FREIGHTLINERS PASS HAULIER'S TEST
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Kaye switches long-distance traffic to rail
ALONDON road haulier—the first to make extensive use of BR's Freightliner services — now plans to send most of its long-distance traffic by rail.
The firm, P. and M. Kaye Ltd., with more than 50 years' experience of road haulage, made this policy change after a 10-week test of four of the London Midland Region's Freightliner services—Liverpool to London, Liverpool to Glasgow, Manchester to London and London to Glasgow.
And Kaye, already well-established in the Continental field, is to make extensive use of the Eastern Region's new 4,500-ton container ships due to operate next year between Harwich and Zeebrugge.
Mr. Mervern Kaye, a director of the firm, said "We followed the development of the Freightliner system with interest and felt after studying both American and Continental handling techniques that BR's methods had potential from our point of view.
"We were the first road hauliers to try out these new services after an agreement had been reached on the open terminal question. There were some small difficulties to be overcome, but these were soon resolved and we are now getting a first-class service." Under the new arrangements, after collecting and loading traffic at the customer's premises (mostly motor parts, chemicals and foodstuffs), containers are taken to Freightliner depots in either Manchester or Liverpool for transfer to the appropriate Freightliner service. After the main-line rail journey the traffic is collected from the rail terminal and delivered to the customer.
The firm's long-distance vehicles were clocking 1,500 miles a week. This has dropped to a weekly total of 500 miles on local delivery work. Maintenance costs have been halved.
Kaye's long-distance drivers, used to 400-mile round trips, are now employed on local delivery and spend every night at home.
And although wages have fallen by about £5 a week, there is opportunity for overtime on local deliveries. Most drivers are happy with the switch. Some long-distance drivers who were not prepared to work locally have been transferred to other routes.
"It has been our view", said Mr. Kaye, "that the road haulier should be a customer of the railways and not a competitor. The Freightliner service has made this possible."