From Red Stars to Yellow Diamonds
Page 58
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It is over three years since the Red Star delivery service was introduced by the British Railways Parcels Service and as all concerned with distribution know only too well, BR offered its customer the "unique privilege" of putting a parcel on a "named train" for the additional sum of 5s. This service was simply a means of "milking" the user, as previously any person could take a parcel to a railway station and ask for it to be sent on a particular train "to be called for" at its destination.
Now we have progressed from "Stars" to "Diamonds", and with a triumphant announcement of a guaranteed delivery, the general manager of British Rail Freight Sundries division is now asking his customers to pay 10s more for the privilege of having delivery within 24 hours (next day he calls it) on routes between London and Manchester, Leeds, and Newcastle on Tyne. What a nerve!! Such a service should be guaranteed for sundry parcels without extra charge and not only on routes where there are over 20 express trains a day to each of these destinations. I wrote to your journal over four years ago challenging the carriers of small parcels and sundries to guarantee next-day delivery within the United Kingdom for distances up to 200 miles with failure to deliver resulting in a refund of the whole of the freight cost. At that time one road carrier replied that they accepted the challenge, and since then I understand that they still guarantee next-day delivery at normal rates or money refunded if the nondelivery is the fault of the carrier.
I challenge British Railways to give this service to the customer without the additional charge—this is the way to obtain new customers and to attract old customers back to the railway—I fail to see how an additional 10s can speed up the delivery of a parcel using trains which are already timetabled and running on set schedules—the answer lies in better management, better understanding between station staffs and customers, and the eagerness to make British Railways efficient by all concerned with its operation.
F. H. WOODWARD, Manager—Transport Services, Plessey Co. Ltd., Ilford, Essex.
Transport managers' licences
Anyone who read CM's report of the Lords debate on the subject of transport managers' licences must have realized just how hopelessly confused the Government and, indeed, everybody else is on this subject.
It seems now that some holders of the licence will know very little about the subject and others will have to know a great deal. It will be sufficient for some to know nothing more than that it is necessary to send a vehicle to a local garage occasionally. He could be a driver or some part-timer.
On the other hand, a large fleet operator would need to know a great deal more. The distinction between them all is to be some kind of category licence.
The only common factor is that each will be the nominated scapegoat for blame and possibly punishment when something goes wrong.
Since the object of the idea is to secure a higher standard in the national fleet, it is ludicrous that the small operators, who will comprise 96 per cent of the first holders of TMLs and be responsible for 60 per cent of the national fleet, shall be the least qualified.
To the empires of transport educators who are springing up everywhere and the vested interests of longer establishment, joy is unconfined because it is they who have this illogical approach.
The whole conception is upside down with a mountainous bureaucracy in and out of the Ministry to boot.
What is needed is the highest possible common denominator among the small operators, leaving the larger operators merely to improve their own (in most cases) already higher standards.
Neither transport managers generally nor the Ministry in particular, are to benefit by denigrating a fine concept by making the standards low enough to suit the capacity of applicants. Either they are to be educated to a common minimum standard or the whole philosophy is destroyed.
A. W. BALNE, Ewell, Surrey
Not ergonomic enough
Have you seen a bad-tempered truck driver recently? If so, spare a thought—it might be the truck manufacturer to blame.
As managing director of a company concerned in the design and development of some of the most modern equipment in the world for transporting heavy plant and machinery, I make a special point of road-testing any heavy commercial vehicles that are used to haul our equipment. A professional driver has to spend eight hours a day in the cab of a vehicle and the comfort of the cabs of British vehicles has not progressed as it so easily could. During recent testing of heavy and medium tractive units of one make, I found a very uncomfortable seat, together with a steering column raked at an angle unacceptable in the very cheapest of private cars and rear view mirrors (which should fall automatically into the driver's line of vision) incapable of satisfactory focusing. The crowning insult was when I tested a 50-ton tractive unit. A small square part-upholstered platform for a seat, not even in line with the steering column. A horn button at full arm's stretch (and I am 6ft tall), light switches half-way across the cab, and a trafficator switch mounted on the ceiling. If the offside front wheel hit three cat's eyes in a row I was shaken off the driving seat. The unit, governed to 28 mph, produced an ear-shattering noise.
Competing Continental and Arnerican trucks will haul 50 per cent more load at more than twice the speed in real comfort I know . . . I've driven them!
This tractive unit, from a famous company, is certified at 50 tons, and is equipped by the manufacturers with a main tow coupling marked "load not to exceed 12 tons".
Intendedly constructive comments to a director of the truck manufacturing company produced the reply, ". . . but you, as manufacturers, will know that it is not always possible to meet every requirement". signed by the group chairman.
Surely a prior requirement is comfort—thil affects safety. Three drivers recently have commented after half an hour in their new outfit: "the tractor is so uncomfortable I will wrap it up as soon as possible!" I am inclined to agree with this point of view.
D. H. MORGAN, Managing Director, D. H. Morgan (Engineers) Ltd. Bordon, Hants.
'Dishonest drivers'
I was fascinated to read in CM John Darker's account of Mr, Alex Kitson's outburst on the integrity of road transport drivers'. His suggestion that nominees to drive "class loads" worth anything up to £100,000 be put up by his union or the TGWU overwhelms me. Surely the best drivers for this sort of job are owner-drivers with everything to lose should they "sell" the load.
Of course this suggestion is poison to the railway-minded trade unions in the road transport industry.
As for "not standing for it . . ." For years everyone who has had a row with his wife has taken it out on "them — lorry drivers".
If Mr. Kitson is serious in what he has been saying about lorry drivers, and not just advancing the party machine, I would say this to him: I suggest that together we invite Mr. J. T. Brown and Superintendent Rees of Luton to a debate on "Thieving in road transport'' —(and its condoning by sectionalized interests). It should by rights be on television. have been told, "You'll never work again ir this country" for advancing my views, bu perhaps the impartial glare of the TV cameral would bear witness as to who is nearer the truth—Mr. Kitson, Mr. Childs, Supt. Rees Mr. J. T. Brown, or could it be an ordinary, e) long-distance, blacklisted driver like me?
"YOUR WITNESS." (Name and address supplied.)
B LH21 spotted
I read with interest the letters of Mr. J. P Vines and Mr. L. Davies regarding the fate ol Scammell tractor BLH21.
I noticed this vehicle about a month agc while passing Rush Green Motors, nee' Hitchin, and took the opportunity of examining it. The cab roof has fallen in due to the collapse of one of the windscreen pillars However, the chassis and running gear appear to be in fairly sound condition, being of really massive construction.
It would be pleasing to see this vehicle rescued and restored to the immaculate condition which its sister vehicle now displays.
PAUL COOPER St. Albans, Herts