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From Mak( :0 Operator

27th September 1940
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Page 26, 27th September 1940 — From Mak( :0 Operator
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Leading Lancashire Con r's Long-term Experience

EHICLES operated by H. Viney and Co., Ltd., are a familiar sight on roads in the north of England and particularly in Lancashire. In nor

mal times, they cove.something like 650,000 miles a

year, .whilst those of a subsidiary company—Lancashire

• Petrol Deliveries, Ltd.—have come near the million mark.,

Strange as it may seem, the business was not started with the idea of providing road transport, the original intention being to develop the Viney steam wagon • which had been patented by Mr. Horace Viney. Opera tions commenced in 1906 and it was on December 1 of that year when the present managing director, Mr. C. le M. Gosselin, took an interest therein, taking ever from Mr: Viney some two years later. Unfortunately, circumstances arose which prevented the development of the • particular steam wagon, and the company turned its interest to road haulage, for which purpose it acquired a Coulthard steam wagon and one or two steamers of Leyland manufacture.

Running a haulage business in those days was much • more of a financial luxury than a business proposition, owing to the fact that the vehicles themselves were far • from perfect, roads were quite incapable of carrying the machines, and the trading public scoffed at the idea that road transport could ever be developed successfully on such lines.

Not until about 1913 was any real progress made towards even moderate returns, but during the war of 1914-18 the importance of the new industry became more obvious to the public. When the war .ended it was readily accepted that road haulage had an important function to fulfil in the future prosperity of the country.

• -What really has accounted for the growth not only of this business but of the whole road-transport industry has been the reliability with which its duties have been performed, says Mr. Gosselin. This factor is coupled with the directness of its method in being able to work from point to point, whilst any dislocation that occurs is less devastating than is the case with competitive ser

vices. There is one other point that has favoured road transport, he says, viz., that it has, in the main, been operated in small units, so that the customer has been able to make direct contact with the man in control. -Difficulties arising have thus been dealt, with more promptly than is sometimes possible when dealing with large organizations, • Whilst the company operates generally throughout Lancashire and the adjacent counties, it has naturally

depended for a considerable portion of its traffic on the port of Preston. Lack of passenger traffic means that the port is relatively little known to the general public., but in normal times large quantities of cargo are handled, particulaitr from the Baltic and Scandinavian countries; it is probably the third largest wood-pulp importing centre in the country and the. seventh most important point for the arrival of timber from overseas. Vessels carrying cargoes of between.. 5,000 and 6,000 tons ca'n be accommodated, and, in peace time, large quantities of coal, coke and other exports are handled..

Generally sneaking, the docks are laid out to deal with all kinds of merchandise, being equipped with facilities tor loading or discharging• by electric, hydraulic or steam crane. Vessels are able to discharge directly to railway, road vehicle or warehouse. Because of the geographical position of Preston, a substantial portion of the merchandise is forwarded by road motors.

The Albert Edward Dock, which was opened 48 years ago, is 3,200 ft. long and 600 ft. wide. Some idea of the traffic which is handled can be obtained from the fact that the sheds and storage warehouses provide 58,597 superficial yards of covered floor space, whilst on the north side livestock can be discharged into a lairage with accommodation for 800 cattle and 1,500 sheep.

Amongst the dock equipment are two modern coal hoists, which can each deal with 400 tons art hour, and an hydraulic coal crane which can load 200 tons an hour. Among the commodities that are dealt with are wood 'pulp, pitwood, esparto grass, paper, pyrites, .calcium carbide, china clay, slate, road material, pig iron and

grain. The dock itself lies 16 miles from the sea and within 7 miles of the nearest pits in the Lancashire coalfields.

Altogether, the existence of the port has been a powerful factor in the development not only of H. Viney and Co., Ltd., but in influencing, generally, the growth of road traffic in the north-west.

In 1925, a subsidiary company of the Viney concern, under the name of Lancashire Petrol Deliveries, Ltd., was formed for the exclusive purpose of carrying liquids in bulk. For several years, this concern confined its work to the transportation of petrol and other light hydrocarbon liquids, but recently it has been necessary to re-equip these vehicles for the transport of heavier liquids, such as lubricating oil, linseed oil and tar products, on which a fleet numbering 35 is now busily engaged. The change-over has necessitated the provision of mechanical pumps, for the reason that, under the new conditions, the loads have to be pumped to higher storage tanks instead of just feeding out by gravity, as in the case of petrol.

• How the Tanker Fleet Has Developed •

L.P.D., as it is familiarly known in the North of England, came into existence when the bulk delivery of petrol came into vogue in the early, 'twenties. At first 1,000-gallon tankers were used, but their size soon inereased to 1,500 gallons, at which point maximum capacity halted for a long period. Now the mainstay of this section is the 2,500-gallon six-wheeled tanker, but other sizes are in use down to 1,200 gallons, whilst there is an eight-wheeler which carries 3,000 gallons. Leyland chs ssis are largely used for this service, the tanks with which they are equipped being the product of Thompson Brothers (Bilston), Ltd., of Bilston.

Of particular interest amongst the tankers is a machine with all stainless-steel fittings, this being used for the transport of acetic acid. Prior to the war liquids in bulk were carried over a wide area, but now the work is largely confined to the north-west and trunk routes to the south and Scotland.

1n-connection with industrial-alcohol transport special precautions are taken by the Customs authorities, on account of heavy taxes to which the liquid is liable. All tanks have to be passed by the Customs, protected with the official lock, and all pipe lines have to be boxed in or the joints welded, so that it is impossible to extract any liquid.

