ROAD-RAIL C I' IN SOAP
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)-ORIDI \;ATION )ELI VERY
A Large Fleet of Motor Vehi, for the Transport of Soap, Ecli Dovetailing Collect ioi s Run by John Knight, Ltd., Diis and Other Commodities. 1 Delivery Services SPECIAL problems inseparable from the collection of raw materials and the delivery of finished commodities present themselves to John Knight, Ltd., the well-known soap-manufacturing concern, which is a member of the huge Unilever organization, and use is made of both road and rail transport.
During recent years important changes have taken place in the composition of the company's fleet, which now comprises 44 vehicles, 8 tractors and 11 trailers, and a Lister Auto Truck for internal transport. In the days when traders ordered large consignments of goods 5-ton vehicles were required, but now that small stocks are the rule 2-tonners generally suffice. Vehicles of the larger type are still rendering valuable service, but all the new machines are of the lighter class and enable an increased number of deliveries to be made in accordance with present-day requirements.
In addition to soap, which is popularly associated with its name, the company produces edible oils, cattle cake and tallow, whilst glue is manufactured by a subsidiary concern. Fat and bones are extensively used in . the production of certain of these commodities, and collection services have to be dovetailed into the delivery schedules, these conflicting interests creating transport problems that do not often arise with ancillary users.
Collection and Delivery Services.
Nine machines are devoted exclusively to the collection of fat and bones, these 'comprising a Commer 30-cwt. van, four Thornycroft 2i-tonners, two Fordn and two A.D.C. 3-tonners. In addition, fat and bones are collected and general deliveries made by four MorrisCommercial 1-ton vans and three Thornycroft 2-tonners and four 3-tonners. Shop-to-shop deliveries alone are effected by two Commer 2-tonners, five Thornycroft 5-tonners, two veteran Straker-Squire5-tonners and three Morris-Commercial 30-cwt. vehicles.
The five Fordson tractors work in conjunction with seven Eagle open-type trailers. One outfit makes journeys to local railway depots, another tractor shunting railway wagons on the siding at the company's works at Silvertown, London, E.16, whilst the remaining three are employed principally in the yard, although they are licensed for operation on the road. Three International tractors are used to haul four Eagle boxtype trailers to the railway depots in London, carrying goods for delivery on the outward journey and bringing back loads of fat and bone,
Special vehicles are set aside for the delivery of edible oils to fish fryers, there being. six machines for this purpose. Of these, one is a Morris-Commercial 30-cwt.. machine, whilst the remaining five are Co/lamer 2-tonners. At the factory a separate bay is devoted to the loading of this commodity.
—Finally, six light vans are employed for advertising purposes, two being Stevens three-wheelers engaged in London and fotir Austin 5-cwt. vans working in the
country. .
, The bodywork of most of the ,vehicles was built, and is maintained under contract, by Messrs. Bonallack and Sons, London, E.1. John Knight,. Ltd., was amongst the first concerns to appreciate the value of duralumin and aluminium bodywork to combine strength with lightness, and, two or three years ago, took delivery of four Thornyoroft 2k-ton vans weighing less than 2/ tons unladen which, therefore, are legally able to travel at 30 m.p.h. and are taxed at £30 per annum. The Commer 2-tonners also have metal bodies built on these lines and weigh less than 2 tons unladen.
Light Metal Bodies Save Money.'
Although the cost of a duralumin and aluminium body . of this size is about £100 higher than that of a coachbuilt structure, the saving in taxation and operating costs, combined with the increased working capacity of the vehicle, more than offsets the larger initial outlay. The first vehicles of this type had metal floors, but these were found to become slippery; consequently, wood is now employed for this part of the body.
A coordinated system of road and rail transport is used for the delivery of soap, goods consigned to traders outside the London area being carried by rail. The London area is bounded by a line drawn at a distance of 10 miles south of-the Bank of England, by Chelmsford in the east, by Standon, just beyond Bishop's Stortford; in the north, and by Uxbridge in the west.
Over a limited radius outside the northern, eastern and western boundaries of the John Knight concern's London area, S.P.D., Ltd., „effects deliveries on behalf of the former company, but in the south the Southern Railway Co. takes care of all transport beyond a radius of 10 miles of the City.
This system is found to be best suited to the specialized needs of the company, for, by the use of tractor-trailer outfits for the carriage of goods to the London railway depots, large return loads of fat and bone may be collected, thereby obviating light running. All requisitions are sorted daily under district headings, and the tonnage of orders is then totalled and vehicles are allocated to various areas, according to the aggregate weight of the consignments . for traders in those districts. Certain vans and drivers are not assigned to specific districts, as it is found that more economic working can be achieved by means of a flex ible system. Deliveries are effected daily in central London and twice weekly in the outlying districts, but additional deliveries are, if required, provided on days other than those guaranteed.
Orders for soap received by mid-clay from provincial customers are delivered to the London railway depots the same afternoon. In the case of goods for transport to the stations closer to the Silvertown factory, requirements may be notified up to an even later hour, to obtain equally prompt supply.
Catering for Large Output.
The collections of fat and bone are heaviest on Friday, Saturday and Monday, a fact which has to be borne well in mind when arranging complicated delivery schedules for a large weekly output.
The vehicles are housed at two garages and, on leaving the factory, are weighed to ascertain the weight of the load. • Each night the petrol tanks of the vehicles are replenished to save time in the morning, the amount placed in the tanks providing a check on the quantity used during the day.
There is a night staff responsible for the washing of vehicles, an operation which assumes particular importance in the case of vehicles dealing with fat and bones, as well as with finished commodities. These machines are washed internally, as well as externally, after every journey, whilst on the average the other vehicles are washed about twice weekly. Lubrication is effected by the drivers, who are also responsible for maintaining the correct oil level in the sump, gearbox and back axle, and for reporting defects daily. • Partly by reason,, no doubt, of the care devoted to tyres, creditable mileage figures are being obtained, some of the 40-in. by 8-in, equipment on the 5-tanners covering 50,000 miles before being discarded. The tyre pressures of a certain number of vehicles are checked daily and records of the performance of each tyre are prepared, as well as of the repairs carried out to each vehicle.
. The vans are brought in for overhaul in rotation, principally on a mileage basis. While a detailed examination of the chassis is being carried out in the company's repair shop, the body is placed in the builders' hands for overhaul and painting. Excellent results are being obtained from many of the vehicles, some of the Coirnmer Centaur vans having covered about 20,000 miles without requiring the removal of the cylinder head. The lighter vans cover an average annual mileage of 15,000-20,000, whilst the figure for the 5-tonners is approximately 14,000.
How Costs Are Recorded,
A quarterly cost schedule provides, in respect of each vehicle, detailed information under the headings of rent or garage general account, wages and overtime, petrol (gallons and cost), other consumable stores, repairs and renewals (including tyres), management and supervision, total (of the foregoing), depreciation, insurance, licences, total excluding interest, and interest at 4 per cent.
A performance schedule is prepared every quarter in respect of each vehicle, from which may be ascertained the number of deliveries efftcted, the mileage covered, the weight of goods carried, miles per gallon of petrol and lubricating oil, the costs per delivery, per mile and per ton, and the cost of fuel per mile. This comprehensive schedule also shows the total actual cost of repairs and the total standard cost under this heading, as well as the number of working days lost and the reasons for this deficiency.