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Middlemen who exploit short-term projects

MR. EDGAR WILLIAMS (Williams Bros. [Queensferry] Ltd., Chester), said that as a result of an uplift of standards in the short-distance field he foresaw a move by the larger operators into this sector. This would be coupled with a whittling out of undesirables, middlemen and a fair number of very small hauliers. Denied room to manoeuvre by illegal operation, some of the small men might find it more comfortable to work as wage-earners rather than to be used, as at present, as pawns.

Their section of the industry comprised three categories. First, short-haul operators employed on site work and similar projects. Secondly, short and medium hauliers of coal and similar raw materials. Thirdly, long-haul operators combining movements of tippable materials with carriage of other goods.

The new C and U Regulations, and particularly the plating of vehicles, had already affected work in these fields. The proposed new licensing system would further alter the pattern.

Most controversy existed in the short-haul sphere where there were the big projects such as motorways, the new Mersey Tunnel, airport extensions, and works such as those at Llanwern. Large public works and engineering contractors and the suppliers of materials, said Mr. Williams, were able to exploit the present position and introduce additional fleets of vehicles, the mechanical condition of many of which would not stand up to inspection. These fleets operated with complete disregard of licensing, weights and measures and whatever else one cared to mention. Their owners in many cases were new and inexperienced, without business acumen. Thus they were wide open to the "spivs" and middlemen who would exploit a short-term project that was classed as of national importance and hamper the authorities from enforcing the law. Established hauliers were pressed to operate alongside these people and forced to depress rates to their level, while adhering fully to the regulations.

If the good-reputation of hauliers was being impaired, it was to be hoped that the public would realize that the bad image was built up for the road transport industry and not by it.

At the Mersey Tunnel extension not a single haulier had been approached who had vehicles properly licensed to do the job. In general Contract A and C hiring provisions tied the hands of Licensing Authorities in investigating matters fully. When correct rates were offered there was an ample pool of tippers.

How ridiculous it seemed, observed Mr. Williams, that new roads were being built to reduce hazards and yet construction vehicles used on them provided one of the biggest contributory factors to the present appalling record. This was mainly brought about by uneconomic rates. If strictly enforced, plating would accelerate progress towards a uniform standard and with the introduction of the quality aspect in the new licensing there should be a further sorting out.

In the second category, say up to 50 miles, the direct effect of new regulations might not be great but the side effects could be considerable. More competition inight be expected from operators, at present working long-distance, when their traffic was switched to rail. They would naturally turn their attention to the shorter radius and would use equipment of a calibre which, intensively worked, might make rates even further depressed than today. Mr. Williams thought profit margins were likely to be very thin and that costing would assume even greater importance.

In the long-distance category they would feel the greatest direct impact from new regulations. Special consideration would be given to commodities as well as distance in the issue of licences. As bulk movement was obviously of appeal to the railways, there could be immediate abstraction of much of the long-distance bulk traffic now on the roads.

He wondered whether those planning the new pattern appreciated what it meant to abstract a filler traffic from the industry. Its loss would mean that commodities, now being moved in integration with the filler traffic, would have to bear a considerable increase in cost. As an example, there was the case of outgoing salt traffic which was heavily subsidized by incoming coal traffic and was in many cases destined for areas where rail facilities no longer existed.

The difficulty of getting the right type of vehicle

WHERE THERE'S, MUCK there's money) That is provided the operator moves the material in a properly planned manner with the right type of vehicle, contended Mr. W. H. Jones (Lehane, Mackenzie and Shand Ltd.).

Tipping vehicle applications differed as between civil engineering, opencast coal, and building sites. As a rule the two-axle 7 cu.yd. tipper was adequate for moving 1,000yd per day from the average building site, using a 4-yd excavator, and for transporting aggregates and materials back to site.

In civil engineering and opencast coal the excavator would be from 3 cu.yd. to perhaps 8 cu.yd. With machines of this size it was important to match the tipper to the machine if best results were to be obtained.

Contractors found difficulty in hiring-in tippers to match the

excavators and the tendency was to end up with an assortment of different-sized vehicles. As the smaller units' manoeuvrability and working speed could not be governed by their bigger brothers the opportunity for dangerous "Grand Prix" driving arose.

Even the most inspired guess did not provide anywhere near the right answer to requirements in the way of vehicles needed over a period of time. Thus the tipper operator could render a service to the contractor by making up the needs that occurred over and above the contractor's own fleet.

To fill the bill a vehicle of reasonably modern design in good condition, with a competent operator, and suitable for the particular application, was necessary. Nothing was more frustrating than to plan an operation, then to find as one sometimes did that the tippers sent were unsuitable for the work, perhaps had mudguards rubbing on the tyres, broken springs and twisted chassis, so that they had to be sent off the site. The preparation was then wasted and the contractor had no redress.

His own company had a site where it proved impossible to hire-in vehicles of suitable quality and they were buying extra vehicles to get over the hump caused by an initial long haul. If it paid contractors to operate such vehicles in first-class condition it must pay the haulier to give a service that would make it unnecessary for contractors to resort to this form of action.

Difficulties might arise because some people did not understand that a more substantial machine was required to stand under a 3 cu.yd. excavator or 8 cu.yd. loading shovel. Light vehicles quickly had the stuffing knocked out of them. Mr. Jones suggested that operators working several vehicles on site should have with them a leading driver who would organize the others, stand in if necessary, see that conditions were reasonable, and report if the state of the haul roads fell below standard. This man could supervise the drivers' maintenance procedure and keep an eye on the units for signs of faults developing.

