Road Carries Most Export Loads Between 1 and 5 Tons
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ROAD transport carries almost all consignments between 1 and 5 tons destined IX for export from the United Kingdom. This is one of the conclusions arrived at in a survey carried out by the Association of British Chambers of Commerce in conjunction with the British Transport Commission.
The survey covered just over 1,300 exporters, of whom 80 per cent. were manufacturers and 16 per cent. merchants, the remainder combining both functions_ This coverage represented more than 10 per cent, of the national total and the annual tonnage in the sample amounted to nearly 24-m. tons. Traffic from 26 ports was analysed, the main proportions being consigned to London, Liverpool, Birkenhead, Glasgow, Manchester, Hull and Middlesbrough.
Although there were a large number of firms offering export traffic, the main tonnage came from a comparatively small proportion of exporters. Thus, some 75 per cent, of the exporters included in the survey offered only 6 per cent, of the total tonnage. The smaller exporters used road f or a greater part of their traffic than the larger firms. Where the annual forwardings per exporter were under 100 tons, the percentage sent by road was 68, whilst at over 500 tons the proportion dropped to 53 per cent.
Another table in the survey gives an analysis in commodities of the total ton nage sent for export. Chemical and allied trades supplied 14 per cent. of the total tonnage, of which 62 per cent. was sent by road. Corresponding figures for other commodities were: constructional engineering and hardware, 12 per cent. of the total tonnage, 59 per cent, by road; machinery and machine tools, 10 per cent., 79 per cent, by road; foodstuffs and
confectionery, 5 per cent. of the total, 64 per cent. by road.
Most exporters were found to use more than one port, whilst many tended to use several of the main ports for their transport needs.
Referring to the use mat.!.: of the rail Export Express Service, the survey showed that around 20 per cent, of exporters used the service or the concentration depots for small consignments for at least part of their traffic.
Nearly half of these users said that the introduction of the special facilities had been instrumental in their sending more traffic by rail. More than two-thirds consigned traffic in less than 1-ton lots, and half of them exported less than 109 tons a year.
As a result of the survey it is claimed that 90 per cent, of the users of the Export Express Service expressed satisfaction as to reliability, packing and acceptance times, but one-third were not satisfied with the rates.
The main reasons given by non-users of this service are also listed in the survey. Road services were claimed to be better by 23 per cent., and 29 per cent, said they were cheaper and better. A further 7 per cent. preferred to use their own transport.
An analysis of export traffic sent to the various ports shows that the bulk of road traffic is consigned to Leith, 83 per cent.. and Southampton, 81 per cent.