Operational Data for Solving the Problems Trunk-service Vehicles of the
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Carrier Summarizing Some Information Concerning the Working of 13 Vehicles Forming Part of a Large Fleet Engaged on Long-distance Haulage ALL the data given in the two previous articles, and in this one, too, relate to the operation. of 13 vehicles comprising part of a large fleet. Of that number, seven are 6-tonners, four are 7-8-tonners, one a 12-tonner and one a 15-tonner. No particular care was taken in the selection of the 13 vehicles; records which could conve
niently be spared were taken from.the files. There is, however, just this point-they are representative, in the proportion of sizes of vehicle, to the fleet as a whole.
The operator has depots in four principal industrial centres. The journeys referred-to in these articles are, for the most part, between termini where the services and facilities of these depots can be utilized.
The period covered is that between July, 1940, and March, 1941. It was, therefore, in the main, during the major blitz from the air on this country. Traffic was, at that time, fairly plentiful and conditions, in that respect, were much better than they are to-day In my view, they .correspond With those which are likely to prevail so socrn as normal conditions return after the war.
If I am correct in that surmise, the figures are of particular value, inasmuch as they indicate what may be expected to recur at that time. I suggest that they be considered in that light, in part as a guide to what rates should be, also (which is the principal object of these articles) as an indication of the types of vehicle which are likely to be most profitable in use.
Operator's Mistaken Impression on Rates He Can Charge Before proceeding to the gist of my subject, a few words about the operator himself may be interesting. In the first
• place, he has a high opinion of " The Commercial Motor" Tables of Operating Costs. True, he thinks that he can profitably operate at rates which bring him in a return less than that which is recommended in the Tables. Needless to say, I do not agree with him.
Secondly, he is a firm believer in the speedy 8-tonner as being the most economical and, therefore, most profitable vehicle for long-distance haulage, being of the opinion that larger machines need be used when only the unit load demands it. As will appear from what follows, there is some justification for that belief.
In the third place, he is of opinion that, for successful and profitable operation on trunk services, a good deal depends on the way a vehicle is loaded. Ile is fond of citing, in this connection, what he calls the ideal load. It comprises an underlay of something. heavy and compact, such as bags of nails or pig lead; 7 tons can be laid on the floor of a 15-tonner and, on top of it, a full load of textiles, about 8 tons in weight, thus making up the capacity in bulk of a 15-tonner.
The 8 tons of textiles are rated, because of their bulk, so that the operator receives the full 15-ton rate for that part of the load, and whatever he may get for the 7 tons of nails or pig lead is net, extra profit. I have not observed, in examining the records which are the main part of this article, that the operator is often able to load to that advantage. There are plenty of indications, however, that the principles indicated are applied so far as conditions a llow.
Now turn to the " Table of Loadings " which accompanies this article. To a large extent, it is self-explanatory. My reason for setting it out in the way it is shown is that I wish to draw particular attention to a most important point in connection with trunk services, namely, the per centage of return loads. • On the whole, as can be seen, the ratio is good-better, I believe, than the average. Whether that superiority is due to the skill with which the vehicles are loaded by the operator, or to particularly favourable conditions which may have been prevalent at the time, I do not know. I must, at least, emphasize that I do not think that the average small haulier can show such good figures.
In every case in which it appears to me that the journey has taken longer than it should,. I have investigated the circumstances and found the cause. For example, take (a); a 6-tonner takes three days, whereas, as may be seen, two days are usually sufficient. This Was, indeed, a difficult journey. In the first place, four pick-ups had to be made in the headquarters town, before the actual journey started. There Were an equal number of drops and, to make matters worse, they were not all in one town, but in three, within a circle of about/5 miles. This made it necessary for the vehicle to retrace its path in order to be able to pick up the return load.
That consignment, moreover, was not for delivery direct to the home town, but to a point approximately midway between the two termini. This load was dropped and another taken on for the rest of the trip. This is a real tramp trip and, considering all things, a creditable performance as regards the time taken on the job. Example (b) is similar to (a) in that the journey is a triangular. one There are two pick-ups, one of them in the headquarters town and the other at a place eight or nine miles away oil the outward route. There are, however, seven drops involved in the delivery of this load, and a run back again, on the outward track, to collect the unit return load for delivery 'to the home town. It will be appreCiated that the driver's working hours were fully occupied in completing this journey of 550 miles in the time stated.