His most important function would be to prevent road racing. Mr. Jones suggested a bonus based on machine availability since a production bonus on its own resulted in reckless driving.

Another pitfall to be avoided was overloading. They should know the density of the material they were going to carry so that the drivers could be instructed not to accept more than the requisite number of passes from the loading machine.

As coal weighed 50 lb per cu.ft. the load for a 7 cu.yd. tipper was 4+ tons, he said South Wales coalfield shale was 105 lb. giving 8!7 tons. Solid clay and blast rock was 130-150Ib, making a 13ton load for a full 7 cu.yd. vehicle. If details of density were not available from the contractor a check load could be taken to a local weighbridge. Alternatively, a pair of hydraulic jacks could be modified and a pressure gauge inserted with the dial marked in tons.

If tipper drivers were transported from site to base by bus or lorry, instead of taking their vehicles back with them, there would be a better chance of hire-in units starting work on time in the mornings. Maintenance could be performed on site.

His company's system, which kept plant worth £3m in condition, was a simplified version of the Army task system, and was based on servicing by the working hour. For each vehicle a set of service sheets was made up, based on the makers' manuals, covering 0-10,000 hours at 100-hour intervals. The sheets list every job carried out, with space for the fitter's signature.

To fit in with customers' needs, said Mr. Jones, a tolerance of 5 per cent below or above the exact 100 hours is permitted. During the eight months that had elapsed since the sheets were introduced the availability factor had steadily risen, topping 90 per cent in October.

At question time it was very much a matter of Mr. Jones bearing the heat and burden of the day. Replying to Mr. R. T. C. Reames (South Wales) he commented that a sudden change in the number of vehicles demanded at a job indicated bad planning. Drivers should not allow a bogged tipper just to be forced out of the way heavy tackle.

Were contractors going to pay three times the existing rates which would be necessary if hauliers were to live up to the standards outlined in the paper, 'asked Mr. L. R. House (Metropolitan and South-eastern Area). If the contracting industry wished for proper availability and reliability they must be prepared to pay accordingly; on the matter of overloading a driver

could easily check the number of bucketsful that went in and could move away when he had enough, answered Mr. Jones.

Mr. P. N. James (Thames Valley Tippers), said rates had utterly failed to keep pace with the times. Mr. Winchcomb looked forward to seeing liaison with the contractors' representatives on rates and conditions. Nothing stopped operators from standing together and demanding the necessary rewards, added Mr. E. Williams.

In response to Mr. R. Withers (Monmouthshire Tippers), who thought site officials ought to be educated on the lines laid down by Mr. Jones, the latter pointed out that his company had about 25 per cent of it officials being instructed in various forms. In two years' time each of its sites would have a member of the staff specifically responsible for welfare of vehicles and plant. Regarding the general question of rates, raised by Mr. J. Goodier (North Western Tippers), some of the figures he (Mr. Jones) had been quoted from outside were far less than his internal hire levels.

When hiring out his own plant he took the precaution of sending a responsible person to examine the condition of the site which at least gave some guidance on difficulties that could arise.

Will BR have nerve to object?

TWO RUMOURS, so far unconfirmed, that might influence the future on the licensing side were mentioned by the RHA secretarygeneral, Mr. G. K. Newman. He had heard it suggested that it might be open to trade unions to object on certain grounds to applications for quality licences. Rumour also had it that bulk traffic applicants might have to face objections even if their operations were to be within the 25-mile radius.

The Association would fight to the last ditch the proposals for quantity licensing with the railways as sole objectors, he continued. They could only hope that the thing would not prove workable in practice. Perhaps the railways might not have the nerve to lodge objections from their privileged position. It was important to keep in being the road-rail co-ordination committees up and down the country.

Destruction of freedom of choice would be bitterly opposed not only by the RHA but by trade and industry, he said. If these things came to be it would be for the sake of a doctrinaire principle. The RHA had set up a campaign policy but needed the active support of members in keeping contact with MPs and the Press.

Mr. Newman compared today's enormous commercial bodies on the one side with the fragmentation of the transport industry on the other. As he saw the matter the way to salvation lay either in coming under the umbrella of the large commercial holding companies or joining in co-operative units in the industry. He hoped their co-ops would get together on a national scale. He felt that the co-operatives could be helped into forming themselves into a national functional group.

The RHA had nailed its colours firmly to the mast of quality licensing and he believed the tests suggested by the Government were fair and proper. Even with small vehicles there ought to be some form of quality control for fleets of five or more.

Mr. J. Goodier (North Western Tippers), said all would agree that the worst safety records were on jobs where licences were easiest to obtain. Freeing licences under 16 tons might have an unfortunate effect. If an operator could not have a licence for an eight-wheeler he might take that vehicle off and put two fourwheelers in its place.

Replying to Mr. R. Durham (Northern), Mr. Newman said that 'without knowing what the Government was going to do it was impossible to give advice on the purchase of big tippers of the type mainly used for journeys over 100 miles.

The tipping vehicles group had under discussion the matter of heavy fines on operators and drivers for overloading, said Mr. Williams. They needed to involve those who loaded vehicles just as much as those who operated them.

Mr. L. R. House reported that an RHA member had patented an axle-load indicator which had been fitted to six vehicles. Tonnage borne by each wheel was indicated when a button in the cab was pressed. Cost? An estimated price of £40 to £50.