Road-Rail Interworking for Parcels Traffic
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Revolutionary Changes in Parcels Carrying Forecast : Railways as Trunk Operators
/NCREASED interworking between road and rail was suggested as a
desirable development by Mr. R. L. H. Farmer in a paper, '' Some Problems and Practices of the Parcels Carrier," presented before the Institute of Transport in London on Monday. In five to 10 years' time it could, he said, result in revolutionary changes, with the railways as " wholesale " carriers between main centres and the parcels carriers as " retailers" responsible for collection, delivery and terminal handling.
To achieve this aim a vehicle must be evolved that was easily transferable between road and rail to avoid the present limitation of crane unloading at railway termini. Unfortunately, the British railway gauge did not permit adoption of the American practice of rail conveyance of normal semi-trailers.
a
Effect on Railways.
If such a vehicle were developed, followed by increased interworking between road and rail, it might well affect the results of the railway modernization plan, Mr. Farmer suggested. Most long-distance carriers Would as soon use railways as their own vehicles for trunk journeys if cost and service were right. Railway premises and road vehicles could still be put to economic use , by delegating their management to outside organizations, even if the railways retained their ownership.
I:0:success, train timings should permit collection and delivery to customers' satisfaction and there should be a genuine disposition by both road and rail operators to provide a service economically sound to themselves and attractive to the public.
Parcels carrying must inevitably be expensive, because of the large expenditure on manpower, buildings, equipment and vehicles necessitated by successive handling at each transhipment depot, in addition to collection and delivery.
A greater degree of mechanization within depots was required, claimed Mr. Farmer, with the qualification that this should not be dependent on one machine, such as an overhead track or a conveyor belt. The effect of its breakdown could be catastrophic. Fork trucks and pallets provided the flexibility invaluable in handling traffic fluctuations in depots of medium or large size and properly planned.
A depot to accommodate 80-100 vehicles with a covered loading area of 30,000 sq. ft. was an optimum size. A larger depot became difficult to manage. with too long a carry within the building itself. Moreover, it had crushing overhead costs during slack periods and provided maximum congestion at peak periods.
The ideal layout was a central rectangular covered area, with vehicle access to at least two long and one short sides. The advent of mechanical handling might determine the size of loading platform, or even whether any platform was necessary_ Traffic could now be lowered from collection vehicles to the floor of a covered depot by gravity conveyor, and sorted into cage pallets for loading by fork-lift truck on to outgoing vehicles.
This system was practicable, but required ample space. On the other hand, floor space could be extended at peak periods, whereas platform area could not.
A compromise was the best solution, with a platform large enough for normal" traffic flow, with additional ground-level space for peak periods. But in adopting mechanical handling the results might not equal those obtained in America. where the standardization of packing was more advanced, as opposed to the miscellaneous paper packages of this country.
Vehicle Requirements
Regarding the type of vehicle suitable for parcels carrying, licensing and speed limit restrictions had necessitated a light vehicle with maximum capacity. Whilsr80 cu. fL per ton was an average figure for most road operators. the parcel carrier's traffic was often double that capacity. A vehicle of 3-5-ton capacity with a loading space of 700800 cu ft. was, therefore, suitable for parcel collection and delivery.
In the future, more extended use ot articulated vehicles seemed likely, Mr. Farmer said, with empty semi-trailers available to receive incoming traffic while the tractor and driver continued on other work. Trunk drivers could also change over en route, but still retain their own tractors. In America, this type of operation was highly developed.
The independent parcels carrier had to meet competition not only from other independent. operators, but also from three nationalized agencies--the railways, the Post Office (up to 15 lb. weight) and B.R.S. (Parcels), Ltd. Although the aggregate traffic of the independents was probably only 25 per cent. of the potential road traffic. Mr. Farmer thought it was sufficient to provide a competitive element.
But there was still another competitor C-licence holder—and despite opinions to the contrary. Mr. Farmer
believed the solid majority of such vehicles was justified "on real, bard facts," and he would deplore tests to decide whether traders should operate their own vehicles. 'The carrier's solution was to provide as good a service at' cheaper rates by his own greater efficiency.
Nevertheless, the large national distributor would always deliver some of his goods from strategically placed depots, leaving traffic for the less concentrated areas to the public carrier. The opportunity remained for the carrier to provide vehicles on contract.
During the railway era of 1820 to 1920 there had been three types of parcels carrier, the local carrier with horse and cart, the development of the railways' own parcels service, resulting from the industrial revolution, and finally the "packed-parcels carrier," who saw that the railway service was not always satisfactory or sufficient. These new carriers used the railways for conveyance in bulk over trunk routes, thereby enabling them to offer competitive rates. As a result the railways tried—unsuccessfully—to resist this development at law, possibly as an early example of " creaming the traffic."
Big Changes
From 1921 to 1947 the increase in number and efficiency of road vehicles caused major changes in parcels carrying. Whilst the railways continued to provide parcels and.smaller services by passenger and goods trains, existing packed-parcels carriers and local operators extended their operational areas and inaugurated trunk services Many new operators also began.
Interworking between parcels carriers was also developed more than in other sections of the transport industry. if in the future the railways were able to work with the road parcels carrier as they did with the Post Office, the independent operator could concentrate on his primary function of collection. delivery and terminal handling.
Consolidation followed the 1933 Act. with a further extension of interworking and acquisition of other carriers iii strategic positions. By 1947 the larger undertakings were offering a parcels service over a wide area: After nationalization the largest of these organizations—Carter Paterson and Pick fords Joint Parcels Services – passed from railway ownership to that of the British Transport Commission, and between 1948 and 1953 other parcel-carrying concerns were acquired by the B.T.C.. the whole being merged into a self-contained section of the British Road Services.
By agreement between the B.T.C. and the Disposal Board this section was kept intact after denationalization in 1953. being formed into a company in 1955. But as no bids for its purchase were received, an amendment of the 1953 Act permitted its control to continue under the Commission. with the title of B.R.S. (Parcels), Ltd., with a view to its offer for sale later.