• Valuable Help to Petrol Companies •

During the course of its existence L.P.D. has played no small part in building up, in the early stages, the businesses of petrol companies, the names of which are to-day household words. Of course, as these organizations have developed and become capable of standing on their own feet they have shown themselves to have a • way of forming their own transport departments. For all that, says Mr: Gosselin, there is always a fresh opening to be found, and, in many cases, after a number of years traders have discovered that the estimates on which they have based their entry into transport operations have not been borne out by actual experience.

In these days the variety of work to be performed by the general fleet of the company has increased enormously, ,and it is becoming more difficult to standardize on any particular make or size of vehicle. After having -been founded on the plans for the Viney steam wagon, the business has undoubtedly been built up on Leyland products, and most of the "wild animals" that form the trade-marks of that menagerie are represented in the fleet. However, for some of the lightest and heaviest dirties machines of Bedford, Dodge, E.R.P. and MorrisCommercial makes are included.

In the early days the Viney concern was among the

first operators of steam wagons, progressing from steam to petrol, then to oil, which is in favour to-day, whilst experiments are now being made with producer gas, the C. and W. trailer unit being under, observation in actual operating conditions.

For heavy loads and long distances the oil engine has demonstrated itself as being a most efficient motive unit, and there is ample evidence of its durability in the condition of a lorry that has, given the company 12 years' good service. It has been found that oil engines require closer scrutiny than the petrol types, but given that attention vehicles incorporating them will carry 14-ton loads 13 miles on a gallon of oil fuel, whereas in the early days a 5-ton machine was lucky to travel 4-5 miles on a hundredweight of coke.

After considerable experience of road-transport establishments one is forced to comment that the Viney headquarters look just too spick and span to be associated with the industry! Many operatorwlo not seem to realize that cleanliness is a commercial asset, and that the customer will more readily open his gates to a well-kept vehicle than to one that is in an advanced stage of dilapidation.

• Maintenance Routine Strictly Observed • The need for keeping vehicles clean is stressed in notices to the drivers, and schedules posted in the garage Instruct them that every day they must make checks of petrol in the tank, engine oil, water, lights, dynamo charge and oil pressure, and brakes. Every three days the duties include the greasing of universal joints and clutch-witladrawal races. Every week-end all points are greased, gearbox and back axle are checked, tyre pressures attended to, wheel-nuts tightened, and battery inspected, whilst trailers are oiled and greased. During the first week in every month drivers must tighten spring holding-down bolts and check the free movement of the clutch pedal.

One of the company's principles has been to provide the drivers with full equipment for their jobs. There are fitting stalls working night and day, a' specially equipped room for making and repairing the sheets that protect the loads, a system of tyre inspection and a carefully organized oil store. At the moment these methods are not necessarily money-savers, but they help towards both economical and' punctual operation.

The stores are carefully arranged, with all associated components ' housed in adjacent lockers, and they are recorded in a loose-leaf stock book. This is worked on a kind of double-entry system, which shows the locker number, what quantities have been received, what quantities have been sent out on different dates, and the balance in hand.

• Adequate Stores Contribute to Good Service • Good stores are a potent factor in providing good service and adequate stocks of all classes of spares, including replacement engines, are ready to hand. A daily sheet, on which drivers enter ,details of points on their vehicles that require a,ttention, hangs in the works office, and spaces are provided so that after the mechanics have done their work the drivers can indicate when the jobs have been satisfactorily completed.

Special attention is paid to tyre pressures, there being a schedule hung up to show the correct pressure for every size in use. One man is made responsible for maintaining the pressures of all the vehicles stationed at Preston. Decarbonizing and general overhauls are undertaken when the necessity is indicated by the vehicle reports received.

Referenfe has already been made to the sheet room, and it is here that all covers are made and repaired, as well as aprons for the men, radiator and spare-wheel covers. When cloth in its finished condition is being

transported special precautions are taken to avoid damage to the fabric. For this purpose the men, when loading, are provided with clean aprons, their feet are swathed in cloth bandages, and the load is protected by (1) calico sheets (these are frequently laundered); .(2) linen sheets outside the calico sheets; (3) a top cover of rubber sheeting; and (4) an overall protection by tarpaulins.

Racks are provided in the sheet room, these being divided into sections marked with numbers to correspond with the vehicles for which the sheets are intended.

Equipment at the garage includes fire standards and hoses, and various members of the staff are trained in fire duties, so as to be ready for any emergency. In addition, there is a rest roOm, where Men can sit and smoke while waiting for orders.

The crder office at the garage is responsible for arranging the duties, and it deals with a large portion of the 43 Viney general-purpose vehicles. . A weekly order schedule. is prepared, with the various instructions analysed into days, and standing orders entered in red. From these sheets the requirements are transferred to another schedule, which is perforated into squares, each bearing the number of a vehicle. The top copy forms the driver's working instructions, a second copy remains on the file, and the third copy is sent to the Manchester or Liverpool, office, so as to assist in tracing loads or vehicles if required.

The Preston copy of the instruction sheet is transferred to the accounts section, and the clerks enter the date and wagon number on the customer's account, later receiving the delivery notes, checking them for appropriate signatures and quantities, and then completing the entry on the customer's account.

Apart from the actual transport of goods, H. Viney and Co., Ltd., also undertakes the warehousing of vast quantities of food and raw cotton to await owners' 'orders for release and subsequent delivery. After 34 years' experience in the transport business the company has registered as a trade-mark a sign bearing the inscription, " Viney's Keep Good Time," and no effort is spared in an endeavour to live up to that slogan.

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