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PROBLEMS OF THE HAULIER AND CARRIER.

18th August 1925, Page 21
18th August 1925
Page 21
Page 21, 18th August 1925 — PROBLEMS OF THE HAULIER AND CARRIER.
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

Is a Very Large Vehicle Desirable for a New Recruit to the Hauliers' Ranks ?

MO THE MAN who contemplates making money by operating motor vehicles on haulage work the first question to solve is : "Where can I get work?" Having dwelt upon this problem he settles down to find clients and "thus lays the foundation of his business. With the knowledge of the classes of load likely to be dealt with, various types of vehicle are then considered ; by the time this stage is reached costs are somewhat -of a nightmare, especially when the budding haulier is none too well versed in such matters. It is an extremely rare occurrence to find two men who are working in similar circumstances, and for this reason I always try to avoid, in this series of articles, making any remarks which appear to praise or condemn any one type of vehicle or any particular set of figures, because what may lead to one man's fortune may bring about another's bankruptcy, due to varying conditions. The spirit of this paragraph must, therefore, be borne in mind when reading the discourse which follows anent the trials and troubles of a prospective haulier.

Transporting Steel Bars with a 10-12-Tonner.

A correspondent is thinking of setting up in business with a 10-12-ton lorry with the particular object of carrying out a continuous contract hauling steel bars for a distance of 12 miles. He favours a large-size vehicle for the work and wants to know what would be a fair rate of charge for the use of such a lorry, whether it would be possible to make a good living and to undercut the railway on this job. He also asks for an opinion upon the type of lorry he suggests for the particular work.

Dealing with the last point first, I presume that he means a six-wheeler, as there is no mention of a trailer. Taking the pros of the matter first, the use of a vehicle with a long body appears to be essential for the work of dealing with steel bars. The load on the driving wheels will be slightly less than with some other types of vehicle which he might use, ease of manceuvring is capable of accomplishment if a skilled driver be employed, and operating costs should work out somewhat lower than those for two vehicles each carrying one-half of the total load. I am assuming that the capital outlay in respect of the six-wheeler is about the same as that involved in buying alternative types of lorry.

The cons, on the other hand, appear to be the bulk of the outfit, if restricted spaces have to be negotiated, and the difficulty of obtaining anything like capacity loads if the original contract falls through.

The Best Chances for the Large-capacity Lorry.

So long as the job of transporting bars of steel continues all is well, but a cessation of the work may mean that the inquirer is saddled with a large machine which is not so adaptable to general haulier's requirements as a smaller lorry and trailer, or two vehicles of a lesser load capacity. As a rule, a big industrial district offers more possibilities for a 10-tonner than does a village, but it will obviously be no good running such a lorry only partially loaded ; it must be employed economically—that is, loaded to its full capacity or, at any rate, charged for as though it were so loaded, to make it worth while running. Two points which the inquirer must bear in mind are, first, will the contract last, and second, If it fails can full work be got elsewhere in the locality? I cannot answer these queries and, accordingly, my correspondent must judge for himself.

On the steel transport job in question 12 miles is the distance each way, or 24 miles per trip, out and home. Allowing for loading time and travelling, I should doubt whether more than two such journeys can be accomplished in a week-day. This means 48 miles in all, and allowing for 5i days at this rate the weekly total will be 264 miles.

Assuming the operating costs to be is. 6d. per mile, the cost for the week's work will amount to £10 16s. The inquirer wants to make "a good living" at the job. As to the precise meaning of this term I can only make a guess and reckon, say, £6 per week for profit. If he disagrees with this basis he must alter the figures from this point onwards. Establishment expenses will be about 11 10s., so that these items amount to £27 Cs., which is tlie sum to be obtained. This gives about 2s. 1d. per mile as the minimum figure for the haulier's charge, or £2 10s. per trip of 24 miles.

If ray correspondent thinks these figures are applicable to his own case he can now decide whether he can compete with the railways and beat them. The great point to bear in mind when tendering for this contract is the time factor, and incidence should be well impressed upon the party to whom the tender is made.

Where the Road Motor Beats the Railway.

It stands to reason that where such a short haul is involved the road vehicle will be much quicker in getting its 10-ton load from point to point than the train. About 21 hours should cover loading, travelling and unloading times for 10 tons of steel, and the load will only be handled half as much as when the rail is the means of transport. Use can surely be made of this point to prove that the ultimate cost of transport by road is less than that by rail.

A lorry can keep up a steady how of steel supplies, whereas when a railway truck is loaded it may be shunted into a siding and left for many hours, or even a day or two, hy which time one or more other trucks may be loaded and all may be sent in the same train, thus giving spasmodic deliveries and causing delays.

As I make no pretensions to being a prophet I cannot say whether the use of a 10-tonner on this particular contract is likely to be a -golden way to fortune. If the information which I have assumed Is anywhere near the mark, the type of vehicle seems to be suitable for the job.

A matter which will have a great bearing on the suCce.ss of the work is the hope of the contract being a good and lasting one.it be of short duration, or likely to be intrmittent, it is not a joy to be faced with an idle period with such a big vehicle, especially as it is the only string to my inquirer's bow. A smaller lorry, or possibly two, is easier to employ for general work if the necessity arises, but, on the other hand, the six-wheeler seems to offer a reasonably cheap solution to the steel transport problem ; in all probability it will involve less expenditure than two or three smaller lorries doing the same work. S.T.R. 37 B

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