Drivers for Heavy Commercial Motors.
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By T. C. Aveling, A.M.I.C.E.
The success of a vehicle which develops its own power rests in almost every case upon the individuality of the. driver. The evolution of the commercial vehicle is based . as much upon the requirements of the driver as upon the conditions of the road to be travelled and the load to be carried. To users of Lommercial vehicles this is of vital importance; and let us, before we go further, assert the fact that to produce, out of the raw material, a competent driver for any commercial motor exceeding, say, two tons in weight
unladen, will entail a cost of at least before satisfactory results can be obtained. Very few users of these vehicles realise this fact, although the writer has evidence from all sides that after 24 months' running of a commercial vehicle the repairs of that vehicle are infinitely less in the second 12 months than they were in the first I2—a result due to the fact that the driver has picked up his knowledge at the expense of extra wear and tear of the vehicle he is driving.
OUALIFICATIONS OF A DRIVER
Many years ago, for the purpose of competing in an important trial, a firm of road locomotive engineers organised their own tests of about 200 drivers, men drawn from the immediate district, each driver competing against another, and the winners of the various heats again competing against each other. These elimination trials brought out as the final winner a boy of 16 years of age. The capabilities required were care in fuel consumption, and speed in manipulation of the locomotive; it being held that these two qualities combined would of themselves indicate the most proficient driver. A motor vehicle driver must have an instinctive care and respect for the machinery in his charge. As a public servant—for this is his position since commercial vehicles run on public roads—he must be ever ready and courteous. Men procured for this work should be self-reliant and of a nature that appreciates the uses and abuses of discipline. It is a question whether the driver of a commercial vehicle is better without former experience of self-propelled locomotion. It has often been found that a man without former experience will appreciate the instruction given to him and will be more careful and less likely to be prejudiced by his former experience. If we take a railway locomotive driver or a steam tramway driver, he will be sure to apply his experience on the railroad or tramroad to his new work on common roads. Now this experience may be detrimental to the success of the vehicle =nineon the common roads. As a class of men for this kind of work the writer would suggest
S'rOKERS RETIRED FROM THE ROYAL NAVY.
These men generally have pensions and are handy men of the first order for the work in view. They are used to discipline and accustomed to keep themselves clean : they have served under many masters and have probably had experience of positions from which only their self reliance would extricate them. We must remember that driving a pleasure motor vehicle will not develop the energies nor the capabilities in the same way as driving a commercial vehicle, and that the fuel consumption, upkeep, and general running of the vehicles will have to be more carefully watched in the latter case. Indeed, it is not likely that we shall be able to obtain commercial vehicle drivers from the class of men who have been driving private motor vehicles. With this short summary of what a driver should be, we will turn to the subject of the article and find out what are the best methods of obtaining drivers for commercial vehicles. And first of all let me point out that the successful commercial vehicle will he the vehicle which the worst kind of driver will be able to drive without breakdown and without stoppage. I will imagine that up to the present the user of the vehicle has had his transport carried on by means of horse flesh; and that, drunk or sober, by the aid of a good horse the driver has completed his journey at the end of the day.
We will imagine that the user has in his mind's eve a man suitable for driving a new vehicle. With what qualities does he credit this man? He may have been tending a boiler or driving a gas engine, or he may be an old railway man. All these men are good, but have they the knowledge of the road that the driver of a commercial vehicle should possess? The man is placed upon a vehicle, probably supposed to be taught by an expert driver from the manufacturers, and the vehicle suffers more or less according to the natural competence or incompetence of the particular driver chosen. While at this point I should like to remind manufacturers that the most competent driver is not always Inc most competent teacher of drivers. Drivers who have won in competitions of themselves know every detail of the vehicle they are running, and will not for the learner's benefit start teaching him from the very beginning. After driving the vehicle under the care of the instructor from the manufacturers, the embryo driver has rather a hazy notion of what is required of him to keep the wagon in running order ; and he is now left to his own devices ar.d probably has no realisation of what he is actually doing when he is driving. He has to learn from bitter experience, and the expense of this experience is born by the owner of the vehicle. The embryo driver causes the owner considerable worry, and this is transferred to the manufacturer by the complaints of the owner concerning the unnecessary delays to the running of the vehicle, caused by the ignorance of the driver.
PRELIMINARY TRAINING.
