KEEP UP TO DATE OFFICIALLY
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An additional feature to be included in this series is a quarterly summary of recent Government publications concerning road transport
WHILST it has always been the policy of The Commercial Motor to announce immediately the publication of new Bills, Acts, Statutory Instruments and other official documents in any way concerning road transport operation, together with comment and exposition, it is considered that there is a need for a periodic summary of such publications. It is therefore proposed that a summary of them will be included in this series on the last Friday of every month. This will include all publications issued in the immediate preceding quarter and be kept up to date by appropriate deletions and additions.
Despite the initial announcements, readers wishing to keep abreast of all official publications should find this additional service particularly valuable and the current summary appears at the end of this article.
THE legal aspects of operating special types of vehicle can present their own problems. A typical example is a recent inquiry from a reader who has purchased a tower crane mounted on a 6 a 4 chassis and wishes to know if this can be used to tow a caravan adapted either as a driver's site house or, alternatively, a site office. He adds that the annual licence duty paid on the vehicle is £2 10s.
It would seem that a vehicle which is licensed as a mobile crane at an annual rate of duty of -E2 10s. cannot be used to haul a caravan containing living or office accommodation.
The reason for this is that Section 4(2)(c) of the Vehicles Excise Act 1949 provides that, when proceeding on public roads, mobile cranes may neither carry nor haul any load other than such as is necessary for their propulsion or equipment. This would therefore appear to exclude the towing of caravans used for the purposes mentioned.
It would seem that the only circumstances under which a mobile crane could draw a trailer would be as follows. In the first place the vehicle must comply in all respects with the Motor Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1959 as amended. Mobile cranes used as "engineering plant,according to the definition laid down in Article 13 of the Motor Vehicles (Authorization of Special Types) General Order, 1955, are prohibited by Article IS(d) from drawing a trailer. Secondly, such a vehicle must be licensed as a goods vehicle with consequent liability to trailer duty.
MAINTENANCE, and the closely allied factor of vehicle replacement or depreciation, are two items of operating cost on which there are undoubtedly wide differences of opinion, both as to the method by which they should be quantified in terms of cost, and the ultimate amount. In approaching these problems the frequent use of arithmetical calculations should not be allowed to mislead one into thinking that there is necessarily only one correct answer, for example in determining in terms of either time or mileage the precise economic life of a vehicle. In replying to just such an inquiry from a northern operator regarding the estimated operational life of certain makes of vehicle in the " heavy" group the following points were made.
c36 The economic life of a commercial vehicle must obviously vary substantially in relation to such factors as the class of vehicle originally purchased, the standard of maintenance subsequently provided, the calibre of driving staff employed, the operational conditions and the urgency of the traffic carried. The combination of variations in all these, and possibly other factors, make it extremely difficult to arrive at an estimate of a fair average life, other than when past experience in similar operating conditions is available.
This last factor, the urgency of the traffic carried or alternatively the standard of service provided for customers, can be of more significance, in relation to both maintenance and replacementof vehicles, than might at first be supposed. To state a specific example, it was revealed in a feature article on the transport activities of a Scottish fish merchant, published recently in The Commercial Motor, that the merchant found it economic to replace vehicles in a similar price range to those mentioned by our reader every two years which, of course, is exceptional. The reasons here were the perishable nature of the traffic, the long journeys involved and the absolute necessity for completing the run from the north of Scotland to southern ports in England to a set timetable to ensure catching particular saiiings.
ANOTHER aspect in this context is the continued existence of an extensive market for used commercial 'vehicles. If the second or subsequent owner of a vehicle is able to operate it to his satisfaction for a substantial mileage, it does not necessarily mean that the first owner had under-estimated the vehicle's value and potential life. In all probability, it merely indicates that the second and subsequent users, because of the particular work they have to do, are prepared to accept a lower standard of reliability and therefore operational service.
For the purpose of compiling The Commercial Motor Tables of Operating Costs :the majority of goods vehicles listed in them are placed in two groups relative to vehicle life. Those in the heavy" group are assumed to have an average mileage life of 300,000, qualified by the several reservations already made. As our reader states that his vehicles averaged 40,000 miles per year this would amount to approximately 71 years' service.
It must also be borne in mind that even if a vehicle is in good mechanical condition the stage may eventually be reached when it becomes obsolescent, relative to the work it has to perform, compared with new models which by then will almost certainly have become available as a result of the continuing improvements introduced by a virile manufacturing industry.
