T HE problems of the cattle haulier are in many ways
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similar to those of the parcels carrier, in so far as the assessment of rates is concerned. It is impracticable, by direct calculation, to arrive at a proper rate per pig, sheep, calf, or beast. In cattle haulage, the operator traverses daily certain routes along which he picks up animals. He calls on farmers for these animals and takes 'them to market. There he awaits results of the sales, and thereafter obtains further loads, the animals from the market being either for delivery for slaughter, or to other farmers who have bought them.
Alternatively, he visits shows and proceeds on somewhat similar lines, taking animals to the grounds and, when the show is over, bringing them back to the farmer. In this department of his business, it is usual to make arrangements for the traffic some days ahead. Moreover, because of the greater value of the animals carried and the need for more than usual care in handling them, he can usually obtain a better rate. .
In this article I shall confine myself to the ordinary routine work of hauling to market, notwithstanding that this issue of "The Commercial Motor" is especially devoted to the Royal Agricultural Show.
A Game of Chance
Routes including markets are, Of course, the staple of this business. The livestock haulier sets out with his vehicle and, to some extent, takes a chance of getting a full load for it. It is here that the similarity to the parcels carriers arises, and my point is that, in cattle haulage, the only practicable way to arrive at rates is to work backwards.
The haulier, from his experience, must determine far himself what his actual average loading is likely to be— two beasts or six, 40 sheep or 60. He must know, too, what proportion of the day the vehicle is likely to be standing idle, and he must have data available as to the mileage covered. The latter provides him with a basis for the calculation of cost and, after adding profit, what his revenue should be. Working backwards from that, and knowing the loads he is likely to get, he must assess his rates accordingly.
The main difficulty in cattle haulage, generally, is that the haulier rarely, knows what the day will bring forth. A farmer upon whom he calls may have one beast to go to the market, or a miscellaneous load of animals. Usually, however, there are several pick-ups along a route, and quite often the full load is a composite one for several customers.
The haulier may call on a farmer quite near his headquarters and pick up, say, five head of cattle to be conveyed, say. 12+ miles to the market.
4s. a Head
For this, in most parts of the country, the price will be about f.l. This is arrived at in what may seem to the farmer to be a perfectly logical manner. He probably has a fixed idea in his mind that a haulier is well paid for his work on thefl basis of ls. 6d. a mile (that meaning a loaded mile). With five head of cattle that means the haulier is being paid at the rate of 4s. a head.
He may or may not pick up another odd beast on the way to market. That is not entirely a matter of luck; the haulier usually knows what his chances are. if he be successful in obtaining a large load from the market, there is a chance that he can make that day's work pay, always provided that the load from the market is not picked up at such a time and under such conditions as would make it necessary for him either to put another man on the vehicle, or to break the law as regards drivers' hours.
The next week, when serving the same market, he may call on the same farmer at the commencement of the journey and pick up only one beast. Does the farmer adhere to the principle of Is. 6d. a mile and pay the haulier a El? He does not. He suggests to the haulier that it is more than likely he will be able to pick up the remainder of his load on the way to market and that, in any case, it is perfectly absurd that he should pay LI for the carriage of one beast to market.
Now the haulier is, or might be, in this predicament; that, c22
on the first of the foregone two days, there was a chance of picking up sufficient to make a load on the way to market, but as he had insufficient room to carry the traffic of all potential customers on that particular journey, they became disgruntled, and on the second day have taken their custom to a competitor. That, obviously, does not make for profitable business.
In the majority of cases, of course, the procedure is not quite as I have outlined. The cattle haulier with several vehicles makes his preparation for the day's work the night before, and plans it so that, whenever possible, each of his vehicles, if not loaded to capacity, does at least carry a load that will bring him some tangible reward for his work_ Here, too, is another complication. It is necessary to include a charge for calves, apart from the cows. It is often the case that calves are sent with their cows to show that the latter are newly calved, the calves being returned to the farmer after the cows have been sold.
Following the principles set out, clearly the first thing to do is to agree upon some minimum figures for the weekly earnings of the vehicle engaged in the work. There are certain special. features about cattle haulage which call for consideration in this connection inasmuch as they affect The running cost in pence per mile will be about the following: petrol /3d., oil 0.2d., tyres 1.1d., maintenance 2.0d., depreciation 2.0d. The total is 7.6d. per mile.
Having in mind what I have already written about working backwards, what we have to arrive at is the total cost per week, and for that we must know something about the weekly mileage. Here we are confronted with another difficulty peculiar to the cattle haulier, and that is the extremely wide variation in the mileage that may be covered. At the height of the season his vehicles may run 1,000 or more miles per week, but should there be footand-mouth disease in the district the mileage will be nil. Obviously, it is impracticable to juggle with rates week by week to meet these special conditions; an. average figure must be assumed.
500Miles a Week
I have been told that 500 miles per week can be taken as a fair average throughout the year. On that basis the average total weekly costs will comprise the standing charges of £8 7s., phis 500 times the running cost of 7.6d. per mile, which is £15 16s. 8d., so that the total is €24 3s. 8d, Something must be added to that on account of establishment charges. In considering the figures for establishment costs, these, as in the case of the operating costs, will be above the average. A good deal of the work is arranged the haulier's headquarters in the morning and travels here and there picking up stock for the market as may be convenient to the farmers.
In a case I have in mind the vehicle actually made three journeys in that way during the morning. In the course of the first journey it visited three farms, picking up a cow and calf at each, all for delivery at the one market. The distance travelled was 13 miles.
The second journey was to a farm only three miles from a market, and 40 sheep were picked up and delivered, the distance covered being six miles. On the third journey, six beasts were picked up and conveyed to a market eight miles from the farm, the vehicle travelling 16 miles. Summarizing the foregoing, the vehicle covered 35 miles and was occupied, in all, for 4+ hours.
Dealing with what I call the inward journeys, which is -afternoon work following the sales at the market, the haulier is called upon to deliver them from the market to the abattoirs, to other farms or to grazing land on account of cattle dealers. In the course of the first journey five beasts, 16 sheep, and two calves were conveyed a distance of six miles, all to the instructions of one customer. That means that there was one pick-up at the market, and one delivery at the abattoir. The mileage covered was 12, this including the return to the market for the second load.
On the second journey, three beasts are taken from the market to an abattoir in the same town, the nominal distance being half a mile and the actual distance travelled one mile.
For the third and final journey that day, four beasts were taken from the market to a point three miles away, the actual travelling distance being seven miles. In that after