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• TRANSPORT TIPS FOR TRADESMEN.

28th December 1920
Page 19
Page 19, 28th December 1920 — • TRANSPORT TIPS FOR TRADESMEN.
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

Particularly Addressed to Those Who are Replacing Horsed Vehicles by Motors, or Contemplating So Doing.

ALTHOUGH THE ideal is never attainable, it is always advisable to define clearly in one's own mind what the ideal is, so that one may aim at approximating to it as closely as possible. In respect of the operation of a trade motor vehicle, the ideal conditions—that is to say, those making for the utmost economy in operation—are fairly easily visualized.

On Striving Towards the Ideal.

The vehicle should always carry a full load throughout the, whole of its day's work ; that is to say, it should deal with the maximum tonnage'. It is equally essential to the ideal that it should cover the maximum mileage, because the work done is measured by the product of the tons carried into the miles covered. The maximum mileage is only possible if the vehicle spends the whole of its day in uninterrupted travel. Thus, supposing thata vehicle is designed to carry two tons and is capable of cevering 80 miles in a working day of reasonable length ; then, if we can find for the vehicle a two toe load that has to be delivered at a point 40 miles distant -and another two ton load which has to be brought back from. that point to the starting point, the conditions only fall short of the ideal in so far as there is likely to be a delay where dire one load is taken off and the other put on. In practice, we cannot altogether eliminate such. delays, but our object should evidently be to reduce them to a minimum. _ .

The reason why we must aim at the maximum ton mileage is that certain costs continue to pile up. whether the vehicle is being usefully employed or. not. Other costs are directly proportionate to the mileage covered, but the fact that standing "charges exist makes it obvious without further argument that the greater the mileage the lower the cost per mile, other things being equal. Similarly, as regards load, the vehicle itself has weight which has to be moved from point to point, but the movement of which does not represent useful work done. It is obvious that if, say, we double the useful lead carried, We 'do not anything like double the total weight moved, and, consequently, we do not double, the running costa. These considerations show that our ideal has been correctly stated. In practice, as already mentioned,one cannot achieve the ideal, but our organization should be devoted mainly to an effort to approximate to it as closely as possible.

Limiting Factors.

There are, however, certain limiting factors which may make it not only impossible, but even undesirable, to try and get too near to the ideal conditions. For due thing, the vehicle itself, not being ideal, is liable to breakdown. With a good. irachine a breakdown is not probable,. providedthat the machine is well maintained and well 'driven. No machine will, however, work indefinitely without receiving proper attention. Generally, this attention consists of little more than cleaning or supervision, all of which can be done outside the hours devoted to the vehicle's

working day. Periodically, however, the machine must be thoroughly overhauled. A weekly overhaul

of a minor kind is generally desirable, which may mean keeping it off the road for a. half-day. The periodic overhaul may involve a cessation of useful work by the vehicle for a week or even a fortnight. The recognition of the necessity of weekly and annual overhauls represents a limiting factor in one's endeavour to approach the ideal.

Then, again, if at normal times every, machine goes out fully loaded to its rated eapadity, our system possesses no flexibility enabling it to deal with periods of exceptional rush. Here we have evidently another limiting factor. If we chase the ideal too hard, the time will come when the work will be beyond the capacity of the vehieles, and we shall either get behind with the work or else be obliged to overload the machines, which is distinctly had policy from the standpoint of economical maintenance.

So far as loading-and unloading is concerned, there is no limiting factor to our endeavour to approximate to the ideal unless it be that we are compelled to adopt a system involving unnecessary delays in order to please our clients, and, therefore, to retain their business.. in such a case the efficiency of our transport may be regarded as a secondary consideration as against the increasing of the turnover of the businese as a whole. This point of view is, for instance, the only. excuse for the system of accepting paymenton delivery of goods. The system is ioheeently bad, even from the point of view of the consumer himself, It is merely the result of competition between traders, and, if all the traders in a given district were to come to a decision io'have nothing to do with the system, its abolition would not cause any really serious inconvenience to anybody, and, by leading to cheaper transport, would be of ultimate benefit to the whole community.

So far as loading is concerned, we have not to consider anything but efficiency, and it is therefore good policy to create an organization such that the time taken in loading will be reduced to an absolute minimum consistent, of course, with the reasonably careful handling of the goods to be loaded.

Increasing Useful Load.

Coming to the question of useful load, there are some trades in which the type of vehicle which commends itself is such that a trailer can be drawn without reduction in the legal speed of the vehicle. Given adequate engine power, the drawing of a loaded trailer does not tax the vehicle in the same way as the carrying of an equal additional load above that for which it was really designed on its own platform. For example, if a five ton lorry is made to draw a trailer carrying three tons, this is not equivalent to loading eight tons on to the lorry platform. The latter would be a grass instance of overloading, whereas the drawing of a trailer is only overloading if the result is to keep the engine running under full load all the time. The limitations to the uses Of trailers as a means of improving the -economy of transport are almost entirely legal, and traders should combine in an effort to ensure that, when the promised new legislation is forthcoming, the conditions under which trailers may be used shall be far more encouraging than they are at present. e:33

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