Commercial Motoring from the Inside.
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Article I.
Contributed by " Hornoc."
For the transport of all kinds of merchandise and passengers, all business or far-seeing men are willing to admit to-day that. motor vehicles properly applied have extraordinary possibilities, and, in reviewing the situation after some years of laying the seed, the trend of things and their development are clearly visible to those within the inner ring of commercial motors. The present series of articles is compiled with the intention of bringing to light many facts which are bound to be of interest, not only to the user, but also to the manufacturer and factor of commercial motor vehicles. It is felt that the latest experience of those working in the movement should be placed on record, in the hope that furtherance of trade may be in the right direction.
Early Difficulties.
A tremendous amount ol spade work has been witnessed during the last four years, in approaching likely users of motor vehicles, and the difficulties encountered 1)1, thtzse exploiters have been countless. The motorbus boom of 1905 and 1906 is still responsible for a great deal of the general lack of confidence, and ii must be borne in mind that, before a drastic change in the style of transport is effected by anyone, the advantages likely Lo accrue through the change from horse to motor have to be in nearly all cases proved. Capital scruples have to be overcome, and this in many cases is one of the chief barriers to success ; the old style of horse transport in many instances has to be discarded, and horses, for whom most English people have a great affection, have to be displaced; the pensioning-oft of tried and valued servants in the stables has to be arranged, and the determination of old associations with the forage suppliers, railway and cartage contractors has to be effected : all these points, with a conservative race, count for a great deal. On account of these obstacles, apart from the manufacturing side, development has been slower than was anticipated by ninny, and even now, when a large percentage of the firms is dabbling in commercial motor vehicles, the purchases are by no means of a wholesale nature, only one or two vehicles being bought at the outset, with the intention of their eventually, if successful, leading to the general replacement of the old
type of transport. •
That a commercial motor vehicle in five cases out of five spells economy no one will admit, even if properly applied hut that it is a great convenience, and in a large number of instances, more economical, is a fact, since otherwise the industry would not be in such a sound position at the present time. It is quite evident that trade will never develop into or by nwans of a boom, but that a steady increase of business can be expected, and this will be far more satisfactory to all concerned. The man who tells one that commercial motors arc in their infancy is a type of being who does more damage to the trade generally than the roan who quotes a friend's friend's experience with some antediluvian pleasure chassis purchased several years back, with a lorry body fitted to it : the first man is hopelessly ignorant and is a case of "to the blind till things are blind "; the second man is informed, perhaps not well, but his friend's experience can be turned to good account, and if carefully nursed he will accept proofs and guarantees. One of the most startling contradictions to the latter man's theory must be the fact that so many of the original bus chassis are in service, although some have been in hard use for four years, and are running to-day, and earning money—i.e., their takings exceed the cost of actual running expenses. There have been improvements and new parts fitted from time to time to these chassis, but that is in the order of things. No user of a commercial vehicle can ever expect that he will not front tune to time adopt improvements and renew worn parts, but, if the vehicle he possesses is well constructed, the expense of fitting such additions will come well within the amount of money to be set aside for this purpose, so that the vehicle is always in a more or less up-to-date condition. Reference will be made later to the terms " depreciation " and " maintenance," which are not fairly dealt with by owners at the present lay.
Progress of the Industry.
Since the first motorbus commenced running, great strides in constructional details have been made. New firms have commenced to build, companies making other engineering commodities have turned their attention to this class of manufacture, and in most cases have taken into their employ engineers who have had experience in motor work from the earliest days, with the result that the latest types of chassis constructed, although similar in the main, have had greater attention paid to details, thereby producing vehicles in which the early faults do not occur, and it must be borne in mind that it is the details which count. A 'transport department cannot afford to have its deliveries hung up because some small, but perhaps unimportant, part has failed. As far as the running properties of a motor vehicle are concerned, it is equally fatal, if deliveries are delayed, whether ihey arise from the failure of an unimportant or an important part.
Factory Difficulties.
I t must be instructive for the outsider to learn some of the factory difficulties which exist in the manufacture of motors generally, since there is, probably, no business proposition which entails so much worry and anxiety, both from the works and sales points of view, as that of a manufacturer of commercial motors. The troubles experienced by pleasure-car manufacturers are all existent in the factory of a commercial-vehicle manufacturer, plus the extraordinary wear due to vibration through the running of the vehicles OD solid tires ; the fact that each chassis consists of ',coo and more parts, :tnd that each of these parts has to be in stock in a completed state before a chassis can run, is alone a point which must strike One forcibly ; the ordering and obtaining delivery of such a complexity of raw material before the factory can deal with it gives the organiser of such a shop art experience which he will not encounter in many other engineeringshops. A delay in deliveries from the outside may hang up the output at any moment, and the ninny risks of faulty material or execution which always exist in large engineering works make a factory engineer's lot not a happy one. Finally, all parts must be absolutely interchangeable, otherwise the expense entailed in refitting worn parts to chassis in use would be prohibitive.
