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Why New Vehicles Score

27th November 1953
Page 58
Page 58, 27th November 1953 — Why New Vehicles Score
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

Whilst a Vehicle Can he Made to Run Almost Indefinitely, Its Owner is Hampered in Competition with Other Operators with Modern, Faster, and More Economical Models, Says "The Commercial Motor" Costs Expert

AT the close of my previous article, I had reached the point of comparing a haulier's running costs with the amounts in "The Commercial Motor Tables of Operating Costs." The specific difficulty was that, whilst the vehicle concerned is running only 150 miles per week, the lowest weekly mileage for which data is given in the Tables is 200. How much that difference can mean is strikingly indicated in reference to the first item of running costs which was discussed, that of petrol consumption. For 200 miles per week, the cost per mile for a 5-tonner is given in the Tables as 4.50d.; the haulier pointed out that he was getting only 9 m.p.g. and as he was paying 4s. 2d. per gallon for his fuel his cost was 5.50d. per mile, a penny per mile more than the Tables' figure.

In dealing with that small but important difference, I am taking the step of turning the attention of the reader for one minute to an article which was published in The Commercial Motor for November 6. The subject was a road test of a Commer 25-cwt. van. In a table at the bottom of page 362 some unusual figures were set out. They showed that this vehicle, carrying a full load of 25 cwt, consumes petrol at the rate of 20.05 m.p.g. when on a continuous run, but uses one gallon in. only 12.225 miles in the course of a journey during which the vehicle makes four stops per mile. Even when it makes only one stop per mile, the consumption is at the rate of 18.15 m.p.g. Translated into figures to show the cost per mile for petrol, the cost is 2.49d. per mile when the vehicle is running continuously and 4.09d. when making stops frequently.

Idle Engine Running This haulier's vehicle is not making quite as many stops, but clearly at 150 miles per week and making 50 stops it must consume petrol at a rate slightly greater than when running 200 miles per week, which probably explains some of the difference between my friend's figures and those in the Tables. Part of the difference can be accounted for by the fact that the vehicle is probably standing for a good deal of its time with the engine running.

There is a corresponding difference between my figures and those of my friend in reference to oil consumption. The Tables give 0.20d. per mile, whereas the actual figure is 0.33d. So far as that goes, I should point out that when n24 high petrol consumption is due to the conditions of v. it is usual to find that consumption of lubricant fol. fairly closely that of fuel.

Other items which came up for discussion were maintenance and depreciation. I dealt with those in previous article, coming ultimately to the conclusion the following figures from my friend's notebook coulc taken as being the actual costs in this case. Petrol, 9 m. equivalent to 5.50d. per mile; lubricants, 0.33d.;

1.00d.; maintenance, 2.43d.;. depreciation, 2.84d. T■ 12.10d. That is 0.80d, more per mile-than the figure calculated direct from the Tables.

A Sum of His Own I found that my friend had been doing a little sum of own. He showed me the small table of running cos have set out here:—

Running costs (pence per mile) "I still don't understand," he said, "how it is that operating costs differ so much from those in the Tat Surely if mine are right those in the Tables are wrong, vice versa."

" Not at all," I replied, "They're both right." seemed puzzled, so I continued: You see, the two"set: figures, yours on the one hand and mine in the Tables the other, refer to two different vehicles. Yours, so fai you have them, refer to your own machine, whereas th in the Tables are the averages•of hundreds. Yours show cost of operating a particular 5-tonner, your own vehi and not, if I may say so, a very good 5-tonner at that.

"On the other hand, the data from which the figure! the Tables are compiled relate to a variety of machil some of them engaged on the same kind of work as yol

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