How Much?
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BLUNT maybe, but ultimately this is the inevitable question when a commercial transaction is being negotiated. Whether it be a commercial vehicle or the service it provides, the purchaser must assess quality and reliability against price.
How stupid it would seem if a vehicle manufacturer did not know the price of his own product. It is no less ludicrous, but unfortunately true, that too many road transport operators do not know the real cost of the services they provide. And in a competitive world customers do not question charges " below the odds ". Rather will they quietly enjoy their good fortune while it last Yet paradoxically enough not every industry is provided by its trade Press with such a comprehensive annual publication on cos as "The Commercial Motor" Tables of Operating Costs, the iew edition of which is announced, with extracts, on pages 72-76. First published in 1911, it is universally recognized for its impartiality, accuracy and authoritativeness.
Soon costing may assume even greater importance. Implementation of the Beeching Plan is expected to result in new traffic for road operators. None of it is profitable to the railway and some of it may not even be profitable to the road operator. It needs costing know-how" to sort out the chaff. Failure to do so could prove equally disastrous, relatively, to the haulier—but with no handout from the Treasury this time.