Under the present conditions what would be the best method of training men for this important work? No theoretical knowledge, no demonstrations in a lectureroom, not even technical classes (so great a boon to learners throughout the country) can make an experienced driver of the student. Under present conditions the simplest method for users of commercial vehicles would be to act as follows. Having found a man reliable, clean, and sober, with a natural love of machinery :—(i) For at least a fortnight or a month he should accompany a driver of a vehicle on its daily rounds, not handling or touching or having anything to do with the driving of the vehicle, but carefully watching the driver in everything he does, starting with the driver in the early morning and leaving off with him at night. If possible this period of learning should be undergone during the winter months; for the difficulties of driving are much increased at this season, and a fortnight of watching a vehicle running in the winter would be as valuable as a month's watching in the summer. After this period a series of simple questions should be put to him, such as :—In the case of a steam vehicle being short of water, what would you do? Answer : Draw fire and open damper. If steam is blowing off in a crowded street, what action would you take? Answer : Close damper and bank fire. If an accident occurred with other users of the road, through your vehicle, how would you act? Answer : Take the names and addresses of witnesses, and write report to head office. (These questions and answers are only suggestive, and the owner of the vehicle should have a sufficient amount of knowledge himself to be able to examine a driver at this early stage.) If the man selected, after his first fortnight of watching the dtiver of the vehicle, can answer these simple questions, he will show you that he is interested in his work,
and will probably make a capable servant. (2) From this he should be sent to the works of the manufacturers for at least a month or a fortnight, there to see the inner details of the construction of the vehicle he will probably drive. After this period, questions as to detail of construction and as to
the methods of lubrication should be put to him in order to obtain evidence that he is continuing his education. If satisfactory answers are obtained, you may be sure that money will be saved by using such a man as a driver. (3) The vehicle is now delivered in the charge of a driver from the manufacturers; and the man whom the owner has
chosen to he placed upon this vehicle, in charge of the manufacturers' driver, drives for at least a fortnight. At the end of this time he will probably know how to handle a vehicle. Whether he will handle the vehicle to the best advantage will rest solely on his own ability. At present some such method as the above must be adopted by the prospective purchaser of a commercial vehicle,
but it would be infinitely preferable if the Motor Van and Wagon Users' Association were to take the question up and formulate some system of training drivers suitable for our purpose. Would it not be possible for this Association to take under their wing and organise an association of motor van and wagon drivers? This Drivers' Association should be made self-supporting and should be in a position to issue certificates of competence to drivers belonging to the .Association who have had experience and are of good character. There are plenty of owners of vehicles in want of. competent drivers; and plenty of suitable men eager to undertake these duties willing to undergo the necessary training for them. That owners would be willing to pay a fee for obtaining a driver's services for, say, at least 24 months there can be no denying. .A competent and careful driver is worth some 3os. per week to the owner of a commercial vehicle, and according to the miles accomplished and to the care bestowed upon the vehicle. We would suggest that after the conclusion of period No. 1, as outlined earlier, the driver should receive a fourth-class certificate on ex.amination. There are probably members of the Motor Van and Wagon Users' Association who would be willing to allow the embryo driver to accompany their driver on his rounds for a period of a fortnight at a fee of, say, los. per week, paid by the Association out of the fees received from the driver learning and from fees obtained from the owner of the vehicle wishing to obtain a driver. Such a concession would save the owner the wages of a second man or stoker where one was necessary. After the conclusion of period No. 2 the driver should receive a third-class certificate; and after No. 3 a secondclass certificate.
In all he would be learning for a period of six weeks, the last two weeks of which he would be actually handling the vehicle he is to drive. This would mean that for a month the prospective driver would be without earning powers. To keep him for this period at 25s. per week would amount to 4'5 and, say, 42 for his travelling expenses—in all The driver would have to agree to work for 40 weeks at a reduction of 5s. per week from his wages. If satisfactory, at this period, i.e„ after 40 weeks, a further examination by correspondence would gain him a first-class certificate.
His wages would vary from 3os. to 355. for the first 52 weeks. This reduction of 5s. per week for 40 weeks would produce ;'10, the fee suggested to be paid by the vehicle owner to the Association for obtaining the services of a driver passing the examination of the Association. The due proportion of the -LIO paid by the Association would be ex pended in wages and travelling expenses to the prospective driver during his period of inability to earn—viz., 47. Of the balance 4'1 would have to be paid to the member of the Van and Wagon Users' Association for allowing the prospective driver to ride and observe for a period of a fortnight, the remaining ,4.2 to go into the exchequer of the Drivers' Association. The whole of the fee of paid by the vehicle owner would be returned to him by the services of the driver for a period of 40 weeks at a decrease of wages of 5s. per week. The prospective driver, to benefit by this system, must pay down a sum of at least 4'3 to guarantee a proportion of his expenses while learning and to be returned to him (less estabaishment and clerical charges) on passing his examinations. After each of the periods (I), (2), and (3), the prospective driver should be examined, and if found incapable the expenses incurred by him should be deducted from the 4.3 paid by him in the first instance, The first examination should enable the Association to tell whether the selected man is suitable and likely. The members of the Drivers' Association should pay an annual subscription of 7s. 6d. or JOS. 6d. for purposes of clerical and office expenses. Competent drivers belonging to the Assneiation would be worth a fee of 4't Is. to users of vehicles, this fee to go to the exchequer of the association.
Some such association as the above would be a boon to users, manufacturers, and drivers, and would prevent the daily loss and expense now incurred by all from the employment, of men destitute of the proper knowledge. One word should be said as to repairs and upkeep. No driver should be allowed to do any repairs of importance to the vehicle in his charge. This is a distinct and separate work, and should be relegated to fitters supplied by the manufacturers or their district agents. We do not allow the drivers of our horse vehicles to " vet." our horses, and the same rule should hold good in the upkeep of self-propelled vehicles for commercial purposes.
Many urban and district councils are taking action for appointment of the inspecting officers to carry out the regulations under Article 12 of the Heavy Motor Car Order, 1904. Our readers will remember that, as settled by the Local Government Board, each local authority is required to appoint " officers" who will have power to require a driver to proceed a distance (not exceeding half a mile) to a public weighing machine, to ascertain the correct axle weight. The County Council for the West Riding of Yorkshire have appointed the Surveyor, Assistant Surveyor, and the constabulary as the " officers " under the order.