WOODALL'S GOLDEN OLDIES
Page 44
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W 001)ALL Transport of
Coleshill, Birmin,harn has
.,,..
fleet of iast under 40 ,
vehicles, mostly tractive units. Threequarters of these are used on general haulage and are between six and eight years old (S. T and V registrations).
'[here are Volvo F86, 1-.7 and (;tay 14T units-, all were bought secondhand. Said managing director John Woodall: "1 can't bring myself to spend A:25,0(141 On a tractive unit tor general haulage." The S and T-reg F86 units cost httl each a couple of year, ago.
This means that Woodall '1ransport can run a relatively large fleet with very little capital investment. As a result, the depreciation is very low hideed.
Instead. the emphasis has to be on the maintenance. Woodall keeps this cost to a minimum by running the units as far as rlICV will go and then cannibalising them for spares. This reduces the spares bill, while in-house maintenance allows a good deal of work to be done without the labour costs getting out of hand. Outside repair work is taken on to spread the workshop overheads.
'Fins approach demands a high degree of standardisation in the fleet so
that the parts from the cannibalised vehicles will suit the "I1CtVcr" a chides coming into the fleet.
_Iohn Woodall admits that his policy does nor result in the most elegant fleet, even though some of the older Volvo cabs have been refurbished. Nor
is he sure that it is right, but he says hat he has the satisfaction of knowing that if work does not conic in for
unit, he does not have the massive standing cost of dip eciation to co% et — nor line purchase repayments to make.
Of course I 4Ai4iild like new trucks", says. Wood. I, -but lin not Sore that :=t1i0 would be better from an economic point of 'View. I Would have a flier .quarter of the SIZe.
-If I had the money to buy new rrucks I wo ddn't huv new rn cks.