HINTS TO HAULIERS.
Page 23
Page 24
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
An Occasional Chat on Subjects and Problems of Interest to Those Wno are Engaged, or About to Become Engaged, in Running Commercial Vehicles for a Living.
ACORRESPONDENT sets me this week a pretty problem, to be sure! He tells me that he is already the proud possessor of four vans, a Humber, a Swift, an Overland, and a Michael. 'Michael ? Michael ? Never heard of that before! Must be a good one, unless it's a. dark horse or an American! However, our friend wisely keeps me in the dark as to the capacity of these vehicles. Doesn't want to make my job too easy, I suppose! He has another on order, but the order was placed so long ago that he is evidently beginning to lose hope of ever getting his chassis. Eighteen months is a long time, certainly. There are other unpleasant features about this order, too. It is quite evident that the hopes of the manufacturer increase rather than decrease as time goes on, for, while the price at whieh the order was placed was 2425, it is now 2675. Having inqnaind present prospeets of delivery, or should I say lack of them, and in humble expectation of the valueaof the chassis going up pro rata with the .delay in completion, the customer feels that, by the time he does .receive it, it will be much too valuable, a possession for him to put it to such menial work as carrying eggs and butter, however scarce even they may be.
Will the Electric Vehicle Fulfil His Requirements ?
He is, therefore, on the look-out for something else to use for that and similar purposes, and in the cours6 of his investigations has already encountered another little trouble—these things seldom come .singly as I am sure my readers will'agree. He findstthatpetrol, which is the fuel which he has ianticipate&Using for his vehicles, is likely soon to reach.aprice which,will compel him to afford it thesame, treatment as that which he has already determined on for his irrospec4ive chassis. Steam for his class of work is out of the question, and Gol. Smith's suction gas plant is still in the prospective stage, so that he turns to electricity as a possible alternative, and he wants to know what I think about it. And hereabouts in his letter he casually mentions that 30 cat. is about the capacity of his intended chassis.
Now we have got down to rock bottom, and can get to business. Oh, I find there is at least one other piece of information; his journeys never exceed 12 miles in length • six out and six home.
Now the natter is obviously one which is going to be settled, largely, on cost, and, as my readers will remember, I insist -that that 'cannot accurately be determined unless the weekly or daily Paileage.is known. Unfortunately, my correspondent is silent on 'the point, or, at least, his letter gives no indication. I am, therefore, 'compelled to fall back on my own imagination. I must assume something. Let us suppose, therefore, that the weekly task of each driver is accomplished within the space of 48 hours. This, no doubt, will be divided into five days of nine hours each, with a half-day—it may be Saturday, or it may fall in the middle of the week, according to local custom—of three hours. I daaesay that I shall be quite safe in assuming that the net value of each full day to the employer will be eight and a half hours, although, during the missing half-hour I think the driver will find time to carry out the very necessary work of oiling, greasing, and cleaning his vehicle. The fis at job in the morning will no doubt be to run round tb the loading-bay and to take on the goods for delivery on the first round. This loading operation will probably take up another half-hour. The jour ney I shall imagine to be one of 12 miles, and I shall moreover assume that the number of calls to be made is, on this occasion, four. Taking two minutes per mile for running, and three minutes per call, we arrive at the conclusion that the time which should be legitimately spent on this job will be 36 minutes. Total for the whole run, including loading time, 66 minutes.
This isn't going to be the average, unfortunately, as there are delays, avoidable and unavoidable, which will swell up the total prodigiously, and I have no doubt whatever that I.shall be found to be well within the mark if I assume that a 12-mile triptakes, all included, an average of 90 minutes. I should be glad if my correspondent will write and correct me if I am wrong. This only allows of five round trips a day, 60 miles, or 330 milesiper week, on the average.
Now, according to the book, the vade mecum of the haulage contractor and 'commercial motor, user generally, namely, "Running Commercial Motors for a Living," the total working costs of a 10-cwt. van, accomplishing such a.mileage, will be 8.61 pence per mile, after due allowance is made for the increase in the price of petrol, and the rise in wages, which have occurred since the book was published last August. A 10-ewt. electric, according to the same authority, and, making again the allowance for wages increases, will only cost 7.37 pence per mile. Net saving 1.24d., nearly4a. penny farthing, a mile. On the week, the saving would be 349. 3d. per vehicle, or 26 17s. for the present fleet of four.. 'Quite a consideration, even in these days of the low value of the pound.