S tandardisation.
The old adage" More haste, less speed " applies in a very large degree to the manufacture and standardisation of a new type of chassis; if the vehicle is not jig built, i.e., all parts made to gauge and each part practically put through the shops with special tools for each operation, it will mean chaos when once the vehicle is on the road. One of the reasons why a motor is of little value if the factory which made it goes into liquidation is on account of the question of spare parts. For instance, supposing a misfortune happened, a cylinder casting was damaged, and supplies were not available from their original source, it would be almost cheaper to scrap the whole engine and to fit a new one, rather than to have new patterns and castings made and machined.
A new design of chassis cannot be considered satisfactory until it has passed through many stages of tests, The first road trial will bring to light faults which, however far-seeing the designer may be, invariably crop up. After the first road troubles are eliminated, practical usage in the hands of indifferent drivers will indicate other necessary improvements. Then, again, undue wear will show itself in certain parts after a few months of running, and this N1 ill call for further alterations, whilst usually, if the designer keeps in touch with his vehicle, he will, by re-designing certain parts of the model, discover means of effecting quicker adjustments, so that the garage will require less time for its maintenance. It may, therefore, be assumed that, until a chassis has had a very lengthy practical test, it cannot be called standardised, and, needless to say, during this interim period, which at the least must be computed as one year from the first road trial, many parts have to be scrapped, and this is a heavy strain on the resources of the manufacturer.
The stores organisation, as will be understood, requires a perfect system, and every department must be well " understudied "; the costing department of a motor factory is also of ultra importance in assisting the engineering staff, and, ultimately, the sales department.
Sales Department.
On the sales side, the difficulties are considerably greater than those of pleasure-car dealers, since, at the present juncture of events, scepticism is still rampant, and each proposition must be a commercial one. Some of the difficulties experienced, besides those enumerated in the first part of this article, are found in obstacles which may arise when a demonstration is given, since one of the first things for which a would-be buyer invariably asks is a trial of more-orless lengthy duration. It must he realised that a hitch is always a hitch, and a lazy driver who does not get through the Nvork allotted to him, or who runs out of petrol and is
delayed while further supplies are obtained, or any road acci dent, may upset a sale, absurd as this really is. Tirt troubles are another cause which may count against ar otherwise successful trial. It is no good arguing to tht would-be buyer that the tires on the particular trial vehich have run is,000 miles; he will have none of it, and wit most probably assume that tires are always a source of trouble.
A would-be buyer imagines that a demonstration vehick is the finest thing a firm can turn out : they picture it at specially built, specially looked after, an abnormal produc. (ion—in fact, something unique if not " faked." 'I his, of course, sellers of commercial vehicles know to their cost is not the case. A demonstration vehicle is the hardest-worked machine in existence; it is booked for many trials during the year, and at each trial it is a case of " all out." It is probably engaged for another trial almost before it has completed the previous one, and the result of this overwork is that the demonstration vehicle is probably the worst-used vehicle a manufacturer possesses.
There is also to be considered the antagonism which exists in many yards against a motor by the horse-transport department. They look upon a motor as an enemy, instead of, probably, a friend. They imagine—the foremen or the horse carters—that once a motor obtains a footing in the yard they will all be discharged, and the result is that delays =ire created during loading, and the driver is sontetimes intimidated. Little assistance is given to the motor driver to put him on to the quickest route for the delivery of his goods, so that precious time is lost, and, as everyone know5., the essence of this question is speedy delivery.
Assuming that all points have been thoroughly proved and that there is not a lack of free capital, the buyer in many cases suggests impossible guarantees. fie talks of layinef down one motor to run six days per week, and expects the maker to guarantee it. He fondly imagines that the vehicle will run, year in year out, without a single stop. it is sometimes very difficult to prove to him that it is necessary to spend money on maintenance, and, in fact, if allowed, he would work the motor to death within a very short period. The writer has met users who have been proud of the fact that for six months they have not spent a penny in spare parts or overhauls other than small adjustments, which a competent driver can carry out himself. This is the height of folly. A commercial motor vehicle wants systematic attention. The buyer of a commercial motor does not realise that his purchase is not a cart only, but a horse, or several horses, and cart combined, this making all the difference. Some buyers expect their horse drivers to become expert motormen within say a week or In days, and, although many motor firms boast that their vehicles can be driven by anyone, it is safer to suggest that only an intelligent horse driver, and preferably a young man, is at all suitable for this new class of work.
At one time, difficulties were encountered in obtaining motor drivers who would assist in loading and unloading, but this has to a large degree been overcome, and nowadays it is not the exception hut the rule to find drivers who are willing to undertake this class of work.
Reverting to the matter of obstacles that are real difficulties in selling, many firms employ horse drivers who are also commercial travellers. This type of man is of great value to a firm, since he produces actual and tangible results over and above driving, and in very many cases handles cash. if a firm loses the services of such a man, part of his connection will certainly go with him, and this difficulty will be hard to solve until a new generation of motor-driver travellers arrives.