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HAULIER and CARRIER
T'PHIS is the second contribution of a short series of articles dealing with the subject of furniture removal as a possible line of business which a haulier may develop. In the previous article I warned readers against rushing into this branch a motor haulage contracting without making adequate provision for it. I pointed out that proper equipment, in the shape of furniture vans, was essential, but that it was even more important that experience in the actual work should be available. The need for that
experience, I pointed out, does not rule out furniture removal as a business for the ordinary haulier, as he may, by the employment of capable packers and furniture removers, negotiate that difficulty.
I then referred to the fact that the special conditions of this class of work and the type of vehicle which is employed are such that the cost of operation differs from the average figures which appear in our Tables, and I promised in this, the succeeding article, to indicate what those costs might be. expected to be.
In a communication from a reader; to which I shall refer more than once in this series of articles, I was advised that his experience was that about 12,000 miles per annum was the average distance covered by each of his i:ehicles. Fie had-found a: 47-ton chassis most suitable for his purpose and had used it with
and Without a trailer. .
Now, experienced furniture removers tell me that the -petrol consumption of furniture -fans is higher than is indicated by our average figures. I am told that instead of 7 m.p.g., which is the basis of our cost tables, no more than 5-6 M.p.g. 'are usually obtained. If we take 5f m.p.g. as an average in this work, that means that the cost of petrol, assuming
it to be is. 4fd. per gallon, will be 341. per The oil consumption remains practically the same and so does the cost of tyres. Maintenance is a little higher, because, as I pointed out in the previous article, there is the extra cost of painting and upkeep of the more expensive superstructure, whilst as the outcome of increased first cost depreciation also is greater.
The standing charges are also different as regards certain of the items. Insurance costs 10s. per week ; the interest on first cost is higher and may be taken on the average to be approximately a per week. The licence is equivalent to 19s. 6d. per week, because the heavy body brings the vehicle into the higher scale. In sum, the table of operating costs for a 4-ton furniset down as follow:—
For convenience in estimating it is better to have as many items as possible transferred to the standing charges, leaving as few as may be for calculation according to the mileage to be covered during any particular job. With that end in view it is better to transfer depreciation to the column of standing charges, and to arrive at the correct figure it is necessary to multiply 1.50d. by the 12,000, the figure for the annual mileage, dividing the product by 50 (weeks per year), giving us fi 10s. (3604.) per week, and add that to the standing charges, giving a total of £13 3s. (1,956d.). The total of running costs is correspondingly reduced by 1.50d. to 6fd. per mile.
Now, for purposes of estimating, it is convenient to convert the standing charge per Week to a charge per hour. To effect this, divide by 48 (hours per week) and we arrive at 3s. 6d. as the cost per hour. This, in addition to 6id, per mile, is the basis for estimating for work of this nature. If a trailer be used, as often happens, the cost is increased in proportion and the foregoing figures are altered in accordance with the following figures:— Petrol is increased by 15-20 per cent, which raises the cost to 31d. per mile. Oil consumption is greater by 25 per cent, and rises to 0.25d. per mile. The wear of tyres is greater by 50 per cent., so that this figure then becomes 2.70d. Maintenance and depreciation both increase by about 30 per cent, and must be written down as 2.00c1. per mile.
The standing charges also increase. There is, for example, an extra. 28. 6d. weekly for the licence, 5s. per week more for rent, 2s. per week more for insurance and a further 2s. extra for interest on first cost. For the time being I am going to assume that the driver's mate, usually regarded as essential when a trailer is being hauled, will be one of the furniture removers and packers, so that for our present purpose we need not take his wage as an extra. The operating costs for a 4-ton furniture van and trailer, both of which are equipped with pneumatic tyres, can now be set down as follow :—
In the same way, we may conveniently transfer depreciation to the column of standing charges, which means that we must add a fiftieth part of 12,000 multiplied by 2d. making the sum to the total of £9 4s. 6d. (2,214d1) per week. That figure, on a 48hour week, is equal to 3s. 10d. per hour. The corresponding figure for running costs is, roundly, 81d. per mile, • It will be of interest now to apply these figures to the working out of the cost of the following example of a week's work:— Monday. Travel empty with trailer to a point 20 miles away, load two vans, return and unload; mileage, 40; total time, 13 hours.
Tuesday. No work to do.
Wednesday. Travel empty and solo to a point five miles away, load, return and unload; mileage, 10; total time. Gr hours.
Thursday, Friday. Travel empty to a point 155 miles away', load, return atid unload ; mileage, 310; total time, 24 hours.
Readers may find sufficient interest in applying these figures themselves—no prizes are offered for correct solutions—and my own interpretation of the resnjts will appear in the next article, together with figures ftr other kinds of furniture-removing vehicle in general use to-day. S.T.R.