There is the question, of course, whether the eketries will Tun the mileage. I think, in view of the circumstances, and the method in which the work of my correspondent is carried out, there should be no diffizulty on thatoseore. All that is required is that he should arrange., his charging 'apparatus. in close proximity to his loading bay, so that the batteries can be given one or two boosts during the day. This can be done either in the dinner hour,. or while -the load is being put on board, or on both occasions if it is found to be necessary. .
The Outlay That Would be Entailed.
Now, as regards the new purchase, the 30-cwt. machine. My correspondent steps out boldly at me with a demand for the price of such a vehicle, but, he misses his way. He is not going to catch an old hand like myself with an easy one like that. I must again refer him to "Running Comm----" I needn't gay it all over again. He will find therein that-it is shown that the price of electric vehicle, minus batteries, %lid purchased from rival manufacturers, differs by nearly 80 per cent. 1 expect, however, that he will he able to get a reliable 30-ewt. vehicle complete witlrbattery for from 2700 to 2900; the former being approximately the figure if he specifies an acid-lead type battery, the latter if he has an Edison, or alkaline equipment. I am not going to advise him which type to choose ; no unbiassed person can, 'and no biassed one should.. He should-communicate with the makers of electrics whose names will be found in the advertisement columns of this journal. The mileage Of the 30-owt. machine will probably be less than that of floasmaller vehicle, owing to the longer time. Spent' in loading, apart from the fact that it will be shocrwith solid tyres, and subject most likely to a lower legal speed limit. For the purposes of calculation, I shall take 280 miles as a probable achievement in this regard. As regards working costs, these will work out at approximately 12.27 pence per mile in the case of the petrol-driven machine, and 11.70 for the electric—a halfpenny a mile in favour of the-electric. The same conditions of working will appertain as in the case of the smaller machines, so that there should be no difficulty about accomplishing the mileage. The work is precisely the kind for which any unbiassed individual, with a knowledge of the subject, would. recommend electrics. Short hauls, frequent stops, and reasonable facilities for keeping the batteries fully charged. There is one objection to them, a local one ; the dis-trict is hilly. I speak from experience, for I used to live near the place he names ! It is for my correspondent to bear this in. mind, for only he has a knowledge of the extent to which it bears on the question. I have given the figures for economy based on average running costs, assuming a certain mileage per gallon for the petrol vehicle. Tinder the conditions in which these machines work, it is more than likely that those figures for consumption will be exceeded, and that, in reality, the economies to be effected by the substitution of the electric will be improved upon. As a guide to my correspondent in chkking my figures I should, I think, inform him that I have assumed a consumption, for the 10-cwt. machines,"'of 16 miles per gallon, and for the 30-cwt. lorry, of which, I gather, he has as yet no figures for coin parison, I have taken 9i miles per gallon. There is one other ipoint raised in my cone., pondent's letter—an important one. He is subject to the disadvantage of having no public electricity.supply on which -to draw. He-is, therefore, considering the purchase and installation of a self-contained plant with which he can make his own current. On that point he asks my help. There is, Unfortunately, not sufficient information in his letter for me to be able to deal with the question, and it is one which I do not like to treat indefinitely. If he will write to me again, telling me more about his actual accomplishments in the way of loads carried, mileages run per week, whether he intends to discard any of the present machines when he takes delivery of the heavier model, whether he anticipates that his business will grow, and what will ultimately be the size of the fleet for which he expects, to have to provide current, and whether he anticipates using the current for lighting or other purposes ; then I will reply -to him on this subject. I should say, however, that, properly arranged, it should.be possible to equip his premises withiekctric plant which will afford him current at little more than the price which is taken as a basis for these costs. In any case, the current consumption of the electric vehicle is a small propor
tion of its cost account. TEE SE.OTCH.