Q My company operates seven petrol' engined 15 to 17cwt delivery
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vans which on average cover 40,000 miles a year. We are contemplating replacement of these vehicles with diesel-engined counterparts to obtain improved operational economy. According to one source of advice, the more favourable fuel consumption of the diesel outweighs the higher cost of repairs, battery troubles and starting difficulties associated with their use.
In the opinion of other operators the maintenance advantages of employing petrol-engined vehicles of this type more than offset the gain in fuel economy that the diesel affords. Do you consider that a change-over would be a wise move?
A It can normally be assumed that a diesel' engined delivery van is more economical to operate than its petrol-engined counterpart if, as you state, the yearly mileage is 40,000. It is generally conceded, however, that the advantages of the diesel cannot be exploited to the full unless fleet maintenance is super
vised by a qualified diesel mechanic and appropriate tools and test equipment are available in the workshops, together with a range of spare components. in your case, a workshop equipped and staffed to provide proper diesel maintenance would not be fully utilized and it is doubtful whether the exercise would be economically viable.
Consideration might well be given to the performance advantages and disadvantages of each type of vehicle. Normally a dieselengined version of a standard van has a lower performance than the petrol-engined version. Some operators prefer the diesel on this score because a lower performance tends to reduce the cost of maintaining the brakes and transmission and improves tyre life. Others value the higher performance because it enables journey times to be reduced.
Your case may perhaps be regarded as a borderline one. Employing dependable drivers could favour the petrol-engined vehicle. The availability of top-class maintenance facilities from a local garage would obviously favour the