B.R.S. the Bulwark of the Small Haulier?
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FROM a land of contrasts come conflicting opinions about the usefulness of British Road Services. Their most staunch supporters are private hauliers who have returned to long-distance transport; their most severe critics are traders who dispatch consignments in comparatively small lots.
In industrial South Wales two related questions loom large on the local hauliers' horizon. Will the steel cake be equitably proportioned and can small contractors build up a distribution organization by interworking or other devices? The fears of .many hauliers who Were established before nationalization are that newcomers will start a rate war and that a private-enterprise monopoly will largely replace B.R.S.
Boom in Steel This is a boom period for steel, and the main outgoing road traffic is processed-steel sheet, tinplate and so on, which, according to the estimate of a haulier's representative, is about 70 per cent, of the total. Although B.R.S. carry only a limited proportion of the loads, it would appear that the large steel companies rely upon State transport to provide an expandable nucleus on which the traffic structure can be built.
Rail rates for steel are higher than road rates for medium-distance deliveries, which include London and the Midlands, and lower for longer distances, such as the Glasgow run. To areas south of the Bristol Channel rail also scores, because of the facilities which the Severn tunnel provides.
A letter from the transport manager of a large steel works in the area, written before the close of 1954, is probably representative of a section of opinion that, as a single factor, carries more weight than any other. Negotiations on rates now in progress may, in the near future, vary the agreement he mentions.
Hauliers for Back Loads
This transport manager said: "Private enterprise will not provide services on a national scale similar to those that are offered. by B.R.S. Although there are exceptions, private hauliers canvass around for the better traffic and contact us only as a last resort, and therefore we mainly employ hauliers who collect traffic for back loads.
"According to a schedule that we have compiled and they have agreed to, loads up to 8 tons are carried by private hauliers for 5 per cent. less than the B.R.S. rate, and the B6 reduction is greater for loads up to 12 tons, for which it is 10 per cent. The employment of private hauliers has meant a considerable increase in the use of the telephone and also in the number of accounts."
In conversations with local hauliers, many admitted that steel was, in fact, a "last resort." It was restated in a number of interviews that the compiling of rates by some of the steel companies was dictatorial. Practically every haulier said that the existence of B.R.S. helped to stabilize rates and conditions of working.
Last year visiting hauliers were given loads at lower rates than those granted to local contractors, and it was hinted that they received preferential treatment. The long waiting times for the loads were criticized.
Later in his letter the transport manager to whom I referred was critical of B.R.S. for their take-it-orleave-it attitude, particularly with regard to rates. Competition with private hauliers would, he forecast, "be stimulated during 1955 and this is bound to make for better efficiency on the part of the nationalized concer n Regarding the size of the B.R.S. fleet after denationalization, he considered that "they should be allowed to increase their fleet to cover the amount of business they can attract at competitive, economic rates, but if they are not able to offer attractive rates, and their business diminishes, they should reduce their fleet."
Loads dispatched by his concern in road vehicles during October, 1954, totalled nearly 13,000 tons, of which C-licence lorries carried about 2,250 tons, B.R.S. 2,500 tons and hauliers, mostly on back loads, over 8,000 tons.
Two hauliers expressed surprised admiration for B.R.S. because their steel runs were profitable. A fair proportion of the loads is carried on " intensive " services, the vehicles being operated on a highly organized shift system. They are given priority loading facilities and return empty.
To the haulier, steel transport is uneconomic unless he can regularly collect back loads. To many who concentrate on other types of traffic. including finished or semi-processed products, steel is useful as a "fill-in."
"In my opinion, every dirty trick of the trade has been used to disrupt denationalization" was a statement made, not by a haulier, but by the transport manager of a large concern with branches throughout the country. In his view, private enterprise is, without a shadow of doubt, giving a better service now than before nationalization, which is particularly welcome because the poor service of B.R.S. increased costs, mainly on account of the apathetic
attitude of drivers. Rates were a secondary consideration.
We then discussed the optimum size of fleet for hauliers. He preferred the. operator with six to 12 vehicles who had a precise knowledge at all times of his carrying potential and could give a personal service, but his praise for such hauliers was followed by a constructive warning.
"It is up to private enterprise," he emphasized, 'to develop contacts for distribution, so that small consignments can . be handled and delivered expeditiously. They can do it; we never used Pickfords before nationalization."
The director of a smaller concern stated that delivery times had been greatly reduced by hauliers. •He quoted the example of an 8-ton load that B.R.S. took a week to deliver, but which now reaches its destination in two days. Formerly, 5-cwt. lots from London were eight days on the journey; hauliers had reduced the time to three days.
Commenting on this finding, a haulier said that when he was employed by B.R.S. in the local depot, it -was indicated to him that the traffic for the concern in question was of little account.
