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• HINTS FOR HAULIERS.

3rd April 1923, Page 24
3rd April 1923
Page 24
Page 25
Page 24, 3rd April 1923 — • HINTS FOR HAULIERS.
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

/N MY PAGE of notes appearing in the last issue of this journal, I said that, whilst it was quite impossible to devote space to the constant reprinting of the tables of operating costs for commercial vehicles, the subject was one that called for continual treatment, and that I intended once more to go over the around but to treat the matter in a fresh way so as to enable me to explain how to arrive at running and other costs, concluding my remarks with a new form, without figures, the reader being left to fill in the figures, which he will, I hope, after my comments have appeared, be able to supply without much trouble.

Users' Hazy Ideas on Fuel Consumption.,

Talk of running costs brings to the mind of almost any motor-vehicle owner one thing, arid one thing only, his fuel consumption. It does not matter whether he be the owner of a 50 h.p. Roils-Royce or of an 8.h.p. Rover, whether he owns a 6-ton Leyland or a Ford van, all that running (Jests connote, in his mind, is mileage per gallon of petrol or benzoic. If he runs a steam wagon, then he thinks the same thought in terms of miles per cwt. of coal or coke. Many users,' even amongst owners of commercial motors, get no farther than that. The great majority have only hazy ideas as to this very important, but singularly incomplete, aspect of the matter of running costs, whilst those whose ideas are concrete are usually wrong, in that their ideals are derived from some particular performance which has little or no importance from the point of view of actual costs per mile. Not one in a hundred—and I am now confining myself to commercial-vehicle owners, who ought to know ; I might Gay not one in several hundreds—knows how much his vehicle is really costing per mile for petrol alone, without considering the dozen other items which go to the expense of running a motor vehicle. , I put it to every reader of this page to ask himself, bearing in mind that the most foolish thing a man can do is to deceive himself, whether he knows how much his own machine is costing him for fuel. I am going to ask him whether he is one of those with hazy ideas about this important matter, or whether he is one of those with concretebut wrong— ideas. Those who have really right ideas do not need my help. They are not, however, numerous.

Usually More Than 10 per Cent. in Error.

It fie not so very difficult to talk to those who are aware that. their ideas are only hazy, except that I must persuade them that it is dangerous, and show them how dangerous it is to be hazy on such an important point, and to do that I must quote some sort of figures, which I wanted to avoid, at this juncture. Suppose a man is running 10,000 miles a year and suppose he has a hazy idea that his lorry is doing 10 miles per gallon (assuming it is a petrol lorry), whereas, as a matter -of fact, it is only doing 9 m.p.g. Then, instead of using only 1,000 gallons of petrol, he is using 1,111 in the year. His cost per annum is, therefore, very nearly £10 a year more than he thinks it is, for fuel alone. Actnally, the man with hazy ideas is usually more than 10 per cent. out and is making a correspondingly greater loss.

The man with definite—but wrong—ideas is more difficult to advise, as, having strong opinions, he is not readily open to argument. He will tell you that his lorry does 10 miles pergallon. and is incensed if. you dare to suggest otherwise. Yet the basis for hi a belief 'will rarely bear the slightest investigation on the part of anyone with notions of how the petrol consumption of ar. motor vehicle should be measured.

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He generally has in mind some special performance, which he remembers more particularly because it hape pens to be such a good one His partisanship for his lorry and his pride in its performance entirely blind him to the cold commercial aspect of the matter; which should incline him . to note the poor perform. mace rather than the good one. He has been out somewhere, and has filled up at some particular town, a long way from home. He has a straight run home, without any trouble, without a stop of any kind. The weather is good, the roads in splendid condition ; in fact, everything in the garden is lovely, on that day, and the old bus simply runs a treat. "Fifty-five miles, and it only took five gallons to refill the tank." Fiftyfive miles—five gallons-11 miles per gallon, will be his original calculation1 and that, mellowed by time, and exaggerated by continuous repetition amongst his friends, who all have a tendency to boast about the performances of their machines, easily becomes 1q. You all know the kind of thing that happens. He reckons that., as a.matter of fact, it was a bit over 55 miles, because he came round the back of the little village of Slocum, and had to coves the river by the temporary bridge, because the regular one was under repair ; that makes 'it another couple of miles at least, and he reme.mbere that, really, there was more than a gallon left in that third can of petrol, which means that it took less than five to refill after the rnern_orable journey, and .so on. It is very easy indeed to make a 10 per cent. 'error of that kind, and after a time he really believes the exaggeration himself.

Outlay Not Fuel Consumption to be Considered.

Now I am going to make a very daring statement— an outrageous statement. I am of opinion that, from the point of view of costs, it is quite unnecessary to know bow many miles per gallon or per cwt. a lorry runs. Indeed, it would be much better, for, the majority of small users, if they had no idea. at all as to how many miles per gallon their machines would cover. .In particular, the man who does not know how to keep track of his costs, should get the idea. of miles per gallon entirely out of his mind, and concentrate on how much he is spending on petrol per month or per year.

The first essential to an accurate knowledge of running costs is a careful record of everything that is spent. The first item in the running cost of a motor vehicle is that of fuel, and the first thing to do, there fore, is to keep a careful record of how much is spent on petrol, benzole, coal, or coke, as the ease may be. Now, speaking to the owner-driver, I recommend him never to buy anything without getting a bill for it. In the case of fuel, which, particularly in connection with petrol, is bought here, there, and everywherea,s it is needed, a spike file, for collecting these bills, is the most practical and simplest means of keeping tally. Drive a long wire nail through a block of wood, label it " Fuel," and put all the bills on it.

Treat oil and grease the same way. Keep all the bills together, and you will be able to add up their totals periodically, to find out how much it is costing you to lubricate your chassis.

Then get athird spike file, for what I call "main

tenance," but which you may if you please, label " sundries," as it is mainly sundries which come under that heading, in a general way, except for the bigger overhauls (which trouble the small owner mostl when he has not made any allowance for them in his estimate of costs, and, maybe, has no money for then, when they come along).

These three items, "fuel," lubricants," and " Sundries " (which I call a part of maintenance expense) are all that can be kept account of in the way I have suggested. They are the only ones which need, practically speaking, daily recording. The other items are larger in themselves, and only come at regular stated periods They have to be dealt with in a

different manner. THE SKOTCH.

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Locations: Slocum

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