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METRKAT1ON FOR BULK HAULAGE „E G
Page 69
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Gibbins
IF ANY SECTOR of road transport had to be picked out as being the main class of operation affected by metrication it would be a toss-up between parcels carriers and bulk hauliers. For bulk carriers shifting one class of commodity the changeover is likely to be a fairly straightforward matter but for those carrying a variety of cargoes there is a great deal to take into account.
It is necessary only to think of the many different types of commodity carried in bulk to get a measure of the situation. Some tanker operators have already had to shift to metric notably those working for the construction industry carrying such things as cement. The main units that will replace imperial measure are the tonne, the kilogramme and the litre.
The main problems for the haulier will occur in the interim period where one industry has switched to the metric system and another is still on imperial so that there will be a constant need for conversions.
The paint industry, for example, is well advanced with its metrication programme and already such things as thinners are being carried by metric measure. The chemical industry's switch is more gradual and the mixture of metric and imperial can be expected for some little time yet because the changeover has been left to individual firms.
Some sectors of the chemical industry, like fertilizer manufacturers, serve the agricultural industry and the big switch to metrics in farming is not due to take place until 1973. Quite a variety of bulk loads is affected from seeds to grain and sugarbeet to milk. One of the main industries served by bulk road transport vehicles is the petroleum industry and here a great deal of work has still to be done on the changeover. Because of the Customs' involvement, tank calibration and conversion of delivery meters on• vehicles, dip sticks and tank gauges will all 'require attention if they do not have dual scales already. Particularly close attention is necessary with regard to documentation of loads in this area to take accpunt of delivery in both metric and imperial.
It is apparently unlikely that the petroleum industry will switch entirely to metric until 1975 although the main work of conversion should have taken place by 1974. A point to note is that fuel around about this time will be dispensed in litres and so this will start affecting things like costing systems and the entire record systems of transport contractors.
Your pint...
The Englishman loves his pint and the brewing industry has been one of the main areas of resistance to the metric system. The switch over to metric of wines and spirits and beer is particularly complicated, of course, by the Customs and Excise aspects which are strictly controlled and, as with petroleum products, it is understood that there are quite a few amendments to the • Weights and Measures Acts required before metrication really can take effect. Much depends on the provisions of the White Paper on Metrication, the publication of which is now well overdue.
Reference to the various commodities carried by bulk hauliers has been made to illustrate that there are different problems according to the commodities carried. So far as vehicles are concerned, tanks may have to be re-calibrated or even, as with the petroleum at the present time, tanks built to a metric specification. Most of the main oil companies have been ordering tanks in metric for some years. As indicated, metric measure will also affect dip stick calibration, counting instruments on dispensing units and an area which might cause difficulty is nozzle and hose sizes. It may well be that, if there are difficulties in this quarter, coupling converters may be required. A careful eye needs to be kept on spares stocking as imperial and metric units may have to be kept for a lengthy period, in fact until imperial tankers disappear.
Vehicles, of course, are not the only sphere of interest affected by metrication. One of the main impacts will be felt on paper, work, from invoicing to drivers' load notes, log sheets, and record forms. Provision for both systems of measurement should be made at the earliest opportunity. The same, of course, applies to stock control of bulk liquids and powders where these are held in storage by companies.
Convert early Yet a further area lies in rates and charges and here if a firm has a standard rate schedule it is no bad thing to convert at an early date weights and measures from imperial to dual imperial-and-metric to facilitate the task of traffic office staff and minimize mistakes in charging for services where conversions have to be made.
Export freight went metric on January 1 and bulk hauliers may well find that there is a conflict between port requirements of loads being specified in metric compared with those of the industry involved which may .still be on the imperial system. This makes it essential to be aware of the conversion needs of customers.
This situation may become more acute as from January 1 next year which looks at the moment to be the likely date for conversion to the metric system for the inland transport industry. However, so much depends upon the content of the White Paper on Metrication that it is very much a question of waiting on this publication to determine final programmes on this whole issue: