B.R.S. Driver Attacks Maintenance
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I WAS interested to note the remarks made by Mr. T. G. Gibb, north-eastern divisional manager of British Road Services, and referred to in your issue dated November 1. He said that no organization was more conscious of the need to improve road safety, and that all vehicles were inspected fortnightly, overhauled annually and rebuilt every three years.
I feel that I cannot agree with his remarks on maintenance, at least as far as my own depot is concerned. Here, a fortnightly inspection is not a regular matter, the average period being much longer, and then the check consists mostly of a quick grease-up, and perhaps a brake adjustment.
The "annual overhaul applies usually to one main item, every 12-18 months. For this purpose a vehicle may be off the road for a period of a week to a fortnight and it is quite likely that it may be off again after only a short spell of running for some other major repair which could have been done at the previous docking.
I know that slipshod methods are strongly denied and are seldom found throughout B.R.S., in which quite a lot of the maintenance is first-class, but surely, every depot should have the same high standard. If one can do it so should the others.
We have about 30 vehicles of different makes and capacities. There are four fitters; a greaser and a general hand, all under a foreman, and there are not so many repair jobs now because of the addition of a fair number of new vehicles, although this has made no difference to the methods.
The drivers are nearly all fairly conscientious and keep their vehicles decently, whether they are old or new. To the man in the street they must look quite a well-kept fleet, but a quick look around and under the bonnet might tell the expert a different story. He might find partly clogged filters for oil, fuel and air, blocked radiators, slack fan belts, dirty injectors and oil leaks in plenty. Complaints regarding such matters result in one's being considered a nuisance.
As a regular reader of your journal I keep learning of the different systems of maintenance employed by private operators, and it makes me furious that more is not done here. Apart from this matter. I am quite happy in my job of driving and have no complaints on that side. but I felt that I must point out certain matters which mar the work of a fine transport undertaking.
Chesterfield. B.R.S. DRIVER.
Beware of Complacency in Road Transport
THERE is a tendency to smugness and inaction in some I sections of road transport today. Too many of us are inclined to rest on our laurels where rail competition is concerned. True, we have rather more than "the edge" on rail-borne traffic of many kinds—speed, door-to-door service, minimum breakages and last, but by no means least, rates often below our competitors. We must not, however, be content to leave matters at that point.
It is quite obvious that the railways are ready to bargain for some of the business they have lost to road transport— if they are driven to it by someone equally ready to drive a hard bargain. Will anybody be prepared to bargain?
Initially, the railways quote a top price in the hope of getting business. To my knowledge certain business associ
ates of mine have received subsequent calls from railway officials quoting considerably reduced rates for work.
Transport generally has become the constant target of the politicians. We have got to be certain that we are aware of the inherent dangers of changing politics. There are sections of the public who would welcome, and indeed support, cheaper rail rates—sections who will bargain for cheaper rates (it is being done) and who will make as much capital out of it as possible.
I do not for one moment suggest that farmers generally will do this, but certainly I know of a few isolated cases where farmers have been reported as " bargaining" successfully. There are folk who prefer to look at this matter in what they term a national rather than a sectional point of view. Their argument goes something like this some effective method should be found of diverting heavy traffic from our overloaded roads to a railway network which is not operating at maximum capacity! These folk are dangerous so far as we of road transport are concerned.
Thorpe Bay, Essex. TRUNKIE.
Vertical Exhaust Pipes for Oil-engined Vehicles?
Asa private motorist I often have to follow oil-engined lorries on trunk routes and have to breathe the polluted air which they leave behind them.
As an engineer, my work involves medium-high-speed oil engines to. a very large extent, and I would say that highly rated, high-speed engines, as used in commercial vehicles, seldom give a smoke-free exhaust when running at normal loads. Even when the exhaust gases are completely clear (a rare occasion), it cannot be said that they are entirely free from objectionable odour, although the engine may-be in perfect condition.
When the injectors are in bad condition or the maximum-fuel stop has been "adjusted" or removed, the exhaust gases can be truly revolting, both in colour and smell, causing irritation of the throat and eyes.
Following drivers, finding these fumes objectionable, try to overtake the offenders at the slightest opportunity, resulting in accidents and many "near misses?'
I suggest that vertical exhaust pipes would do much to alleviate the situation, reduce the unpleasantness caused by the fumes, and minimize accidents.
Of course, a certain amount of exhaust gas may be swept downwards to road level, but it is reasonable to assume that it will be considerably diluted. It would be most desirable to carry out wind-tunnel tests to find the most suitable position for the exhaust outlet on various shapes of vehicle.
I have seen only one lorry using a vertical exhaust pipe. In that case the engine was used for generating purposes at a fair.
I consider that vertical exhaust pipes would have the following advantages:—
(I) Accidents would be reduced, because following motorists would not be so impatient to overtake fastmoving oilers.
(2) The bad offenders could be readily seen, therefore the police would be able to take action more easily.
(3) Police action would result in improved maintenance and less tampering with maximum-fuel stop settings, thus further reducing the exhaust-fume menace.
Colchester. A. G. WALEORD, G.T.MECH.E.