French Operators Fight "Expensive Illusion"
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By P. A. C. Brockington, A.M.I.Mech.E.
Road Haulage Across the Channel Keeps Pace with Expanding Economy But Under Shadowof State
Interference
IN an official report published last year on road-rail co-ordination in France, M. Jacques Chauchat, president of the C-licence operators' association (the Union des Usagers des Whicules de Transport Prive) criticized State intervention which sought to co-ordinate by legislation. M. Chauchat pointed out that little traffic was " interthangeable " and that there was, in practice, close-cooperation between different types of operator regarding the most appropriate form of transport applicable to the normal range of goods traffic.
M. Chauchat said that it would be difficult to improve co-ordination by outside intervention, and he described the Government's claim that. the economy of goods transport could be improved by legislation as an "expensive illusion."
As in Britain, French ancillary operators are free to expand their fleets according to individual requirements, whilst the overall carrying capacity of hauliers' vehicles engaged in long-distance transport is restricted by law. Up to 1955 the tonnage was limited to the pre-war total, and although an increase was granted in that year, the benefit. to hauliers was relatively small.
No Traffic Courts
There are no traffic courts in France, and apart from any legislation that might be introduced to abstract traffic from hauliers and divert it to . the State-owned rail system, there is no threat of nationalization. Licences to carry specific types of goods over short distances are generally obtainable without difficulty at Ministry offices.
Despite the arbitrary limitation of hauliers' carrying capacity, the tonnage moved by their vehicles has progressively increased over the years. This is in part attributed by M. C. Leblanc, national chairman of the Federation Nationale des Transports Routiers, the professional operators' association, to B22 the more general use of semi-trailers for the carriage of goods in bulk, combined with the development of mechanical handling.
A type of road-rail co-ordination that is fully acceptable to both Clicence operators and hauliers is represented by the development of special rail facilities for carrying road vehicles between large centres of population. Complete trains of these wagons are running regularly on an experimental basis from Paris to Lyons and from Paris to Bordeaux.
According to official statistics published in December, 1958, 759m. tons of goods were transported by road in France during 1957, compared with a total of 217m. tons by rail. Of the road tonnage, however, 646m. tons were conveyed a distance of less than 31 miles (50 km.) and only 33m. tons represented long-distance transport on routes of more than 93 miles.
In terms of ton-miles, therefore, the railways had a far larger share of the traffic than suggested by the percentages quoted. The statistics show that in 1957 the railways' share of traffic in terms of ton-miles was more than double the amount attributed to road transport.
The expanding economy of the country is indicated by a progressive increase in ton-miles by road, rail and water from 41,600m. in 1952 to 52,600m. in 1957. Road-rail percentages have, however, remained substantially the same, the ton-miles for road transport varying between 23 and 27, whilst the proportion for rail transport did not exceed 66 (1952) nor fall below 61 (1954).
Total Tonnage
A comparison between C-licence traffic and the operations of professional hauliers for the four years 1954 to 1957 in terms of total tonnage and ton-miles shows that the hauliers retained a substantial part of the longdistance traffic in a virtually uniform proportion. For example, in both 1954 and 1957. hauliers' vehicles carried about 26 per cent. (C-licence vehicles transported 74 per cent.) of the tonnage conveyed by road, whilst the ton-miles credited to them were about 48 per cent. Compared with the total tonnage carried by road, rail and water, the hauliers' contribution was 19-20 per cent., which represented 12-13 per cent. of the total if the traffic were assessed in ton-miles. 'rofessional hauliers in France ard the British licensing system h mixed feelings. Those who con!r that there would be opportuni of justifiable expansion, given a ible licensing system, believe that tilations based on proof of need ild benefit the country. In some .;s, however, the complexity of the :ish system is criticized on the und that it promotes instability.
Lit examination of the statistics ws how professional hauliers have -eased their operational efficiency
r the years if the assessment is ed on ton-miles. Although the portion of combined road-railer traffic credited to hauliers in 7 (12 per cent.) was substantially same as their share in 1954 (13 per t.). they operated 6,400m. ton-miles 1957, compared with 5,500m. in
Little Change
'ercentages of goods vehicles in the ous payload capacities have not erially changed in the past few rs, and the figures for January, 6, are representative of the propor s today. These show that C-licence ra,tors owned a large proportion of ides in the 2-ton to 5-ton category that vehicles of 7-ton, 10-ton, 15 capacities were divided about ally between the two types of rat or.
or example, 157,000 of the 162,000 n vehicles were owned by censees, and in the 15-ton category O vehicles were operated on own )unt and 2,200 by hauliers. The age in the balance between the two Jos was marked when comparing nners and 7-tonners; in both cases hers operated 1,500 vehicles, reas C-licensees owned 6,500 nners and 1,900 7-tonners.
f 108,000 lorries of 34--ton capa, 10,000 were operated by hauliers 98,000 by traders, and in the 10-ton s the numbers were around 6,000 10,000 respectively.