On my way to South Wales this month the road from Gloucester to Newport was covered with hardpacked snow consolidated by heavy goods traffic, and progress was highly dangerous. Later, when discussing an alarming incident with a driver employed by T.S.P. Transport, Ltd.. Skewen, he told me that, on an even worse stretch of road in the district. he and other drivers had gritted a hill three miles long to facilitate the ascent of three of the concern's lorries. • Mr. W. T. Trott, Mr. C. G. Seaman and Mr. S. D. Powell of T.S.P., Ltd., operate six vehicles on special A licences, comprising three Seddon 7-tonners, two E.R.F. 7i-tonners and an Atkinson 12-ton lorry. They also run a clearing house. Mr. Trott and Mr. Seaman owned undertakings that were nationalized, and Mr. Powell was employed by B.R.S. for a number of years after relinquishing a post as a transport manager.
Goods carried are mostly for heavy industries and include aluminium, cables, castings, galvanized ware and so on. With traffic that is sub-contracted, 1,200 tons a month are handled.
Mr. Powell stressed the importance of distribution facilities. Most of the traffic carried by the concern's vehicles is destined for the London area, where it is distributed by a driver in the employ of the clearing house, Chancel Transport (South Wales); Ltd., Ealing, who also collect the back loads. four vehicles operated by McKenna Transport, Ltd., arrive daily at the Skewen base, where the drivers are relieved by T.S.P. shunter drivers, who take over the lorries for distribution and reloading. About 360 tons a week come from Liverpool on the McKenna lorries.
Mr. Powell vehemently condemned rate-cutting by newcomers and feared that it might bring the name of private enterprise into disrepute.
Two important principles that private enterprise concerns should recognize were outlined by hauliers in Cardiff and Port Talbot. The necessity of organizing fleet operations so that back loading for potential customers could be guaranteed was underlined by Mr. T. S. Ross, of Ross Garages, Bute Street. Cardiff, as a factor upon which success often depended. Mr. Joseph Nelson, of J. Nelson and Sons (Port Talbot), Ltd., contended that operators had an obligation to traders and the public to create facilities for distributing small consignments.
Last Out: First In The former Ross fleet of five vehicles was the last to be nationalized in Cardiff and the present fleet of nine vehicles was the first in the city to be established for longdistance transport on special A licences after denationalization had begun. An overnight trunk service with three vehicles carrying steel is operated to Sheffield (two of the drivers are relieved at Bromsgrove) and back loads are collected from Batchelor's Peas, Ltd.
A depot opened in Sheffield six months ago, which is managed by one of Mr. Ross's brothers, Mr. N. Ross, is used as the base for one of the three trunk lorries. Steel sheet and tin plate comprise the bulk of the traffic. Other regular destinations include centres on the northeast coast.
Five of the Ross vehicles are eightwheelers of A.E.C. and Leyland manufacture, and three are Albion and Bedford four-wheelers. Last, November Mr. Ross bought a new A.E.C. Mammoth Major having -a Hotnalloy body supported by steel cross-bearers and fitted with a wooden floor (to prevent the steel slipping).
Replacements of which delivery is awaited include an Albion Chieftain equipped with a Homalloy body and cab and two A.E.C. Mercury tractors. The latter will be supplied with Tasker and Carrimore 12-ton 36-ft. trailers for special loads of steel and reinforced concrete, and a Carrimore 24-ft. trailer for normal loads. '
Mr. Ross and Mr. Nelson had similar opinions regarding the stabi lizing influence of the B.R.S. In Mr. Ross's experience, B.R.S. could be trusted not to resort to underhand competition, and Mr. Nelson suggested that their continued exist-, ance would prevent rates being based on "the weakest link" in the transport industry, represented by newcomers intent on cut-throat practices.
Mr. Nelson recently formed a company, Blue Line Transport (Port Talbot), Ltd., in conjunction with Mr. David Jones, of David Jones and Son (Port Talbot), Ltd., the fleet comprising two Atkinson 12-tonners and a 15-tonner of the same make. An eight-wheeler and a six-wheeler are employed on a nightly trunk service to London, carrying Steel, Shunter drivers take over the lorries at a base in Bracknell to distribute the steel and collect back-loads from a clearing house. The third vehicle is engaged on tramping between Port Talbot and the Oxford area, return loads frequently being collected from B.R.S. depots, the staffs of which were described as "very co-operative."
To initiate a distribution service Mr. Nelson recently started to operate a B-licence 6-tonner of his own fleet in conjunction with the Blue Line trunk run, Although the scheme is still on trial, it has proved remarkably successful, particularly with regard to groceries. Loads of cwt. to 10 cwt. are distributed locally and the traffic has increased fourfold in a few weeks.
Inquiries in the trading estates of Treforest, Hirwaun and Bridgend led me to the conclusion that private enterprise was incapable at this stage of providing even a minor part of the service required by the light industries in those areas, because the bulk of the traffic comprises small lots for dispersed destinations.
This conclusion was, however, challenged by Mr. E. W. S. Hayman, of Valley Carriers, Ltd., Penarth, who operate about 50 lorries on special A licences out of a total fleet of 100 vehicles. Although outgoing loads are, in the main, synthetic resins, plastics and distillates, and produce such as bacon and flour are back-loaded, co-operation with other hauliers in the area on a friendly basis would, Mr. Hayman claimed, enable smalls traffic to and from the trading estates to be expanded, given an increase in vehicle availability.
