Ponder Awhile
Page 35
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IT always takes an outsider to see us as we really are—and then the results often tend to be pretty unpalatable. In America during the past four years an outsider has been taking a searching look at C-licensed road transport. The results appear to be rather hard for the American " own-account " transport operators to swallow and, in them, lie several lessons which everyone over here—goods and passenger operator alike—might well ponder upon.
In a way, it is probably untrue to describe the giant General Motors Corporation (whose "transportation productivity research department" conducted the survey) as an outsider to transport, since they sell a very large number of vehicles to operators in the U.S.A. and other countries, yet their non-operating connection seems to have enabled them to be sympathetic whilst remaining impartial.
The results of the G.M.C. mammoth survey are discussed by a member -• of our New York office on pages 292-294 of this issue. It points to staggeringly high losses due to lack of appreciation of the special problems of road transport. It is true, of course, that American operating conditions are not comparable with British ones, but is there an operator in this country—not just C-licensed, but any operator—who can put hand OH heart and Say that not one of the seven main sources of expenditure-leakage the survey uncovered applies in some measure to him, in however small a degree?
Take just three of the conclusions: lack of planned vehicle replacement; lack of systematic analysis of useful records; lack of strong maintenance policies. All are known money-wasters; indeed, all the conclusions are that. But presence of knowledge, unfortunately, does not also indicate universal absence of the fault. How is your conscience?