TRANSPORT TIPS FOR TRADESMEN.
Page 19
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Particularly Addressed to Those Who are Replacing Horsed Vehicles by Motors, or Contemplating So Doing.
THERE IS no question about the desirability of keeping a motorvan or lorry fully occupied during its working week. It is only by so doing that we can. cut the costs per ton mile-down. to a minimum, and it is the lack of opportunity of keeping the machines thoroughly, occupied that prevents many traders from realizing the full advantages of mechanical transport.
On Keeping Busy. •
If one's own requirements do not suffice to permit et really economical working, there are two possibilities worthy of consideration. One' is the carrying out of jobs for other people and the other is the employment Of a motor carrier to do one's own jobs in preference to keeping a vehicle or vehicle's for the purpose. Suppose one's'usual requirement is ,comfortably filled by a 30 cwt. van, it is not sound policy to use a three-tortner merely because the extra. carrying capacity is very occasionally needed. It is better to hire on these rare occasions.
The alternative of filling in the blanks by carrying for other people is one that should not be adopted without a, good deal of consideration, though the principle can be usefully applied through the medium: of traffic exchanges when it comes to the provision of loads for return journeys. The ideal in all such oases is to deal with another firm in a similar line of business, or one whose goods are more or less equivalent in weight., bulk and fragility. Men who are in the habit of handling coal are not necessarily fitted to handle plate-glass, and if one undertakes to deliver a consignment of the latter, any possible profit may soon vanish if breakages have to be paid for.
Removing Household Goods.
Some people are inclined to go rather lightheartedly into a programme of carrying miscellaneous loads for all and sundry when their vehicles are not wanted for their own work. If, for example, things happen to be rather slack round about Quarter Day, it is often possible to get furniture removing jobs. kit what appear to he favourable prices. At the same time, the cream of this business naturally goes to wellestablished firms who are specialists. It takes something more than a casual labourer to get a grand piano into a sixth floor flat without either destroying the former or demolishing the latter. The expert furniture remover performs feats compared with which the camel's difficulty with the needle's eye w-as mere child's play.
Regarded as a. regular source of income, furniture' iernoval can be made a very profitable branch of motor haulage. Success depends rather on a reputation for doing the work well than on the ability to quote the lowest possible terms. A good reputation in turn depends as much on the manners as on the ability of the men employed. The main trouble in the business outside that of getting the right men is that it is inclined to be very seasonal.
Value of Saved Time.
It is easy enough to appreciate the saving which results front increasing the average speed of a motorvan, and it stands to reason that a saving of time is equally valuable, whether it is effected
during the running time or during the standing time. Suppose that a vehicle is able to average 12 miles an hour and that it has to cover a round of 60 miles during the day. This means five hours of running time, and, if we assume an eight hour day, it leaves three 'hours for effecting deliveries. Suppose that 60 deliveries have to be effected and these take on the average three minutes each. We have then accounted for the whole eight hours,' and we cannot alloCate any additional work to the vane
Now, suppose that we are able to increase the aver'age speed of the vehicle to 13i miles an hour. This probably means increasing. the maximum speed by
about three or four miles an hour, which would be regarded as a very substantial rise in the legal speed limit permitted. The result is to save about: half an hour of running time, which enables us to effect about ten or more deliveries, or a total of about 70 in the eight hour day.
Now' suppose that we cammt increase the average speed, but can, by better arrangement of our parcels, or by some simplification in our system, reduce the. average time taken in effecting a delivery from three
to two minutes. We can now make 60 deliveries in two hours instead of three, which means a clear saving of an hour, which now represents an additional :A deliveries, or 90 deliveries in all.
The total costs of operating the van may be some where in the neighbourhood of Sd. a mile, or 22 for a 60 mile day. The standing charges may be about 25s, a day, making a total of about 655. In that case, the cost of delivering each paCkage is approximately is., but, by increasing the working capacity of the
van by reducing the time spent tin making e't-tcly
delivery, the cost of delivering each parcel may be reduced to about 9d. This means a saving of about 3d. apiece on, say, BO parcels a day, or a total saving of about 21 a day. If, to effect this saving, it is necessary to employ art additional assistant to sort out the parcels and hand them in rapidly at the various houses where calls are made, we see that any expoditure amounting to less than a pound a head in connection With this additional labour is justified if it gives the results suggested above.
In practice; we can test the effect of employing an additional assistant and see, how much saving of time this really means, and, by a rough calculation of the type indicated in this note, we can come to a fairly correct conclusion as to 'whether this extra man's employment is justified. It is, of course, possible that, by examining our Methods, we may see ways of saving time spent in delivery w' ithout involving any additional employment at all. If that be the case, so much the better.
Glass Panels.
For scale trades a glass panel let into one or both sides of the body, behind which the goods to be sold can be exhibited, is a unique and attractive form of display. I notice that your contributor " Vim" suggested in a fairly recent issue a mechanicallyoperated attraction for a boot business, whereby endless belts were run over the shelves of showcases, let into the body sides, from pulleys concealed behind the panelling of the body, and thence under the case, the belts having specimen boots and shoes clipped to them, which pass in procession across the window. The idea has interesting possibilities, and is, I think, worthy of consideration and elaboration. Where a " moving" or animated exhibition is not favoured the goods can be displayed so as to form a permanent showcase.