Although generally it will be accepted that differing standards in the condition of a vehicle will be adequate for correspondingly differing standards of operational requirements, there is. nevertheless, the legal aspect of maintenance to be observed. Whilst the Motor Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1955, as amended, are commonly recognized as the source for the legal dimensions, weights and regulations affecting particular types of equipment, the minimum requirements as to maintenance are also set out in Regulations 73 to 79.
It is first prescribed that every motor vehicle, trailer and all
accessories must he in such condition that the weight and distribution of the load do not cause, or be likely to cause, danger to any person, either on the vehicle or on the road. It is further required that in addition to so securing the load as to prevent danger arising from part of it falling off, it would be an infringement of Regulatign 73 to use a motor vehicle or trailer for any purpose for which it was so unsuitable as to be a likely danger to other persons.
The requirements instanced in Regulation 74 are more limited and specific in that they concern the maintenance of speed indicators. The fitting of a speed indicator in the first instance is obligatory to most vehicles registered on or after October 1, 1937. The exemptions, relative to commercial vehicles, include land tractors, works trucks and vehicles which do not exceed 12 m.p.h. .
It is also required that such indicators shall work within a margin of accuracy Of plus or minus 10 per cent. Thereafter, they must be maintained in good working order and be kept free from any obstructions which might prevent their being easily read. This is a point to be borne in mind when additional equipment is being fitted, or adaptation being undertaken.
All glass and other transparent material must be maintained in such .condition that they do not obscure the vision of the driver. Brakes, steering gear and windscreen wiper must be kept in good and efficient working order and properly adjusted.
HOW to start up in haulage is probably the most recurring of all inquiries, and one received from a Yorkshire reader is typical.
Requiring as much advice as possible on how best to start a small haulage concern, he asks for information as to how to make application for a carrier's licence, the advantages and disadvantages of starting with a used vehicle and the likelihood of financial loss being incurred if he is -unable to obtain a carrier's licence.
Successful road transport operation is normally only possible as a result of many years' practical experience. Quite obviously the wealth of knowledge which such experience implies cannot be imparted even in one textbook, let alone in the confines of an article such as this. In the initial stages it is more helpful to the would-be operator to indicate the sources from which useful basic information might he obtained.
Briefly, before setting up in road haulage, it would be essential for the intending operator to make an exhaustive survey in the area in which it is proposed to operate regarding the likelihood of there being sufficient profitable traffic to justify his entry into haulage. The ability to determine what is profitable traffic presupposes some acquaintance with the principles involved in commercial vehicle costing. It would
therefore be helpful to such readers to acquire and study the current edition of Tire Commercial Motor Tables of Operating Costs, obtainable from the offices of this •journal, price 4s., postage paid. In addition to containing details of the operating costs of most types of goods vehicle, articles are also included on the general principles of costing and recording vehicle operation.
AS an introduction to the licensing procedure, leaflet G5/, should prove invaluable. This is obtainable from the office of the local Licensing Authority, which, in this reader's case, would be those of the Yorkshire Authority at 29/31 Eastgate. Leeds 2, It is a memorandum specially provided for the guidance of persons using motor vehicles for the carrying of goods by road and describes the licensing requirements, classes of licence procedure on application and the conditions attached to licences.
Other information given concerns objections to applications, appeals, temporary replacement of vehicles and an appendix of relevant acts and regulations.
An A licence has a period of currency of five years for which the fee is £10. Similarly, a B licence costs £5 and has a currency of two years, whilst a C licence costs LI 10s. and is valid for five years.
Whilst the initial purchase of a used vehicle would 'reduce the amount of capital outlay required at the start, such a purchase could create overriding disadvantages. This could arise because the additional problems of maintenance and repair which the operation of a used vehicle would presumably incur would arise at a time when all the energy of the new operator would be required in the difficult job of building up a haulage business, including canvassing of new traffic, in competition with existing and well-established operators.
Moreover, expenditure incurred in the repair of a used vehicle, in addition to being substantial, has a habit of being spasmodic and of occurring most inconveniently in relation to the provision of a reliable service at a time when it is particularly. important to gain the confidence of new customers.
In contrast, whilst payment for a new vehicle, whether outright or by instalments, will be higher in total than for a used vehicle, the amount and number of payments will be known precisely in advance and plans can be made accordingly on a firm basis. Consequently, for the first year or so, if the operator starts oil with a new vehicle he should have no maintenance problems whatsoever, other than routine servicing during that difficult initial period of building up a business.
Any arrangement to purchase a commercial vehicle, whether new or used, should be made conditional on the prospective operator being successful in his application for whatever
carrier's. licence he has in mind. S.B.