TRANSPORT TIPS FOR TRADESMEN.
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Particularly Addressed to Those Who are Replacing Horsed Vehicles by Motors, or Contemplating So Doing
FOLLOWING upon the Olympia. Show, a considerable number of traders will, no doubt, become motor users for the first time. Others, who.ha.ve already had some experience in the operation of motor vehicles, will probably have found that, when they were faced with the selection of new machines, their previous experience did not serve them in such good stead as they would have expected. If so, the reason must be largely that they have not taken the necessary steps to keep their experience available and tabulated for future reference.
The Importance of Proper Records.
In other words, they have not taken the trouble to keep sufficiently detailed accounts and records of performance. Those who have not done so would be wise to revise their methods, and those who are now becoming users for the first time would equally be wise to start on sound principles so that they may not waste experience, but may gain knowledge rapidly.
There are plenty of people who have used motor vans for years, but would be quite incapable of giving any definite statement as to the operating costs of those vehicles when compared with the cost of performing the same services by horse vane; In other words, they do not know whether they have directly benefited from the change. Probably they have a general idea that they were right, inasmuch as the motors have enabled them to enlarge their area of delivery and to give prompter services, but that is the sum of their knowledge:
Detecting a Rise in Costs.
The larger one's fleet, theomore valuable are the records with regard to it, provided that these are kept in a proper manner. At the same time, even ifonly a single vehicle is used, it is still worth while to keep records as accurately as possible. If this done and reference istmade, to the; recardsefrora time to time, the vehicle owner will discover fairly promptly if the economy of operationafalls, off. Supposing that a vehicle costs 3d. a mile more to run than it did a year ago, there isevery reason to suppose that something must be wrong, and every probability that, once the fact is known, that
something " can be put right. We must not, of course, be unduly disturbed by moderate seasonal fluctuations in cost. These may be. due to having to work over heavier roads or to being obliged to do a good deal if running' by artificial light at a slower average speed than we aid be safe. in the daytime. They may be due also to the fact that, at certain seasons, the traffic in certain districts is more than normally congested and all vehicles are slowed down in consequence. Allowing for such factors, it will still be fairly evident, f there is a distinct variation from the normal cost, that something needs looking into.
As a rule, our records will tell us where to begin to look. We shall see, for example, whether the item which has gone seriously. wrong is that which deals with, isay, the fuel bill. If so, it may be only a trifling matter of a necessary adjustment, and a few minutes' work may save the wastage of a good many shillings a day. Again, we may find that it is the tyres that are costing more than they should. This may be due to bad driving, to faulty alignment of wheels, or possibly sheer bad luck. Almost everybody suffers occasionally from getting a decidedly inferior set of tyres.
Faulty Maintwance and Vehicle Abuge.
Suppose it is the repair bill that is particularly at fault, we naturally inquire whether our system of maintenance is all that it should' be. Perhaps a little more time spent daily in overlooking the vehicle might mean the saving of a great deal of time in the garage a little later on and a considerable expenditure on labour and spare parts. Properly kept records will also show whether the vehicle is being reasonably fully used. We may find that its work, measured in ton-miles, is nothing like -what it used to be. This means the waste of money which might very probably be saved by some reorganization in our system. of deliveries.
Almost invariably, in fact, a considerable increase in .costs which can he traced downato certain items will indicate the cause of the waste and suggest a means of eliminating it I have had an opportunity of examining the At-a-. Glance Efficiency Chart, prepared by the Solid Tyre Department of the Dunlop Rubber Co., Ltd., and the Editorial Staff of The Commercial Motor and I feel sure, from my experience in the matter, that the . tradesman owning transport vehicles will, by adopting such ,charts, find them of material benefit.