December, 1957, 1,247,100 llary vehicles were in service, cornc1 with 91.300 lorries operated by hers. Of the 538,000 vehicles of to 1-ton capacity, 531,200 were ~Med under C licence. The number railers in use totalled 156,400. ccording to the Ministry of Transfigures published in January.
3, the registered tonnage of longince hauliers was about 111,4.00 number of concerns being 6,431. :he case of 25.413 short-distance liers the registered tonnage totalled ly 207,000.
he large preponderance of small -ators is shown by the fact that
more than 98 per cent. of the haulage companies operated eight or fewer vehicles. Nearly 68 per cent. ran one vehicle, whilst the percentage of those operating more than 20 vehicles was 0.3, the average fleet size being 45.
Concerns operating two lorries represented about 16 per cent., whilst fleets of three to five vehicles accounted for nearly 12 per cent. The percentage of hauliers running eight vehicles was 2.6, whilst companies operating an average of 14 vehicles were 1.1 per cent. of the total, and undertakings with an average fleet size of 20 were credited with a percentage of 0.4.
One township in three was provided with haulage facilities by a local company. which was a higher percentage than the number of townships with railway stations. These numbered 7,000 out of approximately 38,000.
The development of semi-trailer traffic in recent years is also revealed by official statistics. Between September, 1951, and January, 1957, the number of articulated vehicles increased from 9,134 to 25,004. The increase in vehicles of 13-ton capacity and over was approximately 800 per cent. in the case of semitrailers, compared with a 250 per cent. expansion of drawbar trailers.
Of a total of 49,066 drawbar trailers in 1951, 4.734 were in the 1-1-ton class, and the number of semi-trailers in this category was 137. Although semitrailers of this capacity had increased to 451 by 1957 the total was still small compared with the 11,797 drawbar trailers.
In contrast, semi-trailers in the highest weight classification of 13 tons and over numbered 662 in 1951 and 5,297 in 1957, compared with 740 drawbar trailers in 1951 and 1,680 in 1957. In the 9-13-ton class there were 4,722 semi-trailers, compared with 5,133 drawbar trailers.
Standard types of wooden pallet are extensively employed by both Clicensees and hauliers, and steel or wooden stillages are frequently used for more specialized goods.
Special Wagon
The most recent type of wagon to be developed by the French railways for carrying goods vehicles is specifically designed to transport semi-trailers. It enables the height of the load to be reduced without using small wheels. which promotes stability at high speed. With the semi-trailer wheels supported on an underslung ramped framework. the body is about 12 in. above the main frame members of the truck.
A special oil-engined pneumatictyred tractor is employed to load trailers on the rail wagons with the aid of a mobile ramp. The tractor is equipped with a hydraulically operated lifting arm which mates with a bracket on the front of the trailer. The driver's seat swivels and the steering controls are duplicated, so that the vehicle may be driven forward in either direction.
The 310 miles from Paris to Lyons are covered nightly by rail in approximately 11 hours. If covered by road by a conventional tractor unit the journey can be completed in about 10 hours. Many hauliers and C-licence operators, however, have found that the rail services provide overall savings in time and cost, depending on the length of delivery run from the railhead and opportunities of backloading. A haulage company owned by the railways provide a delivery service at both terminals.
Gelman Contrast
This system may be contrasted with a method employed by the German railways, in which the axle or bogie of the trailer is demountable, the body being lowered by the jacks on to the platform of the wagon after removal of the wheels.
An Italian system developed to facilitate road-rail transfers is based on the use of a demountable body in conjunction with road and rail vehicles equipped with support frames of similar dimensions. A special jacking-type installation is built on the rail siding to lift the body from the road vehicle and replace it on the rail wagon. An obvious advantage of the French system is that standard types of semi-trailer can be readily accommodated and no permanent installations are required.
The complexities or international traffic create special problems for both ancillary users and hauliers. Analyses of transport facilities in neighbouring countries are prepared by the F.N.T.R. and the U.V.T.P., and information is collected regarding road-building and transport projects in various countries. This enables expert advice to be given to members on probable trends in road and rail transport, as well as more immediate problems regarding regulations in other European countries.
French operators look forward to easier sea passages to Britain, or a channel tunnel, and to a network of motorways which would provide facilities for high-speed deliveries equal to the best in Continental countries. Hauliers forecast a great deal of international " haggling " before regulations in the United Kingdom will allow direct export by public carriers.