bird's eye
Page 29
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view by the Hawk
• All at sea
Hauliers, I understand, are always looking for new ways in which to entertain their customers. Surely the most novel method in recent years will be the one used by White Oak Transport on Saturday April 8 when customers, friends and yours truly will board a Thames river-boat at Greenwich and sail up to Richmond. Stan Finn, the director, who is organizing the trip, tells me it is to be a jolly party with only two classes of guest. Those who pay their accounts on time will be issued with lifebelts, bad payers will receive a booklet entitled "Swimming for the beginner".
• Big boys
Jack Maddock, editor of Truck and Bus Transportation—our equivalent in Australia —tells me this week that he is going over to see the new doubles and triples in Western Australia. Jack's got quite a sense of humour. Short doubles, he tells me, are 65ft-long and operate in the suburbs of Perth. He goes on: "The big fellows, triples of up to 145ft with a gross weight of 120 tons, are restricted to the area north of a line 300 miles above Perth". I should think that if we ever get these weights and lengths we will need to set the same geographical boundaries which would effectively put them in the sea somewhere north of Scapa Flow.
• History maker
.Trafford Park, Manchester, is hardly a name which conjures up nostalgia. But this week I hear that one of the old factories now under the demolition hammer holds memories for a number of people in the industry. The British Trailer Company factory of four-in-line fame at Phoenix Works is to make room for Car Auctions. Back in 1916 the factory was used for constructing observation balloons which were released through the hinged roof. In the Second World War BTC built the caravan from which Monty directed his North African operations. It seems unlikely that the new occupants will achieve such historic fame.
• Tolls tell
Perks come with every job, they say—but the fringe benefit I heard about this week sounds particularly attractive. Staff of the Transport and Road Research Laboratory at Crowthorne in Berkshire have just completed report number LR 426, an uninspiring title to say the least. But what lurks behind that title? It is a study on the value of motorists' time. Still nothing very exciting, you might say, but guess where the study was carried out, .. On the roads from Caianello to Rome and Modena to Milan. And what has all this to do with driving at home? Does an ulterior motive lie behind the sunshine survey? Well, it's simply this: the two TRRL men were weighing up the cost factors of toll-paying roads. It seems as if turnpikes may be just around the corner ...
• Mystery cleared
Really—can you wonder that the French are apprehensive about our entry into Europe and the possibility that we will take over a leading role? Last week I told you of a visit to France organized by Chrysler UK just at the time when President Pompidou was coming over here. Believe it or not, no sooner was his back turned than the 150 British transport managers moved into the Palace of Versailles for lunch. This is the.first time that the official presidential residence has been used for commercial purposes and I hear that a State-owned manufacturer from France has been trying for years for the same privilege. But what were they doing, these men from Tesco Stores, NCB, CWS, Avis, British Railways, GEC, Post Office, Spillers and Imperial Foods? They were having a sneak preview of the Hillman Avenger Estate car and the new Hunter range which is announced today. Who says transport men and CM can't keep secrets?
Just to give the thing a commercial flavour, they also had a chance to look at the Simca 1100 van and I hear that three national companies are on the verge of following the lead given by British Relay who are now taking delivery of 1400 Simcas.
11 Livery change
& I Maybank, the largest waste paper merchants in Europe, who are based in South East London are to change their livery. A predominantly white cab and trailer with an orange sheet covering the load and a continuous line of bold black letter Ms running along its side should be very distinctive. There is no doubt that the new livery will enable people to identify the vehicles and according to Jim Maybank it is intended to reflect the efficiency of the operation. The funny thing is that I find it hard to see the waste-paper vehicles in anything other than the existing chocolate brown livery to which everyone has become accustomed, but I am looking forward to a preview of the new colour scheme.
• Two to one chance
If you must have an accident may I suggest you have it near Londonderry Lane, Brimingham? There's just a chance that your ambulance driver will be Margaret Davies, a 24-year-old driver attendant with the Warley Ambulance Service. This young lady who was the only female among 19 students on a six-week course has been awarded the chief officer's prize for the best student on the course. She had a 96 per cent mark in her examination. The chances that she will pick you up are two to one. There are only three drivers on the station.
• After 23 years
Wolverhampton's R. P. Miers has retired after 23 years as chairman of the Road Haulage Association's milk carriers' functional group and is succeeded by Windartton's E. A. Wall. Said Mr Miers: "I feel that the time has arrived when I must hand over to a younger man. I have taken this decision in the best interests of the group which lam sure will benefit from a change in leadership."
• A pregnant silence •
Last week at another of those excellent Seddon-Atkinson "Meet the customer" evenings at Bristol, the managing director, Mr David Redman, asked some 200 or so operators present how they thought the proposed C and U Regulations would affect them. Almost to a man they remained silent. Whether this was due to a genuine lack of thought on the matter, or that they did not fully understand the new regulations, or whether it was the thought of the cabaret that was to follow I cannot say. But it seemed a shame that so many normally vociferous individuals passed up such a good opportunity to air their views and in doing so to give the manufacturers something to go on.