HINTS FOR HAULIERS.
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An Occasional Chat on Subjects and Problems of Interest to Those Who are Engaged or About to Become Engaged, in Running Commercial Vehicles for a Living.
IN CONSEQUENCE of the trana'Strike in Manchester I had occasion to travel on one of the numerous chars-b,-banes whioh were plying for hire on the streets, and, be it said, demonstrating to the Corporation and public of Manchester how much more flexible and suitable motor transport is than the obsolete tram. Our interest was aroused by the driver, next to whom we were sitting, who said that he was a demobilized M.T. driver from France, and owned the char-iabancs which he was driving, a new and very up-to-date A.E.C.
A Demobilized M.T. Driver's Experiences.
Demobilized about a year ago, he had-invested his sayings in a Ford. one-ton van, having been inspired to be his own master by reading; The Commercial Motor. No difficulty was found in obtaining work— in fact, after a few weeks, his chief difficulty was to. find time to sleep and keep his van in order A rather important fault, which, he emphasized, was that, at first, he did not systematize his work and, in consequence, did a lot of unnecessary running, doubling back on his tracks frequently, as he had not worked out his route. He soon became aware of this and tried to obviate it, and by degrees as he established a regular connection, he was able tCnmap out his runs for each day with more certainty, and found his running costs diminishing, as well as his hours of work.
Unfortunately, he had not kept any precise accounts and was not able to give any accurate figures of running costs, but he thought that they were about 5d. to 6d. a mile—quite a satisfactory figure, as it included insurance and a regular sum put by weekly to cover ultimate overhaul.
' One point he emphasized was that a Ford needs attention just as much as any other vehicle, and anyone who wants to make a living out of such a van (or, of course, any other) must be prepared to work hard, it is not a " soft job," as he put it ; the full mileage must be obtained eacth day, and as much Work put into each hour as it will take and, when delivery hours are over, the day is not finished, for every fault must be remedied immediately it shows itself—the engine must be kept up to the mark and the bodywork must be kept clean. A smart van is in itself an advertisement; a dirty one may sub-consciously deter a customer. "A man is judged by the company he keeps," runs the old adage; equally so, a. driver-owner is judged by his van. One more point on this subject. When the time comes to sell the van, it will sell more easily and a.t a higher price.
-This was so with our driver in question. He has just sold his van well, with the ccnnection he had established, and , goodwill, and has bought a fine A.E.C. ohar-ivbancs, seating 29. He was lucky enough to get delivery before Easter, and started well by trips to Blackpool every day, from. Thursday to Monday, while pm Tuesday he was licensed by the Chief Constable of Manchester to ply for hire on the streets, owing to the tram strike, and he was hard at it. Some difficulty arose about the amount of the fares. At first, they were fixed by the owners of the vehicles running on the 'various routes, then the police stepped in, apparently fearing profiteering, and lowered them. It speaks well, however, for the fairness and goodwill of the owners that the police, after inquiry, have raised them again to the original figures, and the public have made no small use of these emergency facilities.
To return to the subject of this article—he said that he was already booked up ahead during the summer,
and thought that he was not going to have any difficulty on that score. Of course, he did not expect to run every day a the week, but anticipated being able to'inake a very reasonable profiaon the season. It'ivas just as well not to be too full up on passenger work,,as the runs.are long as a rule, and-it is usually approachingmidnight. before the tired driver can putphis char-a-bancs into the garage; and a heavy vehicle wants a lot of attention, what with numerous greasers to fill, washing' down, etc.
At the end of the .season he intends to remove the passenger body and replace it with a fiat lorry body, and take to heavy haulage. There is always a large demand in Manchester for this type of work, and he anticipated getting all he wanted without much trouble ; also, he pointed out, many of the larger firms of haulage contractors would be glad to employ him if he was not able to fill up his time on his own account.
The experiences of this intri are very interesting and instructive, but would-be imitators must pay care fill attention to the fallowing points: —The driver should be able to do his own repairs and to keep his engine in tune ; there is much more in driving a motor vehicle than changing gears and steering ; it is not a soft job—hard work and attention to avoid waste of time are needed, and a good connection is only established by punctuality and careful completion of contracts. By avorking steadily on these lines a, good living can be made out of a van, and a man can improve his position as he goes on, but hard work is an absolute necessity, and success only waits on him who
applies it. THE SKOTCH.