REPAIRING VANS AND LORRIES BY CONTRACT
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Points Which Should be Borne in Mind When Calculating Estimates for Maintaining Commercial Vehicles.
By "Vim."
AS INDICATED in my article which appeared in last week's issue, I believe that eventually the garage proprietor who desires to work up and hold a connection for repairs amongst the commercial vehicle owners in his locality will have to be prepared to undertake the maintenance of those vehicles on a, contract basis. I have held that opinion for a long time, and see no reason to modify it ; recent deyelopmentS, in fact, have so .strengthened it that it now amounts to a conviction, If my view is correct—and time alone will -show • whetherit is or not—it follows that -garage proprietors who act at once • will obtain the largest :measure of trade, for their enterprise is bound to receive recognition.
It i0extreniely.' doubtful whether it will ever be possible to -arrive at a fixed schedule of chgrgea for maintaining Vehicles in good running order._ Probably special quotationswill have to be given on all oeeasions, Cost of upkeep must vary tremendously with the make of vehicle employed, classtof goods carried, and type of business conducted by the user. For instance, where a lorry is. habitually away from home on lohg journeys, it would' hardly be wise for a garage proprietor to quote any sort of definite figure to include all repairs; for, in the quite possible event of a breakdown hundreds of miles away, the repairs would have to be done by a man on the spot, who would certainly require a profit on the job. To &amount this difficulty, an agreement might be entered into-to cover regular inspection of the vehicle whilst at holm), all repairs that could be done in the contractor's garage, with completeoverhauling at stated intervals, but excluding work found to be neeessary. .tivhile the vehicle was outside a give-n radius from its base. Or it might be agreed that the contractor would:be responsible for repairing or replacing all parts sent to him for that .purpose, even though the vehiele were outside the radius, but not for any labour involved in fitting,those parts.
. Limiting the contractor's Liability. .
Again, the contractor's liability might be restricted by. his agreeingaonly to be liable for all " away " repairs in excess of iili for any one repair. A clause on this line would have the effect of . assuring the user that the contractor would, in his own interests, take all steps to make certain that the van or lorry N1,-„s maintained in a reliable state, instead of being sent off in an unfit condition, to the other -side of the country, in the hope thattrouble would reveal itself when out of range of the contract terms. At the same time, the 25 excess would prevent the contractor froth being -faced with a host of bills for sundry repairs -and adjuStments en route, ordered to be done at the Whim of the _driver. The driver, by the way, is -an important item. A eantract for maintenance ought to contain a clause giving the repairer the right to demand the removal 'of a driver should he, in the repairer's opinion, be incapable of getting -satisfactory service out of the vehicle.
The question of. insurance must not be overlooked, and it should be made clear which of the parties sees to this. If the user, then the repairer .should have some say in the matter, for it is esaential to him that the insuring company's poliey should be a suit able one, permitting repairs to be put in hand immediately after an accident, and covering all risks. Few companies are keen on accepting "'mechanical breakdown" in connection with commercial cars, though some will do so where the vehicle is new, and therefore it would not be reasonable to ask for this riskto be covered by the user. 'Nevertheless, the repairer might do worse than to try and get mechanical breakdown underwritten on his own account by the same insurance company. Preferably, the repairer should effect. the whole of the insurance,. for he would not only be able to select a company known to him to be prompt and liberal in their settlements, but. would also benefit by securing special rates because of the number of policies he would have running with one company.
A contract to' maintain a van used entirely for local delivery work presents far fewer difficulties than does one applying to a. long-distance lorry. The repairer has the short-range vehicle constantly under his eye, and is in a. much better position to anticipate troubles and to avoid them. Indeed, this is the class of business that I urge garage proprietors to go after at once-, for I think they will find the drapers, grocers, laundrymen, and similar tradesmen in their districts more appreciative of, the benefits to be derived: from getting rid of their transport worries than firms who-se vehicles are employed in carrying. goods to andirom distant towns. The latter are,' as a rule,. pretty well equipped to do their own repairs.
Get the Fullest Facts before Quoting.
Beforegiving a quotation, the garage proprietor should have an interview with the user and ascertain precisely the conditions under which his vehicle is run. He must be informed . of the assyerage annual mileage, number of stops per :clayialocalities .served, weight of loads (for comparison With rated capacity of the van or lorry), whether insurance, tyres, fuels, 'aid lubricants are to be included, facilities for weekly hispection at the repairer's garage, necessity for supplying a replacement car when 'breakdowns occur, and soon and 90 forth. With these data before him, he must proceed to calculate -with the utmost care the minimum sum which-he must see back each year to recover his expenses and provide a fair profit. Even then, -the contract will be rather .434 gamble, as I have already pointed Out though that element Will disappear as he adds to hit Contraets and averages his risks. I -suggest tliat-aa, contract should be for two years, at a specified,stim per annum so long as the mileage does not exceed that stated by the laser at the preliminary interview ; if the mileage should be greater, the extra -running to be charged for at a stated rate. Payment should be by monthly instalments. Rises or falls in mechanics' wages, pi'ices of -tyres, etc., must be guarded against by inaki-ng it a condition of theagreement that if and wiles/ they occur the contract figure would be increased or decreased according to a pre-arranged scale.
Since mileage must be the bedrock of all maintenance contracts made by garage proprietors, a dependable recording instrument, properly sealed against interference by the drivers, -should be fitted to every van or lorry under then, care.