Fair Rates for Brick Haulage
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BRICK making is amongst the most important of our industries, and it follows that brick haulage is of prime importance. The conditions of carriage should be reasonable and the rates should be such as to show a fair profit.
-Unfortunately, this traffic can be numbered amongst the " profitless" unless the haulier concerned is willing to take bricks as a return load. Even then there is no actual profit and the outcome is a gradual lowering of the receipts for this traffic until the prices obtained are so low that the rates for the outgoing loads begin to suffer. - My own observations have proved that a haulier, having to pass close to a brick works on his way home, will call for a. load and will carry it for rates which do not cover the cost of operating the vehicle. it has been proved, over and over again, that it is only a waste of time to compile a schedule of rates for brick haulage as no one takes an' notice of it.
I understand, however, that negotiations concerning rates for this traffic are now going,forward, In this connection, I have been asked to produce figures so that the costs and rates for brick haulage in 1952 can be compared with those obtaining today.
In Table 1, 1 have set out figures showing the costs, in 1952, relating to a 15-ton oiler, a 6-ton petrol-engined lorry and a 6-ton oiler. I have put the 15-tonner first because, with this type of traffic, the larger the vehicle the lower can the profitable rate be.
Stacked on Site
Before dealing with the figures in the Table I want to direct attention to some of the factors which have a bearing on the estimation of the rates to be charged. The principal item concerns the time taken in loading and unloading In what follows, I have assumed that the bricks are stacked on the lorry at the beginning of the journey and stacked on the site.
Taking the stacking rate as 1,000 per half-an-hour, it will take 21 hours to load the 15-tonner which carries 5.000 bricks, and the same time to unload. I am assuming that there would be some sort of assistance available in both cases. This time might be exceeded on occasions when the haulier had to await his turn.
If it be a 10-mile lead I shall not be generous if I allow an hour for travelling time for the 20 miles. Allowing a further half an hour for contingencies, the total time will be six hours. The minimum charge for a round journey can be calculated from Table I.
First comes the time charge for 6 hours at 13s. 74d. per hour, which is £4 Is. 9d. To this we add the mileage charge -20 miles at Is. per mile-which is £1 2s. 6d„ making a total of £5 4s. 3d. This makes the rate per 1,000 £1 Os. 10d., at least, that is what it should have been in 1952.
Now take the figures given in Table TI. which apply to c28 1956. By taking the comparable figures it will be seen that the total is £5 13s. 8d. and the rate per 1,000 £1 2s. 9d. For each additional 5-rnile lead, that is 10 miles of running.
I allow half an hour, for which the 1952 charge is 6s. 10c1. plus Ils. 3d. making a total of 18s. Id, Adding this to the 10-lead-mile rate, the rate for the 15-lead miles is 1 4s, 3d. to the nearest penny.
Based on today's charges. the respective figures would be 7s, 8d. plus I Is. 6d., making 19s. 2d.. to give a 15-lead-mile rate of 7s. 7d. or 4s. 10d. per 1,000 bricks.
Were it not for the fact that with an increase on the 10-mile lead above 15 miles it would not be possible to do more than one journey per 11-hour day, a set of charges as set out in Table III could be applied. As it is, the only way in which such a Table can be of service is for the haulier to mix his shortand long-lead work. This would make it possible for individual vehicles to carry out a full day's work. In the case of the 6-ton petrol-cngined vehicle, Table I shows that the charges are 8s. per hour and 101d. per mile. A full load for a vehicle of this size is 2,000 bricks, and if I am to accept that the average speed of loading and unloading is half an hour per 1,000 bricks, then the total terminal time is two hours. The travelling time will still be an hour,
1 will admit that I am .allowing the same travelling time for both vehicles, but it is more than likely that the 6-tonner. engaged im this work, will need an allowance of an hour for the double journey. The charges, therefore, will be £1 4s. for time plus 18s. per mile, a total of £2 2s, or £1 Is. pet 1,000 bricks.
For each additional five miles of lead-10 miles-I shall assume that the vehicle makes -use of its higher legal maximum speed making the time charge 2s. 8d. The mileage charge will be 9s„ so that the additional charge will be
I Is. 8d, or 5s. 10d. per 1,000 bricks.
Using today's figures we get three hours at 9s. 5-1d. and 20 miles at 111c1., making a sum of £2 7s. 7d. to the nearest
penny. The rate per 1,000 bricks is near enough £1 10d. For an eXtra five lead-miles the charge will be 12s. 9d., making an extra 6s. 5d. per 1,000.
If I now take the 6-ton oiler for 1952, it will be seen that the total charge is £1 19s. 2d. or practically £1 per 1,000 bricks. For the extra five lead-miles the sum will be 9s. 10d. or 4s. 11d. per 1,000. Using the figures quoted in Table II for 1956, the total charge comes to £2 5s. 5d, or £1 2s. 9d. per 1,000 bricks. For a 15-mile lead the extra will be I Is. per trip or 5s. 6d. per 1.000. Reference to Tables III and IV as will be seen deal with extra lead miles for 1952, and 1956, respectively.
In the foregoing calculations, 1 have assumed certain items which may give rise to criticism. First, there_is the time allowed for loading and unloading, which may seem excessive. Should this be true in fact, then the recommended rates are excessive. It is considered, however, that this might apply more especially to the 6-tonners.
In allowing an average of only 20 m,p.h. for the sixtonners for a JO-mile lead it may well be that I have been, shall I say, careful.
In connection with -terminal delays; these may prove to account for more time than I have allowed. At some brick works a huge stack of bricks is usually available and can be drawn upon at any time without delay.
Today, however, bricks are in short supply and loads may have to be drawn direct from the kilns and thus hauliers may have to await their turn. Sometimes the roads leading to the kilns arc difficult to negotiate and, further, it may not be possible to load up direct as the brick-yard trollies may have to carry the hot bricks some considerable distance.
All these points are mentioned because it may be difficult to adhere to the rates as outlined. The haulier should, therefore. assess the particular conditions, and with the help of the schedules I have prepared he ought to be able to quote rates which are fair to all concerned.