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standing on what is almost the last con frontier'

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2nd October 1964

Page 79

Page 79, 2nd October 1964 — standing on what is almost the last con frontier'

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WHETHER or not the leaders of the main political parties are ultimately brought together on television before the general election, 1964 so far as the road transport industry is concerned may well go down in history as the year of the confrontations. Issues which for many years have simmered quietly or have been just as quietly ignored have suddenly begun to clamour for their solution: Interests which have always appeared to get on well together suddenly find themselves at loggerheads.

Sometimes the process has worked in the opposite direction. Independent hauliers and British Road Services when they finally draw sufficiently closely together discover that they have probably all the time been looking daggers at their own reflections. Other confrontations have not been so pleasant. The railways and the heavy goods vehicle operators have .dragged into the light of day the old argument about track costs. Tbe Buchanan and Smeed reports have shown the motorist and the industrialist that sooner or later they will have to face a decision on which should have priority in the congested streets of large towns.

As a consequence of the recent series of spot checks organized by the Ministry of Transport the ordinary, decent road operator has found himself, like Dr. Jekyll; face to face with Mr. Hyde the maniac. All in all there arc many conflicts which the road user is called upon to resolve apart from the obvious differences of opinion expressed in or implied by the manifestoes of the political parties.

The latest issue was perhaps brought to a head at last week's fleet management conference organized by The Commercial Motor. Road operators have for a long time been grumbling about various aspects of vehicle design and performance. To some extent this is expected of them. As Mr. H. C. Redburn, their main representative at the conference, put it, they demand cheap vehicles which require no maintenance and little or no fuel, combine the minimum unladen weight with the maximum payload—and to their drivers as well as their owners are a joy for ever.

Although it is a healthy sign that operators set their sights so high, they know that the ideal can never be realized completely. They are prepared to settle for something less than perfection. They appear to have ample opportunities for making their requirements known to the vehicle manufacturer and for discussing reasonable' improvements. They can take up their problems with the local vehicle distributor, with the technical and other departments as well as the sales manager and, often at the highest level, either by an individual approach or through a trade association.

Widespread Discontent Inspite of these and other facilities for voicing complaints, including the important safety valve provided by the technical press, last week's conference left no doubt of the widespread discontent with present standards. The storm which was provoked seemed all the more incongruous when one of the most impressive commercial motor shows since the war opened on the following day. Nevertheless, the evidence was plain that Mr. Reclbarn was by no means alone in his criticisms, which covered not only brakes and electrical equipment which he described as his first and second priorities--but other major items such as engines, chassis and cabs.

How can one account for this apparent discrepancy between the sweeping attacks from some operators and the glittering show which the vehicle 'manufacturing industry present to the outside world—and which (almost needless to say) is proved to be no mirage by the impressive export figures? The failure may still be one of communications. After the confrontations in so many other fields of transport, and the growing emphasis on co-operation rather than isolation. vehicle manufacturers and vehicle operators may now be standing on what. is almost the last confrontier, The present relationship between manufacturer and operator, that is to say between supplier and customer, is evidently not always enough. It is not adequate to deal with every problem. Although the supplier may give lipservice to the principle that the customer is always right, his private belief is that the customer is often unreasonable. When the chorus of complaints becomes general and is taken up by operators in a body, the first instinct of the manufacturers must be to withdraw behind the mutual defences and to dismiss the allegations as without foundation.

The process could reach the point where operators and manufacturers are in two armed camps with no communication between them on the subjects with which they should be dealing collectively. What seems to be needed is some better machinery for co-operation which would supplement rather than replace the innumerable personal and business contacts already existing.

Basic agreement ought not to be difficult to reach. Operators, whether hauliers or C-licence holders, aim to provide an efficient service. Factors such as speed, weight and safety all have their place under this heading. The manufacturers aim to make the vehicles Which will supply that service. There can be few points on which proper consultation will not reach agreement on achieving these two aims which are really one. Both sides will often have to make concessions. Where they can agree only to differ and pursue their individual paths, at least nothing will have been lost. • • Suitable Machinery would not only help to make operators and manufacturers understand each other better it could also help them to present a united front when their opinions are asked on proposed legislation. They would perhaps not find themselves so frequently taking opposite sides in discussions initiated by Government departments. If civil servants and politicians cannot, find agreement among the interests they consult, they have all the greater excuse for following their own inclinations which may be to the disadvantage of all the interests alike. Prior joint consultation will give the people concerned a better chance to play a part in workino our their own destinies.