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The Progress of Goods Transport and Haulage by Road.
Page 79
Page 80
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THE strides which have been made during the past 10 years by' the mechanically propelled vehicle in the transport and haulage of goods by road are positively astounding. ,There is, of course, not quite the same glamour and public popularity with this class of vehicle as is the case with the passenger type, whether It be the motorbus or coach, but the utility side of transport is really of far vaster proportions and involves the employment of seven to eight times the number of machines.
There are many types of passenger vehicle, but in the conveyance of raw materials, manufactured goods, comestibles, and particularly heavy loads, such as machinery, boilers, and the like,, a far greater variety Of transport media is necessary. Consider that individual articles may weigh from a few ounces to many tons, loads may have to be delivered as a whole or in comparatively minute sections and they may be very fragile or as tough as steel.
For many years the normal four-wheeled class of vehicle practically held the field, but comparatively recently, its domination has been seriously challenged by such types as the six-wheeler—and even the eight-wheeler, the tractor-trailer and the tractor hauling a separate trailer. There is no question at present of the four-wheeler disaPpearing, and, as a matter of fact, in goods transport the variety of goods to be carried is so great that almost every type of vehicle is built to meet some special requirement.
It Is noteworthy that the improvements which are taking place are not confined to any particular class of vehicle; parcelcars, lorries and tractors are all receiving attention and new models are constantly appearing on the market. In the main, the alterations are in the direction of improved running efficiency and the reduction of maintenance costs.
One of the secrets of success in road trans port is to obtain the highest possible ratio of pay-load to vehicle weight ; in other words, this enables the maximum quantity of goods to be carried on a small vehicle at a low cost. This is a matter which is receiving more and more attention, as is proved by such tendencies as that of situating the driver beside the engine.
New Vehicles Best for Efficiency.
11HE temptation to buy a second-hand machine when fleets are being augmented or when an initial venture into the use of road transport is contemplated is strong. The economy in first cost is so real and, with careful selection and expert maintenance, the risk so small that it sometimes seems that to buy new is an extravagance. Actually it is nothing of the kind. The first purchase should invariably be a new machine. The "umpteenth," if we may be permitted to use that expressive term, may be left to the discretion of the buyer, whose experience should then be able to guide him in the right way.
It should be borne in mind by those who may be inclined to query the truth of this dictum of ours, that the design of heavy motor vehicles has proceeded apace of late. We need only refer to the rapid growth in the use of pneumatie tyres and remind our readers that the application of pneumatics involves other modifications, as an indication of the developments which have a bearing on the matter we are discussing. Pneumatic tyres allow the provision of lighter chassis, lighter chassis mean more economical running; pneumatic tyres and a lighter chassis together make for speedier operation; consequently, engines and gearing must receive consideration.
All these things make for efficiency, but they are only a few instances of the sort of improvement that is going on all the time. A second-hand commercial motor vehicle is behind the time to-day if it be only one year old. It is sadly out of date if two years old and almost obsolete it :three years of age. That there are certain makes of vehicle which are good value even when second-hand is really an argument against their purchase. They are the product of live concerns, the up-todate methods of which are therefore the more likely to embody just the sort of improvement that makes their extra cost worth while, which makes them more likely to be better investments than second-hand machines of any make or date of manufacture. To day, with petrol rising in price, the value of efficiency to the operator is more important than ever and the advantage of buying new vehicles rather than old is correspondingly more pronounced.
Much must, of course, depend upon the facilities available for repair and maintenance ; if these be really good the second-hand machine, if not too old, can be kept running at a fairly moderate figure and, where thought necessary, engines, etc. can be modified to bring them more up to date.
The Tendency Towards Heavier Loads.
(\NE of the most striking tendencies in V./goods transport by road to-day is that larger loads are being carried on single vehicles. During the period when surplus war-time lorries were being employed the maximum load was rarely greater than six tons. As the new post-war designs were evolved the petrol-propelled machine was made to carry seven tons without overloading, The steam wagon had a slightly larger capacity.
It is now an everyday occurrence to find burdens of 15 tons being carried by road on internal-combustion-engined chassis of the multi-wheeler type, steam-engined vehicles being capable of the same pay-load. Increasing use is also made of the industrial tractor for hauling weights of the same magnitude. In all three cases the higher maximum speeds now obtainable make it economically possible to send such consignments of goods by road instead of by rail. Formerly the slow rate of travel permitted to the traction engines then used made business men look to other transport media. Neither was it economical to split, say, 12 tons into two or three lots and employ so many smaller. machines. Longdistance haulage of heavy burdens by commercial motors is to-day recognized as efficient and reliable. The average size of loads is almost bound to grow because the cost per ton-mile decreases as the capacity of the vehicle increases.