In War Prepare for Peace
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THE period immediately following the termination of the war of 19141918 saw the foundation of the road-haulage industry as we know it to-day. Many of those hauliers who started, in 1919, as owner-drivers are now its leaders; many, unfortunately, have fallen by the wayside as the result of the stress of the keen competition which arose in subsequent years because of the influx of so many undesirables— that is customary in all new industries; many are still owner-drivers, or very little more.
What is going to be the net effect of the present war? Will it be nationalization, as some seem to think? Will it be an intensification of the co-ordination and merging which had already started when the war broke out? Or will the industry plod along in the old, haphazard, muddling way?
Co-ordination Will be Accelerated We dare, in this instance, to don the mantle of the prophet. We believe that there will be, in the first place, an acceleration of the process of co-ordination. Events already are moving to that end, although by diverse ways. There will not be, as so many seem to fear, elimination of the small operator. The owner-driver, the haulier with two, three or four vehicles who operates mainly locally or on long-distance services (as distinct from trunk services)—the tramp steamer of the roads—will remain. They have a place in the road-transport system of the country which no others can take. The country cannot afford to lose them. The advantage of the personal touch, direct contact with customers, is too valuable to lose; it cannot be given by large, multiple-unit concerns. We doubt, moreover, if any practical system of rates control can be devised which can be applied to them.
Nevertheless, we are of the opinion that the good work, already started and implemented, first, in the attempt to schedule fair rates and, secondly, in the formation of the Road-Rail Central Conference, should go on, uninterrupted, so far as that is practicable in all the circumstances. In that way all hauliers, those who are members of big combines as well as those who preserve their independence, will be made costs-and-charges conscious.
There is, moreover, this aspect of the matter. There are many who, when the after-the-war reorganization comes, will prefer to be amongst those who are co-ordinated. Some will wish to take leading or important parts in the new organizations, rather than insignificant ones; all • will certainly wish to obtain the best prices for their businesses.
Hauliers should realize this important fact: those who can present books of accounts which demonstrate their efficiency as business men will undoubtedly have preference. An operator having only half a dozen vehicles who can show, over a period of two or three years, a real net profit of £800 per annum or thereabouts will show to advantage in comparison with a much larger operator having a score of vehicles or more, perhaps, but able to show a profit of only about the same amount, possibly less, or, possibly, no profit at all.
Pay More Attention to Costing Now, therefore, is the time for straightening out those account books, for arriving at rational figures for costs and for charging rates on the basis of those figures, so that real profits can be shown. In this the associations can help; we, too, are prepared to continue to assist. Our costs expert, S.T.R., in his articles "Solving the Problems of the Carrier," will shortly proceed to a new series dealing first with proper methods of keeping records of costs and then to the proper application of that knowledge to the solution of the problems of rates assessment.
The lectures he has been in the habit of delivering, whilst not entirely suspended, since he is available when the conditions are favourable, cannot go on with the same vigour as during normal times, if only for the reason that black-out conditions make it difficult to get hauliers together.
Meanwhile, the knowledge and experience of our expert staff is at the disposal of our readers in solving the many current problems, peculiar to the times, which are daily arising and causing so much concern amongst the rank and file of hauliers generally.
In this way we shall all be enabled to follow what, we are sure, is the appropriate course; that is, to maintain intact during the war the economic structure of the road-transport industry, so that its members may the more efficiently serve the country while that war lasts and emerge thereafter in a state of preparedness for the even more difficult problems of peace.
How Should Head-lamp Masks be Fitted ?
ANSWEANSWERING a question in the House of RING recently concerning the fitting of the new head-lamp masks, Sir John Anderson said that he had no reason to suppose that any danger would arise from the new option permitted to drivers to use the mask on either head lamp, as it should be invisible to oncoming traffic, the position of the vehicle being indicated by the side lights. At the same time, the use of both head lights simultaneously would increase the volume of light on the road surface to a degree which could not be permitted in present circumstances.
We wonder whether Sir John ever travels on the road during the black-out period. If so, he could hardly be so firmly convinced as to the effect of these lights from oncoming vehicles.
The fitting of the mask is supposed to be such that the light is perfectly parallel, with the diffused beam rising not more than 4 ft. above the road, but in the average car the driver's eyes are little, if anything, above this level.
The result is sometimes most disconcerting, as the light appears as a succession of flashes, caused by road inequalities and the slight bouncing of the vehicles. From this point of view it would actually be better if the mask were slightly dipped. Any fluctuating light, particularly on very dark nights, affects the eyes in such a manner as to make it very difficult to see anything immediately in front of, or to the left of. the driver.
It is, of course, difficult, if not impossible, to ascertain exactly how the masks on approaching vehicles are fitted. It may be that some of them are tilted slightly upwards, but their position is a point that certainly requires attention, and approval should be given to a slight degree of downward tilt.