trailers, this item will be lower at £1 10s. per week. The higher initial outlay will increase the charge for interest to £3 3s. This gives a total standing cost per week of £47, or 9.40d. per mile.
Assuming the rate of fuel consumption is 12 m.p.g., the fuel cost per mile will be 3.83d., with lubricants adding 0.28d, per mile. Allowing the same mileage life as before, tyre cost per mile is 1.92d., based on a cost per set of £400.
Amount Per Car
Maintenance is estimated to amount to 2.84d. per mile, with depreciation at 4.03d., calculated on the same basis as before. This gives a total running cost per mile of 12.90d., and a total operating cost of 22.30d. Where four cars were carried on the vehicle, and a further four on the trailer, the cost per mile per car would be 2.79d. or 5.58d. where loads were carried on the outward journey only.
The next two examples concern vehicles, or tractor units, in the " quality " class. The tractor is assumed to cost £2,000, and with a semi-trailer especially adapted for transporter work again priced at £2,300, the overall cost of the outfit would be £4,300.
• An unladen weight of about 71 tons makes the annual licence duty £125, or £2 10s. per week. Wages will again amount to £20 per week, and rent and rates are assessed at 15s: Because of the greater cost of the outfit, vehicle insurance is reckoned a little higher than in the previous example of the articulated unit—£2 per week. 'For the same reason, interest is increased to £2 Us. 7d., giving a total standing cost per week of £27 16s. 7d., or 5.57d. per mile.
Fuel is again reckoned to cost 3.29d. per mile and lubricants 0.27d. With tyre equipment on a more generous scale, but with the same expected life as before, tyre costs per mile are now 1.51d. Maintenance is assessed a little higher at 2,65d. It is estimated that the balance to be written off will be £3.450, but the estimated mileage life of the vehicle will be increased to 300,000. This gives a depreciation cost per mile of 2.76d.
These five items of running cost now 'total 10.48d. giving a total operating cost per mile of 16.05d. Where five cars are carried, the cost per mile per .car becomes 3.21d., or 6.42d. per mile where cars are delivered in one direction only.
A corresponding four-whieled rigid vehicle, similar to this articulated unit, would cost approximately £2,550. The special transporter equipment would again cost £1.850, making a total for the complete vehicle of £4,400. With a drawbar trailer again costing 11,900, the .outlay on vehicle and trailer would be £6,300.
The unladen weight of the vehicle alone would be approximately 41 tons and allowing an appropriate addition for trailer operation, the Iidence cost per week would amount to 34s. Assuming, as before, that the mate was also available as a driver, weekly wages would again be assessed at £40. Rent and rates remain at £1 2s. per week, but because of the higher total outlay, insurance will amount to £1 12s. per week. Similarly, interest is-increased to £3 15a.-7d.„making, the total standing cost. per week £48 3s. 7d. The corresponding .cost
• per mile. is 9.64d.
• A
With the rate of fuel consumption .now 11 m.p.g., fuel cost per mile would be 4.18d. Lubricants would.. cost 0.29d. and tyres 2.16d. per week, where the outlay on a set was £450 and
the mileage life remained at 50,000. . -• The estimated cost of vehicle maintenance would -be 2.96d. and depreciation, 4.05d. per mile, Here, again, it is assumed that the mileage life of vehicle and trailer would average 300,000. Total running costs per mile are, therefore, 13,64d-, which, together with the -standing cost per mile of 9.64d., gives a total operating cost. of 23,28d, per. mile. Again assuming eight cars are carried, on the Combined outfit, the cost per mile per car becomes 2,91d., or double that amount if it is necessary to return empty. . ' .
Costs per mile per car for the single.. journey only would be: Lower pricedarticulated outfit; 3..11d.; cOrregraanding "rigid." . and trader, 2.79.da higher pricedarticulated outfit, -3.21d.; corresponding " rigid " and drawbar trailer, 3.11d. Other factors, • however, must obviously be taken into account, and -the difficulties of shunting a drawbar trailer may well preclude its use in many instances. This would particularly apply where the agent's premises to which the delivery was being effected were situated in a busy thoroughfare. • Moreover, the majority of jOurneys made by a particular operator might not provide the opportunity to exploit the slight advantage of the longer legal spreadover of hours when both driver and mate were available to drive. In that event, the duplication of drivers' wages for up to 11 hours might .not be economic, despite the additional load of three cars. The high degree of responsibility demanded from this class of driver may also be more readily obtained when operating solo. S.B..