TRANSPORT TIPS FOR TRADESMEN.
Page 18
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Particularly Addressed to Those Who are Replacing Horsed Vehicles by Motors, or Contemplating So Doing.
The Object of Keeping Records.
MOTOR USERS are often, and quite rightly, advised to keep accurate records quite distinct from the accounts that must be kept by any business house.
The purpose of the records is., not -so much to arrive at the cost of running a delivery department, or conducting haulage throughout the year, as for the purpose of providing certain specific information for the use of whoever may be in general charge or the vehicles. The firm's accounts will show the amount of petrol purchased in a year, but will not show how much has been used by each vehicle, and what has been the mileage covered on that quantity. The special records should indicate clearly the quantity of petrol issued to each vehicle daily. If the tanks are filled up every night, or before starting in the morning, the quantity actuallyused each day can be fairly accurately recorded. Certainly the records for a week or a fortnight will show with considerable accuracy the quantity consumed in each engine, There is. not much point in knowing this unless we know also the mileage covered by each vehicle, the general conditions of its work, and the loads conveyed in it. Thus our records must include statements, as accurate as poslible, of the mileage and of the weight of the load. Given these data, we can compute the petrol consumption in miles per gallon, and if discrepancies between the various records are noticeable, we are thus led to examine the engines that are giving inferior results. Probably, by adjusting the carburetter, or by other means, the fault can be remedied and a big saving effected. If no improvement can be secured in this way the vehicle may be sent out in charge of a reliable man, and we shall then learn if its regular driver is wasting petrol. With our records of mileage and of loads carried we shall be'able to work out our costs of operation. per mile and per ton-mile. If the records are complete we shall also have a good idea of the time' spent in making deliveries. If all these figures are carefully watched -opportunities of iinproving the organization from time to time will become evident. The cost per ton-mile will gradually decrease, and we shall either reduce our expenditure or else increase the useful work done without pushing up the cost in the same proportion, The Use of ths Mileometer.
Evidently it is quite impossible to keep accurate' records without having some means of computing accurately the mileage covered by each vehicle, For this reason a mileometer should be regarded as a necessary standard fitting, and the reading given by
it should be recorded every evening. Preferably, the mileometer should be so attached as to make it difficult, if not impossible, to tamper with it. Some drivers poem to imagine that an instrument of this 'kind is intended to act as a sort of spy upon them. Its real use should be carefully explained to them. If this is done any man of average intelligence will realize that the instrument is not put there to try and catch him, but is an absolutely necessary part of the owner's machinery for securing -efficiency of his vehicles. Of course, the very best type or instru
016 merit is that which does not merely show the number of miles, but records throughout the day on paper, giving a chart, which indicates, not only the mileage, but the approximate speed of the vehicle at any time, and, therefore, the duration of all stops. From such a chart one can read off the average speed secured in traffic and in the country, the average time taken for each delivery, and other details. All this is very useful, but, if such instruments are employed, care .must be taken to refrain from constantly worrying the drivers with details which the charts have revealed. If this care be not shown we may be pretty sure that, before long, the instruments will show an unfortunate inclination to get out of adjustment, and refuse to do their work correctly.
Do Manufacturers Give Good 'Advice.
The prospective purchaser of trade motor vehicles may reasonably ask to what extent he is likely to get really useful advice from the motor manufacturer or his representative as regards the selection and use of vehicles. Much, of course, depends on whether the man who gives the advice is a responsible and experienced official, or merely a young and
inexperienced salesman. The latter will probably confine himself mainly to extolling the merits of the particular vehicle he represents. He may, however, go further, and anticipate competition by running down certain other makes of vehicles. In that. case something may be learnt from him. Too much importance need not he attached to his criticisms, but the fact that he goes out of his way to select a, certain vehicle for abuse shows that be regards that vehicle as his chief competitor. If it is found that the salesmen of four or five different firms all make -a point of disparaging some one particular machine, we may be sure that that .machine is responsible for taking a lot of business from all of them, and, therefore, that it is well worth consideration.
No one would think of consulting a young salesman as to the proper choice of vehicles of right capacity, with due regard to all the details of the work to be done. The experienced manufacturer's representative who has placed 'a large number of vehicles and watched their subsequent performance may, however, be very useful in this connection. If the firm he represents builds a complete range of vehicles it is just as much in his interest to sell one model as another, He will do the most business in the long run by recommending the model best. suited to the work, *cause it is most likely to be successful, and to lead to repeat orders. His experience should qualify him to advise, and his own interest should lead him to give the best advice possible. If he is a sound man he will even advise quite candidly, when necessary, that, vehicles should not be purchased at all. He does not want his machines ,to be put to work under conditions likely to lead to failure, because every such failure represents the reverse of goodwill, a damage to his reputation, and the likelihood of subsequent orders from the same locality going in any other direction rather than coming to him,