Estate Traffic
Mr. Hayman stated that his concern could already cope with requests from the estates, and a fleet increase to 150 vehicles over a comparatively short period, which he considered probable, should enable its smalls potential to be augmented.
A 15-tonner and an 8-tonner are operated on a trunk service to London, where an office was recently opened, and regular runs are made to Birmingham, Manchester and Newcastle upon Tyne. When returning from occasional trips to Scotland, the vehicles generally carry loads of felt and machinery for the collieries.
Because traders appreciate the speedier service provided, opportunities for expansion would appear limitless if sufficient licences are obtainable. The Valley Carriers fleet includes lorries and vans of 8-ton to 15-ton capacity of A.E.C., Leyland, E.R.F., Albion and Vulcan manufacture. Outgoing loads average 1,000 tons a week, which includes a small percentage of steel plate. Another haulier who is confident that smalls traffic can be expanded is Mr. William Morgan, of James Clark (Carriers), Ltd., Dudley Street, Cardiff, who operate vehicles on A and special A licences, with capacities ranging from 5 tons to 15 tons. These include Maudslay, Thorny croft, Dodge, Austin and Vulcan lorries and a Bedford van.
Steel represents about 30 per cent. of Mr. Morgan's outgoing traffic and the remainder includes paper, provisions and crated general" produce. Five vehicles are engaged on a trunk service to London, where a branch office is under the management of one of Mr. Morgan's brothers. Shunter drivers meet the trunk vehicles for distribution and to collect back loads. Interworking with a London concern is operating well.
There is close co-operation with B.R.S. depots and warehouses, and although it is claimed that a much quicker service can be given than was provided by the State undertaking, it is considered that the latter has a beneficial influence on trading conditions. The smaller vehicles in the fleet are employed for deliveries to the valleys, and liaison with other private-enterprise hauliers ensures that a full service can be maintained.
Although frequent references have been made by users to the lower overheads of hauliers, compared with B.R.S., many re-established operators say that to the high first cost of the vehicles and the expense of reconditioning must be added, as an offsetting factor, the extra cost of maintaining a fleet comprised of many makes and types.
Back with 30 Vehicles
This view was shared by Mr. George Hill, of Hill's Transport (Dinas Powis), Ltd., Dinas Powis, whose fleet of 25 vehicles and premises were nationalized in 1949 and who has returned to long-distance transport with 30 vehicles based at the same depot.
These are four-wheelers and eightwheelers of E.R.F., Atkinson, A.E.C., Commer, Vulcan and Austin manufacture. Most of the outgoing loads are steel, which is carried at the B.R.S. level of rates on a nightly trunk service to London (two vehicles) and on regular runs to Liverpool and Manchester.
No difficulty is normally experienced in collecting return loads of general produce, many of which are supplied by other private-enterprise concerns in the areas mentioned. A "pattern of contacts" is progressively being consolidated. A conversation with Mr. Ernest Elliot, of Elliot's Transport (New port), Ltd., Newport, indicated a factor in the re-establishment of . private-enterprise operations that may contribute increasingly to smooth working between hauliers and to good relations with B.R.S.
Mr. Elliot was employed for nearly six years on the staff of B.R.S. after his fleet of 10 vehicles and premises were nationalized in 1948. He regained his premises in March, 1954, and has a fleet of nine vehicles, mainly 8-tonners, of Albion, Leyland, Dodge, Austin and Bedford lorries, which are engaged in the carriage of aluminium, chemicals, steel, paper, scrap metal and tiMber to London and Liverpool.
Throughout the nationalization period Mr. Elliot kept in touch with his former customers, and now freely co-operates with other ex-B.R.S. staff running concerns in the areas visited.
Relations with the present B.R.S. depot staffs are friendly, to the point of interchanging spares and so on, and the existence of an efficient State service is regarded with approval. Similar rates are charged, although a reduction of 5 per cent. is made in special cases.
Greater Flexibility
Although t h e indivisible-load vehicles operated by Robert Wynn and Sons, Ltd., Newport, were not liable to nationalization, denationalization has enabled economies to be introduced by virtue of the return loads which can now be carried by the ancillary vehicles attending the low-loaders on delivery runs. Two normal-load vehicles—Scammell 15ton articulated outfits—have recently been added to the fleet and a new depot has been opened in Manchester.
Oneand two-vehicle newcomers "popping up all over the place and cutting rates" were phenomena that worried Mr. W. G. Davies, of W. G. Davies (Landore), Ltd., a haulier in Swansea, who lost 11 vehicles to B.R.S. in 1949 and has now re-established a fleet of equal strength. It includes five eight-wheelers and six other vehicles of A.E.C., Foden, Leyland and E.R.F. makes. The vehicles carry aluminium (which forms the bulk of the loads), steel, raw iron and basic slag to the Midlands and Sheffield and occasionally to London.
Another old-established small haulier said about the cut-rate newcomers: "Give them a chance. We've got to have fresh blood, and many of them will be pillars of the industry in 10 years' time."