THE "WHITE HORSE" GET [NTO WINNING STRIDE
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An Unconventional Type of American Van Demonstrates its Value in Specific Spheres of Transport. Experiences of a Big Newspaper Organization and a Leading Bakery Concern Offer Proof of its Capabilities
CLOSE upon two years ago we published news from ‘,.....„America of a novel delivery van produced by the White Motor Co., Ltd., of Cleveland, Ohio. The vehicle was known as the White Horse and was designed specifically for short-radius service, Some nine months later we intimated that the company had laid down plant valued at 250,000 dollars for the mass production of the van,
The outstanding feature of the design is that the driving unit forms a separate component from the rest of the machine. Rear wheels, axle, transmission and "flat four " air-cooled engine form an assembly which can be detached with remarkable facility and equally easily fixed in position. It has been demonstrated that the engine can actually be removed in 20 minutes and reinstalled in 30 minutes.
The body is an all-steel welded structure without a single bolt or rivet and its floor leizel is at kerb height. The rear portion accommodates the goods to be transported, whilst under the van floor is the engine-transmission unit.
Coil springs are used for suspension in place of the conventional laminated type. Elimination of the " plumbing," as the Americans call the cooling system, has resulted in the saving of no fewer than 222 parts.
• Large Number of Machines Now in Use •
That the outfit has achieved considerable success in America is proved by the fact that 2,000 White Horse vans are now in use, and one of the test machines is said to have covered over 40,000 miles with every satisfaction.
One of the spheres of activity in which the machine has given proof of its qualities is that associated with the distribution of newspapers.
As in Great Britain, one of the most exacting transport jobs is that of transferring newspapers from the Press to the newsagent or reader. This is a major undertaking so far as important daily papers are concerned and it requires extensive delivery fleets and expert operating staffs.. Hold-ups and other delays ar.e costly, because there is nothing so dead as yesterday's news and speed is forced by competition.
• New Vehicles Help to Maintain Punctuality • Again, as in this country, the era of publishing unlimited editions of American daily papers is a thing of the past. At home, the war has been the cause of this development, but across the Atlantic the reason lies principally in increased wages for the various sections of the production staff. Thus, the average city paper in the United States runs about five regular editions per day between morning and early evening hours. All of them have to be in the hands of the news-sellers at given times, so that the vans must run with the regularity of main-line trains.
Another problem to confront the newspaper transport manager is the day-to-day variation in the size of the papers, and, consequently, in the total load. They may average between 20 and 45 pages on Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday, but jump to between 60 and 70 pages on Thursday or Friday, so that the average fleet required in the early part of the week is quite insufficient for the second half. Because it is expensive and uneconomical to keep
machines standing idle for the greater part of their time, most publishers hire outside units or make use of private cars to accommodate the peak loads. However, speedy handling facilities are, important and the private car is in no way adapted for this work.
In an endeavour to overcome various operational difficulties 99-in. and 116-in, wheelbase White Horses were tested by the Cleveland Press, which publishes 36-44-page editions on Monday, Tuesday, TvVednesclay and Saturday, but on Thursday and Friday puts out papers with 64 or 72 pages. Using the ordinary small delivery vans the fleet proved incapable of dealing with peak loads, so that it was necessary to resort to casual hiring on two days a week.
When the first White Horse was placed on trial a timestudy man accompanied the driver and the first 20-mile run was accomplished in eight minutes under normal schedule. Subsequent trips showed further improvements. Other drivers were given trials with the new machine and, in every case, they reported satisfactorily.
• Outstanding Advantages Disclosed •
Many advantages were disclosed by the operation of such vehicles. The accessibility of the load was a distinct advantage from the point of view of handling time and the White Horse, with its open level floor and side ledges, could be loaded from the rear, but unloaded entirely from the side doors. With the papers within easy reach, the driver could work from the well and deliver either to the right or the left without having to go around the Vehicle.
In the matter of parking there proved to be a further advantage, because the conventional type often requires space to accommodate a swinging door, whereas the new type of body enables a vehicle to be parked within 6-8 ins. of the next van. Altogether, it was reckoned that half-anhour to a full hour could be saved daily.
On the basis of the initial test the Cleveland Press ordered 10 White Horses to replace 13 vans of the conventional type; the saving thus effected is best understood when it is mentioned that each van displaced cost about £20 a week to operate. In addition to this direct saving in everyday use, the greater cubic capacity of the bodies permitted the accommodation of big loads and eliminated the need for hiring.
For various conditions of service rear-door handling with a two-man crew is found advantageous and in the 116-in, • wheelbase model a well is provided at the rear so that the delivery man can always ride inside with safety and comfort. From an operating standpoint the low well is designed so that the man stands erect and hands out the papers to the newsboys from a convenient platform, on which he is fully protected against the weather.
• Bakery Concern Boosts Its New Fleet • When the American user decides to put a new fleet into service he quite often " sells " the idea to his customers with a big publicity campaign, but it is doubtful whether there has ever been a bigger show than when 214 White Horses were put into operation by the Davis Standard Bread Co., of Los Angeles. These were really mobile confectionery stores and the company's drivers were given a special course in handling them, following which the men were tested and, if satisfactory, were given certificates— two copies—one for the driver himself and one to be framed in his mobile shop for public exhibition.
Introduction of the scheme to the public was made in a two-day programme which included newspaper advertising, broadcasting, and street tableaux. The complete transport history of the Davis Standard Bread Co. was dramatized on the evening of April 5, when horses and wagons, Model T Fords, and other vehicles, including the newest types, were paraded on the stage at the motor manufacturers' headquarters.
As will he known to many readers, radio time is sold for advertising purposes in America, and the Davis concern took up 51 hours on the following Saturday. All sorts of programmes—music, sports, news, women's interests, street interviews and other features—were tied up with the launching of the new delivery fleet. Broadcasts were made from an aeroplane flying over the city and from the main bakery itself. To rounll off the effort there was a big variety show at the broadcasting theatre and a display of old and new methods of delivery.
do Selling the Idea of a New Fleet • Throughout the day the new vehicles paraded the street, blowing their horns and telling the firm's story by loudspeaker. A number was stationed at busy junctions where people could climb aboard and inspect them. By evening there can scarcely have been a person in the city who did not know of the company's new enterprise. On Saturday night all the old vans were taken out of service and on the following Monday morning the entire new fleet commenced its duties..
The bodies of the mobile shops are of all-welded steel construction and fully insulated to protect both drivers and goods from either heat or cold. The interior has built-in glass-covered cases for exhibiting unwrapped bakery goods in an appetising and hygienic manner. The drivers are uniformed and wear white gloves; there is even a supply of water on board for the driver to wash his hands, when necessary.
On the outside is the slogan "From Oven To You Since 1902,and even the vehicles' horns are made to play the tune "This is the Way We Bake Our Bread," that being the theme-song of the owning company. But apart from all this boosting, the White Horses have proved their value at the job.
Apart, also, from the way they do their job on the road, they are particularly convenient from the point of view of the maintenance engineer. When an overhaul is necessary the vehicle does not have to be laid up. The detachable driving assembly is taken out and a service unit fitted in its place.
Work is then carried out under ideal conditions on the detached unit, and the only additional expense incurred is the cost of the few spare units required. This compares very favourably with the cost of keeping a vehicle off the road during a lengthy repair operation,