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Putting them to work
Page 7
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ARTICULATION has probably been the most misused or under used transport facility. First conceived to make tractive units more productive than their rigid counterparts they were soon regarded as being little more than highly manoeuvrable rigids.
The more weight-conscious operators soon realised that their heavier gross weight facility would produce more revenue per run. The higher productivity to be achieved through a three-trailer-to-one-unit ratio was totally ignored.
Great opportunities to maximise articulation were lost. Few operators realised the full potential of the semitrailer. It appears that the same fate could befall the drawbar concept.
At a time when every £ counts it is surprising that more operators are not exploiting these money-saving facilities.
It would be surprising how much traffic carried in the past 12 months could have been more profitably moved by drawbar operation. An examination of cargoes and a measurement of their weight and density might produce startling results and lead to a detailed consideration of the entire operation. Dead mileage and underweight running consumes profits,