Another example which shows how the time needed for a round trip is extended by the need for picking up small consignments is afforded by (c). Here, as is noted in the table, there are two pick-ups and two drops involved on the outward journey and the same on the return trip. The normal time of two days is thereby increased to three days.
There is some apparent compensation for the delay in this' case, in the fact that the efficiency of the loading is 130 per cent —7.7 tons' carried on the outward journey and 8 tons on the return.
The point I wish to make, by discussing these particular journeys at length. is that in every case when a 6-tonner exceeded two days for the outward and return journey there -were special circumstances which account for the increase in the time needed for the trip. In other words, a 6-tonner can, under straightforward conditions, cover up to 450-or 460 miles in a round journey, carrying a capacity load on the outward 'route and the same on the return trip, and be home again within two days.
High-Loading Efficiency of the 6-tonner
Checking up the figures for these 6-tonners, it is seen that the average loading efficiency is no less .than 94 per cent. Although it is true that this is,in part, due to the fact that, in four journeys out of 19, the vehicles are overloaded, the performance and the management which made it possible are commendable.
There is no real point in averaging the times taken for the journeys. Actually, 21 days is the mean of the 19 jdunaeys scheduled; that conveys nothing of importance. The normal pe,rio'd is, obviously, two days which means, in effect, that it is reasonable to expect that three journeys can be completed per week. That is the most econorrilcil way to operate trunk services, using vehicles of this • capacity.
It is of interest to assess rates for this traffie on the basis of three journeys per week, remembering that this means from 60 to 66 hours per week for the driver, for which allowance Must be made in feckoning the amount spent on wages. Also, he will be away from home for three nights per week, so that there will 'be an item of £1 10s. per week for subsistence allowance and expenses.
The standing -charges will total £9 6s. 6d per week. (I am taking the data in " The Commercial Motor, " Tables of Operating Costs as a basis.) The running costs for this type of vehicle amount to Sid. per mile and, as the weekly mileage approximates to 1,300, They total £30 18s. 9d. Add for establishment charges 18s, per ton of pay-load, that is RS 8s. per week, and the total expenditure is seen to be £45 13s. 3d. per week.
The tonnage possible per week is 36, and 94 per cent. of that is nearly 34 tons. On that basis, the rate should be £1 12s. 3d. per ton, with an increase of 30 to 40 per cent. for small consignments. This is for a net lead mileage of 200 to 210. The total of 450 to 460 mile-. mentioned above as the average per trip, is reached by adding mileage for detours and allowing for the fact that many Collections, and deliveries have to be made at points some distance from the nominal termini.
Figures for 7-07tonners in Operator's Fleet Turning now to the 7-8-tonners. For some reason, which is not apparent from the records, but may, nevertheless, be significant, the majority of the journeys made by these vehicles is exceptional. This is because tIN.' involve going over the two-day limit, which should ba just as' easily attainable with a 7-8-tonner.as with a 6-tonner.
There is no need to go into these journeys in the same detail as I have in the examples quoted above. The reasons 'set out in the " remarks" column of the " Table ot Loadings" will suffice. , It does seem, taking the figures in this table is, kbasis, that it is not safe to reckon on, more than two journey& per week as practicable with a vehicle of this size. Reckoning rates in the same way as in the case of the 6-tonner there are, first, the standing charges at £10 11s. 6d. per week, running costs at 61d. per mile (900 miles per week is £23, 9s. 6d.) and establishment costs at £6 15s. The total is £40 16s. and the net revenue should be at least £49 per week.
The maximum tonnage is 30 per week, but the percentage efficiency of loading, as shown on the schedule, is only 82; payment, therefore, can be expected only for 24.6Jons per week, so that the rate must be £2 per ton, with. the usual reservations for " less than full truck loads."
The data I have concerning the 12-tanners and the 15-tonners are so scant that it is,perhaps, hardly fair to attempt to deal with them on these lines. However, • it will do no harm to assume that each can do Iwo journeys per week. In the case of the 15-tonner, it is true, that appears to be impracticable, unless the vehicle works seven days per week. I am of opinion, however, tha't the two journeys which were all that I was able to record were both exceptional and that, in the ordinary way, the round journey can be finished within the three days.
Reckoning the rates for these vehicles in the same way as in the cases, of the 6-tanners and 7-8-tonners, I find that the rate when a 12-tonner is, used must be the same as in the case of the 7-8-tonner, namely, £2 per ton. For loads on the 1-tonner the rate can be as low as £1 10s.
per tan. S.T.R.